The first round of the CUPRA Germany Premier Padel P2 has come to an end in both the men’s and women’s draws. Tino Libaak and Gonza Alfonso won't forget this day after producing a standout performance to defeat Javi Leal - Fran Guerrero (#7) for the second consecutive week, just minutes before learning that they had been selected to represent Argentina at the FIP World Cup.

Meanwhile, several teams coming through qualifying booked their place in the Round of 16: Clément Geens - Nacho Moragues, José Solano - Rama Pereyra, Javier Martínez - Luis Hernández and Claudia Escacena - Noemí Aguilar. They will compete at Castello Düsseldorf this Thursday, when the top four seeds in both draws will make their tournament debuts.

Libaak - Alfonso Produce a Memorable Comeback

The Argentine team continue to prove that joining forces last July was the right decision. Since then, they have won two FIP Silver titles in St. Elpidio and Budapest, reached the semi-finals of the Madrid P1 after defeating Juan Lebrón - Leo Augsburger, and are now chasing their second consecutive Tour quarter-final.

The draw handed them another showdown with Leal - Guerrero just one week after their Round of 16 clash at the Rotterdam P2. On that occasion, Libaak - Alfonso prevailed in the deciding set. This time, they once again got the win after a great comeback by 3-6, 7-6, 7-5. The match began at exactly the same time as the Argentine Padel Association announced its list of eight players selected for the FIP World Cup in Qatar, with both Alfonso and Libaak included.

“Today I received one of the greatest honours anyone can receive in their sporting career: representing my country. I want to thank the coaches for choosing me among so many others who also deserved to be there and for giving me this incredible opportunity. I want to thank padel, the fans, my team and my family. This is a reward for my dedication and discipline, something I have achieved alongside my team. I promise I’ll give everything I have. My life is going to change from this FIP World Cup onwards. I’m fully prepared for what’s to come. I feel incredibly lucky,” Alfonso said in an emotional video shared on his social media.

It will be the first time he represents his country at this major event, and he could do so alongside his current teammate in the knockout stages. Libaak was the national hero in the 2024 final alongside Leo Augsburger, winning the decisive match against Paquito Navarro and Mike Yanguas.

From Qualifying to the Round of 16

Three men’s and one women’s team won another encounter to reach the Round of 16 after starting the tournament in the qualifying. Escacena, who reached the quarter-finals in Rotterdam alongside Claudia Jensen, achieved the feat this time with her current partner, Noemí Aguilar, with whom she will face a tough clash against Claudia Fernández - Martina Calvo (#4).

Meanwhile, Moragues will play his first Premier Padel Round of 16 of the season alongside Clément Geens after defeating Javier Barahona - Ignacio Piotto (#19) in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Their next opponents will be Maxi Arce, another of the eight players selected for Argentina’s national team, and Juan Tello, the No. 9 seeds in the tournament.

Finally, both Solano - Pereyra and Martínez - Hernández got the job done by defeating Matthias Wunner - Johannes Lindmeyer and Agustín Reca - Víctor Tur, the two teams who had received Wild Cards.

Wunner, Lindmeyer and Reca played in front of their home crowd after securing qualification for the FIP World Cup a few weeks ago, but they were unable to overcome two solid pairs.

The Stars Make Their Debuts at Castello Düsseldorf

On Thursday, the German crowd will get to see the Tour’s top four men’s and women’s teams in action as they make their tournament debuts.

Agustín Tapia - Arturo Coello will face José Diestro - Marc Sintes (#22) after being crowned Rotterdam P2 champions last Sunday, while Chingalán will look to bounce back against Javi Garrido - Juani De Pascual (#16) following their surprise quarter-final exit.

Meanwhile, Juan Lebrón - Leo Augsburger will contest one of the day’s standout matches against Madrid P1 semi-finalists Juanlu Esbrí - Íñigo Jofre (#12),  while Jon Sanz - Franco Stupaczuk will begin their defence of the No. 4 ranking against Martínez - Hernández.

In the women’s draw, No. 1 seeds and Germany P2 champions in 2025, Gemma Triay - Delfi Brea, will begin their title defence against Marta Barrera - Jana Montes (#13), while Perlamita will look to build some momentum against Sofía Saiz - Marta Talaván (#17).

Finally, Rotterdam P2 champions Ari Sánchez - Andrea Ustero (#3) face a tough test against a promising team like Raquel Eugenio - Jimena Velasco (#12), while Calvo - Fernández will take on Escacena - Aguilar.