World Padel Tour, Coello-Tapia also masters in Chile

The highest level final that padel can offer today: Lebron-Galan, the dominators of last season, against Coello-Tapia, the duo who are setting the pace in this start of 2023. A great show marked – not to mention stained – from a surreal, unprecedented scene. The facts: Coello-Tapia ahead 6-4 5-4, at 40-30 Coello serves and the point arrives that would close the match… the Spaniard and the Argentine embrace and go to shake hands with their opponents, but it turns out that nothing, he was joking. The referee had awarded the previous point to Lebron and Galan, probably incorrectly (Coello’s ball seemed good). So it was 30-40, not 40-30: they weren’t even playing a match-point, as everyone believed. Then 40-40 and “punto de oro”, won by the Spanish couple while the public clamored to give the point – and the match – back to Coello and Tapia, visibly in shock.

Male

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All this happened in Las Condes (metropolitan region of Santiago), at the end of a week that was already somewhat historic, given that the World Padel Tour had never stopped in Chile. A very fast field, more suited to Coello and Tapia, to hunt for the third World Padel Tour title of the season. And so it was, at least until the “crime”. Won the first set 6-4, Arturo and Agustin seemed ready to close with a flourish, instead they found themselves playing a completely unexpected third set, after losing the second in a tie-break. In the deciding set, match-point for Lebron-Galan at 5-4, but the “gold point” goes to Coello with a smash that hits Alejandro’s body. Break in the following game and score reversed again, rewarding Coello-Tapia: on 6-5 in their favor, yet another “gold point” after two wasted match-points and this time the 7-5 is final, without further refereeing troubles .

Female

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A thousand times less exciting was the women’s final, which actually didn’t take place. Claudia Jensen, already debilitated in the semifinal, felt ill again and had to retire after losing the first set 6-1: red light, therefore, for her and for Jessica Castellò, who still remains satisfied with having ousted a very strong couple like Salchez-Josemaria from the tournament. And green light for Gemma Triay and Alejandra Salazar, who thus repeated the victory obtained in La Rioja: the only thrill in the previous round, overcome in the tie-break of the third against Brea-Araujo.