Argentina players celebrate after winning a match against Chile.
Doha, Qatar: Argentina and Spain kept their perfect record intact with dominant performances once again as the global padel powerhouses closed in on another title clash of the FIP Padel World Championships yesterday.
At the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday, Argentina advanced to the men’s semi-finals, overpowering Chile with a commanding 3-0 win. Martin Di Nennoand Federico Chingotto led the charge for Argentina, overcoming Chile’s Ignacio Walker and Santiago Munoz Campos with a 6-2, 6-1 scoreline. Franco Stupaczuk and Carlos Daniel Gutierrez defeated Javier Valdes and Cristian Molina 6-0, 6-2, before Valentin Gomez Libaak and Agustin Chozas sealed the sweep with a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win over Carlos Martinez and Gonzalo Valdivieso Comesana as Argentina booked a semi-final meeting with Portugal.
Portugal beat UAE 2-0 in another quarter-final encounter yesterday.
Argentina’s Chingotto, ranked fourth in the world, said he enjoys playing with Di Nenno.
“Playing with Martín is a beautiful thing because we have been meeting on the court for a lifetime, and being able to compete together in the World Championship is something I really enjoy,“ Chingotto said at the post-match press conference.
Spain, meanwhile, stormed past Brazil 2-0 to advance. In the first match, Arturo Coelloand Alejandro Galan secured a strong 6-0, 6-1 victory over Joao Pedro Rodrigues and Arthur Krames Freitas, before Francisco Navarro and Miguel Yanguas overcame Julio Cesar Julianotti and Lucas da Cunha with a 6-2, 6-2 win. Spain will take on Italy, who defeated France 2-0, in today’s semi-final.
At the same venue, hosts Qatar yesterday suffered a 0-2 loss to Belgium in the 9-16 position play-offs.
In the first match, Jeremy De Weerdt and Arnaud Meessen had to sweat to beat Hamad Al Waly and Mohammed Abdulla 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 in a nearly two-hour match. The second match was more straightforward, with Clement Geens and Frederic Azzola defeating Ahmed Alhijji and Jabor Al Mutawa 6-3, 6-2. With Belgium securing the win, the third match between Maxime Deloyer and Louis Montoisy of and Qatar’s Abdullah Hassan and Rashed Aljufairi was not played.
Qatar will take on Mexico today as they battle to secure a position between 13 and 16.
Earlier, last tournament’s women’s runners-up Argentina kept their hopes of making another final alive, when they advanced to the semi-finals with a dominant 3-0 win over the Netherlands. Argentina, who have featured in every final of the World Championships, will meet Italy in today’s semi-final.
Italy, who finished third in the last two editions of the World Championships, held in Doha and UAE, yesterday defeated Brazil 2-0 to advance.
Meanwhile, Spain who are seeking a sixth straight title, reached the top four after beating Sweden 2-0. They will take on Portugal, who beat France women 2-1 yesterday, for a place in the title clash. Belgian women defeated Egypt without conceding a set in the 9-16 play-offs, while USA lost to Denmark 1-2. Uruguay also boosted their hopes of finishing on a high despite missing out on the top eight when they beat Germany 2-1, while Japan handed Chile a 2-0 defeat in a thrilling tie.
