Argentina's Martin Di Nenno (left) and Franco Stupaczuk celebrate after defeating Inigo Jofre and Luis Hernandez Quesada of Spain, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: World’s leading pair Alejandro Galan and Juan Lebron stormed into the third round of the Premier Padel Ooredoo Qatar Major, while the title-holders Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno also joined the top 16 with a commanding show at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, yesterday.
Spaniards Galan and Lebron, who just arrived in Doha following the title triumph at the Riyadh Season P1 tournament on Saturday, dispatched familiar opponents Daniel Windahl of Sweden and Jose Marmolejo of Spain with scores of 6-3, 6-3 in 69 minutes to advance. The same opponents had met in Riyadh a week ago when the top-ranked duo rolled over Windahl (52nd in the FIP ranking) and Marmolejo (82nd) on their way to lift the title.
In Doha, Galan and Lebron will meet Miguel Yanguas and Javier Garrido who yesterday fought back from one set down to defeat Arnau Ayats and Francisco Guerrero 6-7, 6-0, 6-3, in today’s Round of 16 clash.
Meanwhile, Stupaczuk and Di Nenno (3rd seed) also continued to show their consistent form.
The Argentinians had the better of qualifiers Inigo Jofre and Luis Hernandez Quesada in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) to book their place in the next round. Di Nenno and Stupaczuk, ranked 4th and 5th in the world respectively, will take on qualifiers Miguel Angel Solbes and Carlos Marti who upset Diego Gil and Jesus Moya (3-6, 6-4, 6-4) in a thrilling all-Spanish second round match, yesterday.
Yesterday’s action also saw impressive performances from other seeded players. The fifth-seeded duo, Spaniard Jeronimo Gonzalez and Argentine Federico Chingotto secure a place in the last-16 stage. They overcame the challenge posed by the Argentinian qualifiers Valentino Libac and Leandro Augsburger with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Seventh-seeded Juan Tello and Alejandro Ruiz also advanced, defeating Denis Tomas Perino and Alex Chozas 7-5, 6-4.
Earlier, Qatari wild cards Abdulla Al Hijji and Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari lost to Spanish duo Javier Rico and Juanlu Esbri 6-1, 6-0. Despite the loss, Al Kuwari expressed his happiness at participating in the main round of the tournament.
In an interview with the Qatar News Agency, Al Kuwari, a prominent figure in sports and media in the country, thanked the Qatar Tennis and Squash Federation for granting the national team players wild cards for the tournament so that they can gain valuable experience while interacting with the top-ranked players in the world.
Our participation benefits us through the valuable ranking points. “It will strengthen our position in the rankings and help us become role models for the rising generations,” Al Kuwari added.
Al Kuwari also said Doha’s hosting of the Premier Padel Major event and other key tournaments reinforces Qatar’s effective sports strategy.
“There are more than 100 players in Qatar under the age of 16 whose level is excellent, and the Qatar Tennis and Squash Federation is investing in these talents by developing and training them and providing a supportive environment so that they can become stars in the future,” Al Kuwari said.
