Calvo Becomes Youngest Ever Premier Padel Winner After Taking Out Top Seeds In London.
Spaniard Martina Calvo became the youngest ever Premier Padel champion just one month after her 18th birthday after she teamed up with compatriot Claudia Fernández Sánchez to defeat the women’s top seeds as Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia defeated Alejandro Galán and Fede Chingotto in another Superclásico duel. Here is all you need to know:
– Fourth seeds Fernández and Calvo claimed the first set 7-5 on Sunday to rock Gemma Triay Pons and Delfina Brea Senesi on their heels, then kept up the pressure to seal their first title together after winning the second set 6-3. Calvo, who turned 18 on July 5, now becomes the youngest ever winner.
– She revealed: “I have a new dream now: to win more tournaments and live more moments like this, because it’s so satisfying to be in a tournament like this and reach a final. I always watched the top players on TV in the finals and thought, ‘what an incredible feeling that must be’.”
– The iconic Kensington Olympia exhibition centre in London was the venue for the first Premier Padel event in the UK, the first edition given a P1 grading as thousands of fans flocked to see the stars including a host of celebrities such as footballers Alexia Putellas and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
– Fernández and Calvo only dropped 10 games in reaching the semi-finals where they faced second seeds Bea González and Paula Josemaría Martín, who had struggled to three sets in their last-eight clash.
– The younger pair maintained their great run with a formidable 6-2 6-4 win on Saturday in just under two hours to book another final spot, after they reached the final at the Pretoria P1 event last week.
– In the top half of the draw, Triay and Brea were up against it all through the week on the slower courts, the world number one pair taken to three sets in both the Round of 16 and quarter-finals.
– They were not given an easy ride in Saturday’s semi-finals either against third seeds Ariana Sánchez Fallada and Andrea Ustero Prieto as they edged the first set 7-4 in a tiebreak, lost the second set 7-5 then reset to win the deciding set 6-3 and book a repeat of last week’s final.
– Sadly for them, the younger duo just had too much strength throughout with Fernández and Calvo victorious on the back of 40 winners and 13 smashes with all five break points converted.
– Fernández, 20, added: “We are really, really happy. Now, for the holidays. I’m going to the beach to get some sun, rest, and not watch any padel for a whole week.”
– Over in the men’s event, Coello and Tapia adjusted brilliantly to the slower pace of the Olympia courts from the outset and did not drop a set in reaching the final including a 6-3 6-2 win over fifth seeds Martín Di Nenno and padel legend Paquito Navarro in a ruthless Saturday semi-final display.
– Down the bottom of the draw, Galán and Chingotto were given a scare by an unseeded Italian pair in the Round of 32 before progressing in three sets, but got back on track in the next two rounds.
– Saturday’s semi-final was an altogether tougher affair against third seeds Juan Lebrón and Leandro Augsburger, but Galán and Chingotto dug deep to win the tiebreak 7-3 and close out the win 6-3.
– Sunday’s Superclásico final was a chance for Coello and Tapia to bag their eighth 2026 title and they raced into a 2-0 lead that they converted into 6-3 after winning their second set point.
– The second seeds looked far more assured in the second set and upped the pace of play to break Coello and Tapia in the 12th game to level it up 7-5 but, with the crowd on the edge of their seats, the top seeds had that little bit extra to lock out the inaugural London title 7-5.
– Coello, 24, said: “In the first set we played very, very well – super concentrated. At 4-4 in the third, everything changed. Winning a new title here in London, at such an historic venue, means a lot to me. Thank you so much to all the people who came this week to watch us. London is amazing.”
– Tapia, 27, added: “The truth is that we’ve had some incredible years. Probably some even better than this one, but we’re giving this season a special value. We’re different people now, different players – more mature. We have the affection and respect to keep moving forward together.”
– The players now have a long, well deserved summer break ahead of the Madrid P1 event from August 29 until September 6.
– The 2026 season is another exciting chapter for Premier Padel as the unified global tour expands under the governance of the FIP. With 25 tournaments in 17 countries across five continents, watch the world’s best players compete hard with all the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals streamed live on Red Bull TV.
