By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
Photo Credit: MADRID P1 / Photo: @silvestreszpylma / Premier Padel.
Madrid had been promised a week of spectacle and, by Sunday evening, the Movistar Arena had delivered it.
Nearly 14,000 spectators packed the venue for the finals, taking the week’s attendance beyond 55,000, with football royalty including Raúl González Blanco, Eden Hazard and Atlético Madrid’s World Cup winner Alex Baena among those watching from the stands.
And when the noise finally settled, the same names were standing at the top as they had been in Pretoria only weeks earlier.
Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea claimed the women’s title, while Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto completed another statement victory in the men’s draw. Madrid belonged to them.
For Triay, though, this was more than another trophy.
The Menorcan backhand player moved into rare territory, reaching 200 Premier Padel wins and equalling Alejandra Salazar’s remarkable tally of 58 titles. Salazar, the Madrid native and one of the most decorated players in the sport’s history, was honoured by her home crowd between the two finals.
Minutes later, Triay and Salazar shared an emotional embrace.
It was a fitting moment because the women’s final had demanded everything Triay and Brea had.
Their rivalry with Paula Josemaría and Bea González has become one of the defining contests on tour, and Madrid produced another chapter full of momentum swings. Josemaría and González took the opening set in a tie break after recovering from 5 2 down, capitalising on a string of unforced errors.
Triay and Brea had to find another level. They did.
With Seba Nerone guiding them from the bench, the second seeds took control of the match and produced back to back 6 3 sets to complete the turnaround and claim their sixth title of the season.
It was not simply a victory. It was another demonstration of Triay’s longevity and competitive edge.
She now stands alongside Salazar on 58 titles, the joint highest tally among active players.
Then came the farewell. Salazar’s tribute on centre court was an emotional celebration of a career that has helped shape modern padel. Surrounded by family, teammates and some of the biggest names in the sport, she received the reception Madrid had been waiting to give its most decorated player.
And then the men’s final delivered another thriller.
Galán and Chingotto arrived as the favourites, but Coki Nieto and Mike Yanguas had already torn up the tournament script by eliminating world No 1s Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello.
For almost three hours, the underdogs pushed Chingalán to the limit.
The final lasted two hours and 43 minutes and produced the kind of tension that has become increasingly familiar whenever these four players share a court.
Galán and Chingotto edged the opening set 6 4, gaining the crucial advantage with a Star Point at 3 3. They then appeared to have the match under control when they served at 5 4 in the second.
Nieto and Yanguas refused to go quietly.
They won three consecutive games to force a deciding set, dragging the favourites into another physical and mental examination.
At 4 4 in the final set, Chingalán finally found the opening. They had created nine break points across the set. This time, they converted. One break was enough.
Galán and Chingotto held serve in the following game to seal a 6 4, 5 7, 6 4 victory and their seventh title of the season.
It was another reminder of why they have emerged as the tour’s most in form partnership since the summer break.
For Galán, there was an added sweetness to beating fellow Spaniard Nieto in the first Madrid final contested between two local players. He had already lifted the title on home soil in 2022 alongside Juan Lebrón. This time, Chingotto was beside him.
The victory also closes the gap on Tapia and Coello at the top of the rankings, setting up another intriguing chapter when the world’s best head to the Alpine Paris Major Premier Padel.
But Madrid belonged to Chingalán and Triay.
The same winners who had ruled Pretoria arrived in the Spanish capital and did it again, against opponents who refused to make it easy.
That is what made the week special. The trophies may have gone to familiar hands, but neither title was handed over.