This is the first big surprise of  London Premier Padel P1 Finalists just a few days ago at  Pretoria P1 ,  Javi leal  et  Fran Guerrero The seventh-seeded team were eliminated in their first match by the youngsters.  Mariano Gonzalez  et  Curro Cabeza  at the end of a huge battle:  6/3 4/6 7/5  in 1h46 of play.

An unexpected elimination for one of the most in-form pairs at the moment.

From Pretoria to London, back to reality

Last week, Leal and Guerrero impressed the entire circuit.

The two Spaniards had had an exceptional run to the final of the  Pretoria P1 by successively eliminating  Juan Lebrón / Leo Augsburger then  world number ones Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia , before bowing out in an epic final against  Ale Galán  et  Fede Chingotto , in the tie-break of the third set.

They therefore arrived in London with a huge amount of confidence… but also with a large physical and emotional expenditure.

Gonzalez and Cabeza hit hard

From the beginning of the meeting,  Mariano Gonzalez  et  Curro Cabeza  impose their own rhythm.

Highly aggressive, Gonzalez caused a lot of damage on offense, allowing his pair to quickly gain the upper hand. More precise in the crucial rallies, the two Spaniards deservedly won the first set.  6/3 .

Leal and Guerrero have come a long way

The second set initially seemed to be going in favor of Gonzalez and Cabeza.

Leal and Guerrero are broken early and find themselves on the brink of elimination. Despite being down, they find the resources to completely turn the tide.

They break back, then break again, leveling the match at one set apiece and winning the set.  6/4 .

As they approached the third set, everything seemed to have turned in their favor.

A stunning end to the match

Leal and Guerrero even take a break lead at the start of the deciding set.

It was then thought that the Pretoria finalists would eventually impose their experience.

But Gonzalez and Cabeza refuse to give in.

The two young Spaniards stayed in touch, broke back, then made the decisive break at the best moment to finally win.  7/5  and secure the biggest victory of their season.

A tremendous performance

This victory confirms the full potential of  Mariano Gonzalez  et  Curro Cabeza , authors of a very high-level match against a pair who were among the outsiders of the tournament.

The back-to-back matches between Pretoria and London may also have taken their toll on the legs of Leal and Guerrero, still marked by their incredible South African run.

A very open round of 16

Thanks to this feat, Gonzalez and Cabeza will meet again in the round of 16.  Juan Cruz Belluati  et  Ignatius Piotto .

They too caused a surprise by eliminating  Javi Garrido  et  Lucas Bergamini  in three sets ( 3/6 6/4 6/1 ).

Two performances that completely reshuffle the cards in this part of the table, which is now much more open than expected.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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