Four months from  Premier Padel Barcelona Final Master  (December 13-18), the  Race 2026  continues to deliver its initial findings. After the  Pretoria P1 The standings have changed, with some significant shifts that could have serious consequences if the season were to end today.

The  16 best players in the Race  will secure their place at the end-of-year event. And while the favorites are all present, several surprises are already stirring up the battle for the final spots.

The four best pairs still in control

At the top of the Race, the hierarchy remains unchanged.

The  four top pairs in the world  They logically occupy the top eight individual places and already seem well on their way to securing their qualification.

Behind them, the battle is much closer.

Fran Guerrero confirms, Momo and Campagnolo rewarded

Among the positive aspects of this first part of the season,  Fran Guerrero  now points to the  9th place  of the Race thanks to its regularity.

We also find  Paquito Navarro  et  Martín Di Nenno , still well placed in the race for the Master Final.

Another duo in good form,  Momo González  et  Lucas Campagnolo  They also feature in the Top 16. Both men are reaping the rewards of their excellent start to the season, marked in particular by their superb semi-final at the Italy Major .

Javi Leal makes the leap from the tournament

The big winner of the South African week is undoubtedly  Javi leal .

Through its  final at Pretoria P1 The Spaniard wins  eight places  and now climbs to  13th place in the Race A spectacular progression that puts him fully back in the running for the Master Final.

Another great deal,  Juan Tello  rises to the  15th place , also benefiting from his recent good performances.

Coki Nieto provisionally eliminated

Conversely,  Coki Nieto  drops two positions and temporarily leaves the Top 16.

The Spaniard now occupies the  17th place , right behind his partner  Jon sanz , which points to  16th rank .

This situation could create a rather unusual scenario if the rankings remained unchanged until December.

Indeed, during the  Final Master , only the  16 best players in the Race  are qualified. The pairs must therefore be recomposed when one of the two partners does not obtain their ticket.

In this scenario,   Juan Tello  Having qualified, he would not be able to play with his current partner  Maxi Maple , only  20e  of the Race. He would then have to team up with another qualified player, in this case  Jon sanz , 16th in the rankings.

Among the women, a more stable hierarchy

In the women's category, the situation is much clearer.

The  16 top players in the Race  currently occupy the qualifying places for Barcelona.

The main battle, however, concerns  Alejandra Salazar , currently  16e , which has only a slight lead over its pursuers.

Here too, the standings could lead to a reshuffling of the teams.

 Verónica Virseda , well placed in the Top 16, would see her current partner  Jimena velasco  to remain outside the door of the Master Final. For his part,  Aranza Osoro , partner of Alejandra Salazar, only ranks at  19th rank .

If nothing changes by December,  Verónica Virseda  et  Alejandra Salazar  They could therefore be led to form a pair to compete in the Master Final.

A race that is still far from being fixed.

While several months of competition remain, every tournament now counts in the race for Barcelona. The gaps around 16th place remain small, and a good result can quickly shake up the standings, as has been perfectly demonstrated.  Javi leal  after his excellent week in Pretoria.

As the end of the season approaches, the struggle to integrate the  16 qualified  promises to be one of the major recurring themes of the circuit  Premier Padel .

Two-column leaderboard showing players with country flags and scores, top-ranked on the left and right panels.
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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