Mendoza Premier Pádel: Belasteguín feels at home and aims for the title together with Coello

“Hey, hey, hey, hey … Belaaa, Belaaa”. The Arena Aconcagua stadium, packed with 11,106 people chanting his name and cheering the Maradona of paddle tennis. At 43, Fernando Belasteguinthe Argentine who for 16 years was the first in the world ranking of paddle sport, he is a prophet in his land.

With his easy response style and precise shot, he managed to unseat the favorites, the Sevillian Francisco Paquito Navarro and the Argentine Martín Di Nenno, second couple in the ranking of the International Padel Federation (FIP).

Bela did it with his partner, Arturo Coello, born in Valladolid, 1.90 meters tall and only 20 years old. “Height is the virtue I have on the track and I try to make the most of it”he confessed in a meeting with the press after the 7-6, 6-3 victory that earned him the transition to the definition of the tournament.

Yes, the final of the Mendoza Premier Pádel will have a different champion than the previous four races of the circuit won by Navarro-Di Nenno (in Doha) and by world number one, Juan Lebrón and Alejandro Galán, who have conquered Rome, Paris and Madrid before surprisingly stumbling into the quarter-finals of this competition.

This Sunday from 6:30 pm, in the closed stadium of the General San Martín park in Mendoza, Belasteguín and Coello will play the final against Franco Stupaczuck and Pablo Lima. With these crosses an Argentine – paired with a Spaniard or a Brazilian – will be champion.

the simple game

Can you win by playing the easy way, with balloons, wall exit and cross layup?, the question arises from seeing the match that prevailed in the semifinals. And Bela responded by recalling an interview with Johan Cruyff, one of the idols of FC Barcelona, ​​the emblematic club of the city where the Argentine has lived for more than 20 years. “Playing easy is very difficult”, synthesize.

And, without restraint, Belasteguín completed his idea: “I try to make everything as simple as possible to minimize the risks. It is not a flashy game at all, but it has worked for me in these 25 years. When I wanted to change and get out of my game pattern, I messed up everything. The one in front of me knows that to beat me they have to play well, because I don’t throw him out. “

The fourth final of the year

In the first round, the duo formed by Stupaczuk of Chaco and Lima from Brazil eliminated the duo formed by Jerónimo González Luque and Alejandro Ruiz Granado. It was a resounding 6-2 and 6-4 that removed from the race those who had just eliminated Juan Lebrón and Alejandro Galán, the number 1 in the world.

“For people it may seem surprising that some pairs do not reach the final instances. But it has to do with the wear and tear of so many games, for the first time more than 30 tournaments in the year. And also because the level is very uniform.Lima said.

Stupaczuk highlighted other motivating aspects of this series of tournaments, such as the faithful accompaniment of the public and that the boys wait for the stars of this reborn sport at the exit of the hotels to ask for autographs. “We talked about it among the players, it can’t be happening and we know what it means because we did it as children,” confessed the man from Chaco.

Premier Padel is governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and approved by the Professional Padel Association (PPA). Launched in February 2022, Premier Padel has planned at least 10 tournaments around the world in 2022 and 2023, including four “Majors” in Doha (March), Rome (May), Paris (July) and Mexico (December) this year. .

Starting in 2024, Premier Padel will include at least 30 tournaments per year, as the tour continues to grow the sport into new territories as a global brand. The Argentine Padel Association (APA) is the organizer of the stage of the Premier Padel circuit in Argentina, which, like that of Madrid, assigns 1,000 FIP points to the winner and distributes prizes of 250,000 euros among the players.

The Mendoza Premier Pádel P1 will have its final this Sunday at the Aconcagua Arena, in a packed stadium, at 6:30 pm in Argentina – television is only through Star +.

the semifinals

-Lima-Stupaczuk defeated González-Ruiz 6-2, 6-4.

-Belasteguín-Coello beat Navarro-Di Nenno 7-6 (3) and 6-3.

Mendoza. Corresponding