It was also, step by step, impossible comebacks and epic hits. The final of the Premier Pádel Argentina, which was played in Mendoza, was for the pair of Argentine Franco Stupaczuk (26) and Brazilian Pablo Lima (35).

“Franco, we will be brave, we can’t plan the balls in this case, you hit him,” said Stupa of Chaco, told by his partner, when in the third set Belasteguín and Coello returned from a break and were tied 5-5 .

They had won the first set 6-2, with the most accurate balls exploiting every mistake of the opponent.

The second set ended 6-4, in the hands of the Belasteguín – Coello duo, and the audience surrendered at the feet of the 20-year-old Spaniard and 1.90 meters tall, in each jump that ended with a powerful smash and the ball fired. up in the air.

The third arrived, where the tension of the finale and the pressure of the 9 thousand people who applauded was felt.

The betting of the pairs was on the minimum error of each player, at a high level of play with competitors who know each other by heart: Belasteguín and Lima, have been partners for years and together they have been the best in the world.

Mendoza was the fourth final of the year for the Stupa-Lima duo and the second win. The first was in Toulouse, France. Together they occupy the fourth position in the FIP rankings and this Sunday they beat the sixth world pair.

“It was almost a draw because we were very even and we won by two points (10-8 at the tie break),” said Lima. And he joked that they stayed in the final even though they weren’t favorites because “clearly the audience was with Bela and Arturo”, who were cheered at every precise ball.

The man from Chaco talked about the pressure of playing with family watching him at the Aconcagua Arena: “All those people who saw me play as a boy, it’s amazing what you get. That’s why I know I thank heaven for something about it. what happened to the players who had the accident, “he said. He was talking about the car accident of 11 January 2016, where three players travel, Martín Di Nenno, the only survivor, and Elías Estrella, the number 1 of the Argentine padel at the time and Hernán Rodríguez, a friend who died in the accident , they were on their way to Ezeiza airport to travel to Paraguay to play an exhibition tournament.

In the analysis of the match that gave them the victory, Lima said that the pair worked quite well and that they bet on a simple match without spectacular moves. “He errs very little and takes advantage of the opportunities. I defended and Franco gave way “, summarizes the Porto Alegre player.

And thrilled to have received the trophy, Lima dedicated the victory to his son Víctor, who had not been able to go to see him in the final, just as Father’s Day was being celebrated in Brazil.

A special chapter was the organization of the APA and the accompaniment of the public who traveled from all over Argentina and neighboring countries, about 50 thousand spectators in the five evenings of the tournament.

The closing was with a Los Pericos live music show, giant lights and screens, and people cheered, shouted and vibrated at each show. The show was more like an NBA show than a simple paddle tennis tournament.

The next date of the Premier Pádel will be in Monterrey, Mexico, at the end of November.