Spain’s men collected a 12th European padel title in 14 attempts on Sunday while their women competed a quickfire trophy treble in Linea de la Concepción, Cadiz.
Inspired by Alex Ruiz’s “one shot one kill” smash and the solid Juanlu Esbri, performing under the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar, Spain took an early lead over Portugal in the FIP Euro Padel Cup Final 8 final against the Deus brothers.
The Portuguese siblings, who were taken to the brink by Great Britain’s Louie Harris and Alex Loughlan in the second group match on Wednesday, went down 6-4 7-5 in a tight battle.
Javier Leal and Alvaro Cepero then beat Portugal’s Pedro Araujo and Pedro Graca, the semi-final heroes against Italy, 6-4 6-4.
Luigi Carraro, President of FIP, said: “A Final 8 of FIP Euro Padel Cup that enters history. Spain won both titles, they remain the strongest team in Europe for both men and women, and they deserve our most sincere congratulations, because beyond their victories they are an example for everyone.
“Behind Spain, however, there are countries that keep showing high level, like Portugal, France or Italy, and others like the Netherlands and Belgium that reached the historic goal of a semi-final. I must say I also saw growth from Sweden, the UK, and Germany.
“The global growth of padel is clear to everyone, in Europe and in the world, and this pushes us to work and improve more every day.”
Spanish women win ‘triple crown’
Spain’s women’s team claimed a third gold in just over a year by beating France.
Their ‘triple crown’ started with the 2024 European Championship in Cagliari and continued with World Championship gold in Doha three months later. This win was even more special because it happened at home, in front of a passionate crowd that received a group hug from the entire team after the match.
Once again, coach Icíar Montes trusted Lucía Sainz and Martina Calvo to open the tie. Against Carla Touly and Jessica Ginier, they needed just under an hour to seal the match (6-3 6-0) and about 15 minutes to shake off the nerves.
At 2-0 for Spain, with France holding three break points to get back into the set, Sainz and Calvo won five points in a row and never looked back.
“We’re really happy and want to thank everyone who came to support us,” said Sainz. “We enjoyed it. The start was tough because a final always brings nerves, but then we played really well.”
Martina added: “Even though we don’t usually play together, we managed to play at a very high level.”
The chemistry was clear on and off court: “Playing with Martina is a luxury — I even gave her a nickname, but I’m not sure I should say it,” laughed Sainz. Martina dropped a hint: “I’ll just say one word: Tortilla.”
Jessica Castelló and Lorena Rufo were chosen for the decisive match after playing all week. Even if the score went as expected, 6-2 6-3, the match against Les Bleues showed the pure spirit of a European final.
France relied on its most experienced international players — Alix Collombon (No. 27 FIP) and Léa Godallier (No. 62) — whose effort and consistency deserved more than the scoreboard shows.
Collombon had said it the day before: “We’ll be the outsiders, but we’ll give everything.” And they did. A key moment: at 5-3 Spain in the second set, the French pair had a break point, then saved two match points before Rufo closed the match. In tears, the two French players received a team hug after winning a brilliant silver.
“A huge thank-you to everyone who came,” said Castelló. “Playing at home is always special, and today you could really feel it — the support was there from the first to the last point.”
Italy win double bronze
Italy’s tears from Saturday after the loss to Portugal in the semi-finals were replaced by jumps, songs, and dances with the whole Italian team.
Italy’s men defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the bronze medal match, a celebration that came just before the one from the women’s team, because on the next court, their women also won bronze against Belgium.
FIP president Carraro said: “You played a great European Championship, reaching the semi-finals for the first time — a historic result. You fought to be here and deserved it. And let’s not forget that both you and the Netherlands, by finishing in the top four, are now automatically qualified for the next FIP Euro Padel Cup Final 8.”
