Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz surprise by overthrowing the Coello-Tapia empire in Barcelona

The Barcelona scepter is for the best. This could lead one to believe that those at the top of the rankings and those who have been more consistent throughout the year will close the season by being crowned masters. But the Palau Sant Jordi is always a habitat that holds surprises.

Sometimes, arriving with an immaculate streak and with the label of clear favorite can be a burden. The more than 13,400 fans at the Barcelona venue witnessed it: the number five couple in the ranking, Coki Nieto (26) and Jon Sanz (27), defeated the empire of Arturo Coello (22) and Agustín Tapia (25).

The Golden Boys They had had an unparalleled season with 15 titles and accumulated 47 consecutive victories. They are the kings of the FIP ranking and have won practically everything in the 20×10, but they were missing the most precious championship. And it will continue to be their pending task because Nieto-Sanz, with only one title this year, staged a fantastic comeback 3-6, 7-5 and 6-3.

The first set was a demonstration of the solidity and consistency of the number one couple in the ranking. The pace of the match was overwhelming from the beginning and proof of this is that that starting round ended in less than half an hour.

The start of the second set was brilliant for Coello-Tapia, who broke the service of Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz. At 4-5 and two match points, the patterns were broken. What seemed to be coming to an end was only the beginning of a majestic performance full of determination and determination. A demonstration that you should never give up. The Spanish duo made it 5-5 and Sant Jordi, stunned, began chanting “Yes, we can.” And it happened. closing the sleeve with a 7-5.

In the third and final set, none of the pairs gave in. At 3-2, Nieto and Sanz endorsed several returns and smashes that left the Coello-Tapia duo touched by winning the first break point they had. From then on, no one failed again in their service, until it was 6-3 and the winners put their hands on the head. They had achieved the inexplicable.

In the final of the women’s finals, the best couple of the year met their greatest rivals, the number two Gemma Triay (32) and Claudia Fernández (18) – who had just won the tournament that precedes the one in the Catalan capital, Milan. –. The duel lived up to what the classification reflects: they are the four best of the moment.

Triay and Fernández started stronger in the first round, managing to break the service of their opponents and putting themselves 0-2 on the scoreboard, so Josemaría-Sánchez had to row to come back. The duo began to shine and tied the match at 3-3. Asserting their status as favorites, they increased the pace and overwhelmed the rest of the games of the set to win it 6-3, which lasted more than an hour.

In the second set, the number ones maintained their best version, scored another 6-3 and signed their tenth win of an exceptional season for them.

In addition to crowning the new teachers, before the finals the matches were played for third and fourth place in the competition. This is the first time that the Final Master format incorporates these matches, which is done as a nod to the Olympic program.

In the men’s category, the duo formed by Juan Lebron and Martín Di Nenno – who played their last match together yesterday – won the bronze after beating some rockers Momo González and Edu Alonso – a revelation couple of the championship, since they eliminated in the quarterfinals to the number two couple in the ranking, Fede Chingotto and Ale Galán.

The Lebron-Di Nenno pairing won in three sets (4-6, 6-1 and 6-4) in a duel in which there were many breaks of service and balls of break. It was a spectacle by both duos, but from the second round onwards the winners were more tempered and decisive, which was key to the victory.

In the women’s team, the Argentine Delfi Brea and the Spanish Vero Virseda – a circumstantial couple in the last tournament of the year due to the injury of Bea González to the pectoral, who usually formed a duo with Brea – took third place by winning by 6 -3 and 6-0 to Ale Salazar and Jess Castelló.