The 2026 season opened in Riyadh with a split verdict: total predictability on the men's side, absolute chaos on the women's.

Tapia-Coello: Still Unbeatable

Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia defended their Riyadh title with the kind of efficiency that makes you wonder if anyone will challenge them this year. They dismantled Galán-Chingotto 6-4, 6-2 in a final that never felt close. This is their 32nd title as a pair — a number that's starting to feel less like a milestone and more like a running tally.

The match highlighted everything that makes this duo suffocating: tactical precision, zero unforced errors when it matters, and an ability to punish opponents the moment they show weakness. Galán and Chingotto, one of the new pairings everyone's watching this season, couldn't find an answer. Source

The Real Story: Ustero-Sánchez Shock the System

Andrea Ustero and Ari Sánchez won their first tournament together by beating the world No. 1s — Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea — in a three-set comeback (3-6, 6-1, 6-4). This wasn't a fluke. After dropping the first set, they dismantled the top seeds with aggressive play and zero hesitation. Full recap

This matters because the women's game has been dominated by Triay-Brea for years. If Ustero-Sánchez can sustain this level, we're looking at a genuine rivalry instead of a coronation. The message they sent to the rest of the tour: the hierarchy just got shakier.

Quick Hits

• New partnerships everywhere: The 2026 season launched with a wave of reshuffled pairings, including Galán-Chingotto and Lebrón-Augsburger. These aren't experimental — they're calculated bets to dethrone Tapia-Coello. Red Bull breakdown

• On signs Arturo Coello: The Swiss running brand landed the world No. 1 in what's likely a nine-figure deal. The catch? Product won't hit shelves until summer 2027. Coello will work directly with On's design team to build padel-specific shoes from scratch. WWD report

On padel.fyi This Week

We published four deep dives you won't find anywhere else:

Riyadh's Opening Act — Why Ustero-Sánchez's upset signals a far less predictable 2026 season on the women's side, even as Tapia-Coello tighten their grip on the men's game.

The Premier Padel Shuffle — Spain's elite players blew up proven partnerships in pursuit of championships. We break down the gambles and what's at stake across 24 global stops.

The Six-Figure Exodus — Corporate execs are quitting to become padel coaches. The demand-supply gap is 2:1, and it reveals both the sport's explosive growth and its infrastructure limits.

On's $100M+ Bet on Coello — Why On is treating this as a long-term infrastructure play instead of a quick endorsement grab, and what the three-year product timeline tells us about their seriousness.

That's it for issue #2. Next week: Rome P1 kicks off and we'll see if Ustero-Sánchez can back up Riyadh or if it was a one-off.

Reply to this email with what you want more (or less) of — I read everything.

Visit padel.fyi