The magical night of Leal and Guerrero: semifinal in Rome against the world no. 1s

Sanz/Gonzalez and Ortega/Alonso tried, unsuccessfully. But Fran Guerrero and Javi Leal made it, sealing the first (and only) quarterfinal upset at the BNL Italy Major at 11:18 p.m. on a long Friday night. A spot in Saturday’s semifinal seemed reserved for Mike Yanguas and Coki Nieto, the world’s No. 4 team, but in the magical Roman evening atmosphere, the young guns claimed it for themselves with their high-energy, fearless padel, closing out a brilliant match 5-7 6-3 7-6 that had Centrale’s crowd glued to their seats for over two and a half hours.

The match had everything: great shot-making, tension, a few heated exchanges, but most of all the achievement of two Next Gen stars, both just 21 years old and born two days apart in July 2003. Their partnership, seemingly written in the stars, began with some junior appearances and was cemented in the pro ranks barely a month ago. That was enough time to reach a Major semifinal—an electrifying result built on grit, determination, and nonstop interaction with the crowd. Leal and Guerrero had already shocked Di Nenno/Tello in the round of 16 (with some help from Di Nenno’s injury), and this win was even more impressive. They sealed it with a brilliant tiebreak: it began with a football-style hug and ended with a Guerrero smash, followed by a celebratory run into the stands.

The total points tally, 112 to 103, confirms what was seen on court: they deserved the win, hammering overheads (especially Leal) and playing like veterans amid their opponents’ varied tactics. It’s too early to say whether Premier Padel has found two new regulars for the late rounds, but their potential is undeniable. Meanwhile, Javi and Fran will face a high-profile semifinal on Saturday night against world No. 1s Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia, who closed out the day’s play (past midnight) with a 6-4 6-2 win over Paquito Navarro and Lucas Bergamini.