The eternal youth of Lucia and Patty: semifinals at 78 (combined years)

Today's padel is a young, fast, explosive sport, but there is still room for those who play and think differently. Like Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno, both 39 years old, former world champions and former number one ranked players, symbols of a generation – the past one – that refuses to give up. Recently, they have been performing miracles: reaching the final in Santiago, Chile, the semifinal in Bordeaux, and now once again among the last four pairs at the Foro Italico, for the first time in a Major, with a 6-0, 6-4 victory against Lucia Martinez and Ksenia Sharifova. A young pair, accustomed to a different style of padel, who struggled in the first set and became frustrated by the (successful) differences shown by the veterans. The second set went a bit better, but not enough to deny Patty and Lucia another significant milestone in their praiseworthy careers.

Coached on the bench by Marcela Ferrari, who also coaches the Italian national teams, the two Spaniards dismantled one after another the certainties of their rivals with their tactical and slow padel under the motto "una más," one more ball. And it doesn't matter if many modern observers find them less brilliant than others, because in some ways, they are even more so. Power sometimes comes for free, but intelligence almost never does, and that's what allows the pair to remain super competitive at 78 combined years, without painful shots and with the "reves" entrusted to a player – Llaguno – who stands out more in defense than in attack.

"In this game – Lucia said in the post-match interview – the mind is everything. And I am fortunate to play alongside a partner who is among the best in the world in this aspect. In my career, I have achieved many significant results, and this semifinal is certainly one of them. I hope it doesn't end here". Her partner, one of the best examples to follow, was also very happy. "My secret? I don't have one. I just consider myself lucky to still be able to practice the sport I have loved since I was 12 every day. In my career, I have had many different partners, and I have learned something from all of them. Just as I continue to do today, studying the younger players to add something new to my game."

In Saturday's semifinal, the number 8 seeds will face Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez, the second seeds, who took just 51 minutes to dispose of Marina Guinart and Araceli Martinez, beating them 6-0, 6-1. It is their twelfth consecutive victory following titles in Santiago, Chile (where they beat Sainz/Llaguno in the final, 6-1, 6-4), and in three matches at the Foro Italico, they have dropped only eight games. But with Lucia and Patty, it won't be a walk in the park.