The first tournaments of the season have not been as good as Momo González and Martín Di Nenno expected. Despite having had stretches of very good feelings on the track, the results did not completely support one of the pairs called to fight with those at the top. Therefore, in a week without Premier Padel competition, the man from Malaga and the man from Buenos Aires decided to cross the map to Almaty to participate in the FIP Gold. A bet that has turned out well: they leave with the title, a good injection of points and, above all, the confidence necessary to face the rest of the year.
Without the great couples they usually battle against, Momo and Martín started as the big favorites for the title in Kazakh lands. They passed the first three rounds without breaking a sweat, showing obvious hierarchical superiority. However, The problems came in some very tough semifinals against Mariano González and Curro Cabeza. The two young pearls of Spanish padel put them on the ropes, forcing them into a heart-stopping third set (6-3, 3-6 and 7-5) in which the seniority of the favorites ended up tipping the balance. Already in the final, Di Nenno and González regained control and were proclaimed champions with authority against Pablo Lijó and Javi Leal.
Di Nenno during the FIP Gold in Almaty.FIP
The achievement of this FIP Gold gives them 150 points in the FIP classification. To put it in perspective, it is a figure that is between the semifinals of a P2 and a quarterfinal. Taking into account that to date their ceiling was fourth in Gijón and Miami (after falling in sixteenth in Cancún and eighth in Riyadh), This result is, numerically, his second best record of the course. “It suits us very well, it’s raining a little less now,” said a more relieved Di Nenno at the end of the final in reference to his situation in the ranking.
Beyond the points, the victory in Almaty works as a mental spring after a start to the year with unexpected defeats. This is how ‘Renga’ himself explained it: “We took it as a great opportunity for us and we celebrated it a lot. The competitor plays to win; One always dreams of winning a Premier Padel, which for us today is very difficult, but winning any tournament is very important. It gives you confidence and makes you feel that, at least for a few days, you were the best“For them, the difference between falling in the quarterfinals or becoming champions of a tournament, regardless of the category, is the engine they needed to continue growing as a duo.
Aranza Osoro returns through the front door
In the women’s draw, the script in Almaty was very similar. Without the top seeds in the draw, the spotlight fell on a couple with a lot of weight on the circuit: Victoria Iglesias and Aranza Osoro. The ‘Viking’ reappeared in Kazakhstan after several weeks out due to a finger injury and the doubts about his competitive pace were logical, but Aranza ended up responding more than 20×10.
The Spanish-Argentine duo successfully surpassed all the rounds until reaching the semifinals, where the young Marta Barrera and Jimena Velasco took them to the limit. Once again, experience was the differential factor in reaching a final in which Lorena Rufo and Jessica Castelló were given no options, winning by a double 6-3 and 6-4. Like their male counterparts, this FIP Gold title helps them regain sensations and approach the eight best couples in the ranking before the next appointment at P2 in Newgiza.
