Padel: favorites confirm status at the start of the main draw in VRSA
The second day of FIP Silver, in Vila Real de Santo António ( VRSA ), was marked by the conclusion of the qualifying phase and the start of the main men's and women's teams, with a strong Portuguese presence on both sides of the competition.
In the men's sector, qualification guaranteed a place in the main draw for Bruno Pedrosa/Tiago Valério, Zé Pedro Ferreira alongside the Spaniard Aleix Pozo, while Henrique Orge and Henrique Brazão benefited from a last-minute withdrawal and entered as lucky losers.
The main draw had 18 Portuguese players, but only three managed to get past the first round: brothers Miguel and Nuno Deus and João Caiano, who played alongside Spaniard Alejandro Calvo.
“No surprises among the main candidates for the title”: top seeds Javier Barahona and Javier Garcia and Lucas Campagnolo with Ignacio Sager won their matches, confirming their “favoritism”.
The highlight of the day was the “exciting” 100% Portuguese clash between Miguel Deus/Nuno Deus and Pedro Graça/Diogo Jesus, with the Deus brothers coming out on top.
On the women's side, Constança Gorito/Cláudia Gaspar and Luísa Roque Pinho alongside Frenchwoman Laura Buteau secured qualification for the main draw after “consistent” performances.
With 16 Portuguese players in action, three pairs advanced: Ana Catarina Nogueira and the Argentine Martina Fassio, Mafalda Fernandes/Carmen Azcoitia (ESP), and Catarina Santos with Patrícia Ribeiro.
As in the men's tournament, the main favorites "did not waver". Marina Guinart and Victoria Iglesias and Marta Talavan with Ksenia Sharifova advance to the round of 16.
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