Some venues are born destined for glory, and the legendary Philippe-Chatrier is one of them. During the week of September 6–13, Roland Garros transformed its tennis temple into the host of one of Premier Padel’s most prestigious competitions: the Alpine Paris Major, which today, the 13th, closed its curtain with emotion-filled finals.
The clock read 1H11 of play when Ariana Sánchez and Andrea Ustero dropped their paddles to celebrate the victory they had just conquered. In just two sets (6-2, 6-0), the third seeds shut down any attempt at a comeback from Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo, who couldn’t find their rhythm on the court.
Right from the start of the match, the players coached by Ángel González broke their opponents’ serve to go up 2-0. Across the net, Semprún’s pair, who had already made history the previous afternoon by becoming the youngest pair to reach a Premier Padel Major final, now had the opportunity to achieve another milestone: becoming the youngest duo to win a tournament of this category.
But Sánchez—two-time Paris champion in 2023 and 2024 alongside Paulita Josemaría—and Ustero—who in 2024 came within one step of glory with Delfi Brea—were not willing to give ground. With an impeccable performance, they increased their dominance and claimed the first set with a resounding 6-2.
The impact affected the number four seeds, deprived of the power that distinguishes them and far from the dominant image the public identifies them with. A third set was not necessary: with absolute authority, the Catalan pair stepped hard on the accelerator and strung together three consecutive breaks to seal the final with six straight games without a response.
“We are very happy to have won the title, but even more so for the level we showed together. When we bring out the best in ourselves, we are a very difficult and complete pair,” stated Ari Sánchez in the post-match press conference.
The challenge was no small feat. Both knew they would face a duo in great form: “Claudia and Martina have been playing incredible paddle, very solid. We knew we had to be more solid than them, smart, but also more aggressive,” explained the Catalan player.
Andrea Ustero shared the joy and emphasized the team’s work, as well as the personal importance of the triumph: “This time I value it much more: I’ve been playing at Roland-Garros for four years and had never won it. I kept the same desire to improve and keep learning. Today we came out locked in from the start and you could see all the work we’ve been doing with the whole team.”
With this victory, the player from La Reunión and the Barcelona native add their third title of the season—after Riyadh P1 and Valencia P1—accompanied by a prize of €48,700 and 2,000 points for each. Valuable points that close the gap heading into the final phase of the season, although the pairs ranking remains unchanged. In the FIP individual ranking, the story is different: Ari Sánchez climbs two spots and settles into third place, while Paulita Josemaría drops to fifth.
