“This new partnership has given me a boost of energy to keep going.” This was Virginia Riera’s response, exclusively for Pádel Información, when asked about her new partner on the 20×10. Their project is recent — only two months have passed since Riera and Julieta Bidahorria stepped onto the P1 court in Madrid together — but the results of their work are already visible. Today’s victory made this evident: after 2 hours and 5 minutes of play, the Argentine players have qualified for the round of 16 of the Kuwait Major after defeating Alejandra Salazar and Aranzazu Osoro 6-2, 2-6, and 6-1.
“We are building a very tight-knit team, with a lot of joy, and that’s paying off and you can see it on the court,” Riera said after the match.
The match began with the Argentinians taking the initiative. The tournament’s 21st-seeded pair capitalized on their first break point to break their opponents’ serve in the fourth game of the first set. Another break in the eighth game sealed the set in their favor (6-2).
In the second set, it was Osoro and Salazar who imposed their rhythm: just two breaks were enough for the eighth seeds to keep their chances of advancing to the next round alive (2-6). It was then that Riera and Bidahorria stepped forward to regain control of the match and close out the contest 6-1.
“Playing against the girls is always a pleasure; it is always a very tough match, and I think we handled it well. Fortunately, it went our way,” explained Riera.
The victory also comes at an especially important moment for both of them, as they will represent the Argentine national team in a week at the World Championship in Doha. The victory in Kuwait provides a morale boost ahead of that event. “I believe that representing our country is the best competition we have. After this result, we go with confidence alongside the team,” Bidahorria stated in the post-match interview.
Today’s victory brings a double reward for Riera and Bidahorria. In addition to advancing to the round of 16, the Argentinians will gain an extra 30 ranking points for having eliminated one of the top eight seeds of the Major, as established in Article 7.1.5 (Bonus) of the Premier Padel 2026 Rulebook.
Now, Riera and Bidahorria will face the tournament’s 13th-seeded pair, Lorena Rufo and Victoria Iglesias, in the round of 16, who come from defeating Lucía Sainz and Letizia Manquillo in the round of 32 by 7-6, 6-4. The match is scheduled for October 28 at 14:00 local time (12:00, Spanish mainland time), and it can be followed through the official Premier Padel YouTube channel.
