All eyes on London P1 after Coello & Tapia toppled in Pretoria
London P1 is a massive moment for padel in the UK, bringing the world’s best padel players to London for our very first Premier Padel event.
But if that wasn’t exciting enough, this week’s tournament is attracting even more attention amongst die-hard padel fans after top men’s pairing, Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia, were momentarily toppled from their pedestal in the run-up to London by Javier Leal (world No 15) and Francisco Guerrero (world No 13). The defeat ended a run of 27 consecutive finals for the top seeds and saw the first Premier Padel final without Coello/Tapia since May 2025.
The shock result, at the Pretoria P1 (the tour’s first visit to South Africa) was a break-out performance for the 7th seeds, who also took out third seeds Juan Lebrón/Leo Augsburger on their march to the final. Heartbreakingly for Leal/Guerrero, after taking the final to championship point, they eventually lost to Chingotto/Galan 6-2 5-7 7-6, who claimed their sixth title of the season.
King Coello
Despite the shock Pretoria knock-out, Arturo Coello remains the king of padel. The 24-year-old Spaniard, already known as ‘Rey Arturo’, and is not only the world No 1 but the sport’s poster boy. Playing since the age of nine, and professionally since aged 17, Coello has already elevated himself amongst the greats of padel. He was the world’s youngest ever No 1 at 21, and is renowned for his shot-making and athleticism around court.
He learned his craft alongside the sport’s greatest ever player – Fernando ‘Bela’ Belasteguin – before teaming up with Argentinian partner Agustin Tapia, creating one of the most successful partnerships in the history of padel.
The pair have been an imperious force since the start of 2023, regularly sweeping aside opponents and this season has been no different.
In July, they secured the Malaga P1 title, which was their fifth straight title, their seventh title this season and also their 27th consecutive final. They are truly phenomenal and together have amassed 38 Premier Padel titles.
With a winning record of more than 90%, these are the guys to beat in London, make no mistake.
What makes them such a formidable pairing isn’t just their consistency, it’s their tenacity, strength and mental fortitude, while their unbelievable spontaneity on court distinguishes them from the pack.
Coello commands the right hand side of the court and takes full advantage of his 6ft 3in frame to deliver his trademark smashes – look out for plenty of these this week.
Next to him, 26-year-old Tapia is known as the ‘Mozart of Padel’ for his maestro-like flair and instinctive shots. Like Coello, he also learned his craft alongside ‘Bela’ amongst others.
So who can stop Coello and Tapia?
The duo of Leal and Guerrero have set the bar and the chances are it will be another Spanish/Argentinian combo given all top five seeds have a player from each. The most likely challengers are No 2 seeds Galan and Chingotto, who have the wonderful nickname ‘Chingalan’. Both are ranked third in the FIP rankings.
This experienced ‘little and large pairing’ – 30-year-old Spaniard Galan is 6ft 1in and 29-year-old Chingotto is 5ft 7in – are real crowd pleasers and have a never-say-die attitude on court. Galan, who plays left side and is a former world No 1, is an all-action player with powerful smashes, quick reflexes and is excellent at the net, while Chingotto is known for his speed around the court and his defensive prowess.
Since teaming up in 2024, the pair has been the main rivals to Coello and Tapia. Together they have claimed 22 titles to date, six of those coming this year, with victory in Pretoria at the weekend their last success.
The third seeds – 31-year-old Juan Lebron and 21-year-old Leo Augsburger, joined forces at the end of 2025 and have shown that they can match the two dominant pairings on their day. The duo have claimed one title this year – the P2 in Brussels – beating Coello and Tapia in three sets. However, having secured a place in the Malaga final, they could not compete with Coello and Tapia, this time losing in straight sets in less than an hour.
Spaniard Lebron is a dangerous and unpredictable player on court and has plenty of fire in him – but it can spill over and impact his performance – and even end partnerships, as it did with Galan.
The 6ft 3 in Augsburger, who plays on the left, is regarded as one of the rising talents of the sport and known for his explosive performances and devastating smashes. Already a world champion with Argentina, he left school at 14 to focus on his padel career and has risen quickly through the rankings to a high of number six.
The fourth seeds – Franco Stupaczuk (Stupa) and Mike Yanguas – are currently in a state of flux after their quarter final defeat in Malaga to this week’s fifth seeds of Martin Di Nenno and the ever-entertaining Paquito Navarro.
Stupa and Yanguas, who rekindled their partnership at the start of the season, have reached one final, the NewGiza P2 in April, where the duo also won in 2024. They will have to rediscover their form to pose a serious challenge this week.
One player to look out for this week is 37-year-old Navarro. The Spaniard is one of the most talented and charismatic players on tour and happily entertains on court. He and Di Nenno have also found some form of late reaching the last four in Bordeaux P2 and Malaga P1. 
