Bela bows out in style at Hexagon Cup
Bela bows out at Hexagon Cup
The Hexagon Cup brought game and glamour to Madrid but its greatest moment was reserved for the game’s greatest player, Fernando ‘The Boss’ Belasteguin. Adam Black reports.
Last Saturday night a gem of a padel match saw the game’s greatest player bow out in style. Fernando ‘Bela/The Boss’ Belasteguin, the best padel has ever seen, was to play his final point at The Hexagon Cup. Bela didn’t disappoint and every fan understood they were sharing a great sporting moment that would animate conversations in bars for years.
The Hexagon Cup, which combined the best in the world competing in teams owned by celebrities the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero, Eva Longoria and Andy Murray playing out an innovative team format for the coveted title and €1.2 million in prize money, provided the perfect and glamorous back drop.
In Bela’s final match, playing Kun Aguero’s team KRU, it was a dead rubber for Bela’s team Eleven Eleven, which sat second to bottom. It was vital for KRU to win to qualify for the final against Rafa Nadal’s Academy.
How was it going to end for this sporting icon? A swashbuckling fightback from Belastaguin and partner Libaak, a final win amongst too many to count? Or a more predictable changing of the guard, the baton handed to fellow Argentinian Chingotto and partner Gonzalez. In the end it was neither, and both. And gave spectators the kind of final moment of pain and beauty that only sport at its best can do.
Set 1 threatened otherwise. The pairing of power players Chingotto and Gonzalez, ranked 4th and 13th respectively in the world, just had too much. Racing into a 5-2 lead the set ended 6-3 with the great man himself giving it away with two uncharacteristic unforced errors.
But it was the second set that reminded us that, whichever gods are governing sport, occasionally they like to throw us spectators a bone.
The tactical touches of the old master were there, a crowd favourite coming early in the doomed second set when, amongst all the power volleys and rear-court overheads, Bela pulled a beautiful vibora from his back pocket into the side cage, rolling back the years with a trademark touch of class. It wasn’t the only peach from the maestro.
At 3-0 down and 30-0 he came in with a fizzing bandeja, loaded with backspin, to the back of his opponent’s court. They say there are more than ten different overheads in padel and the bandeja, according to some, is the most elegant. More slice than smash it recalls a beautifully skimmed stone across an invisible water surface, loaded with the satisfaction of something so perfectly executed.
At 4-1 down Bela went up a gear to take the two first points 30-0. His serve provided the keystone to building victory, serving uncharacteristically for padel down the ‘T’ instead of diagonally at the glass. 4-2. Could ‘The Boss’ claw his way back for one final win? Chingotto’s power play said no, with viboras and blasted bandejas taking KRU to 5-2 up, the diminutive Argentinian, a lethal weapon in ‘Kun’ Aguero’s KRU team arsenal recalling a young Carlos Tevez, all cheeky grins and not so hidden power.
Libaak was the bit part player, though one suspects we’re going to see a lot more of this young talent in future. 30-30, 5-2 down and a Chingotto power drive took the game to match point against The Boss.
“He’s from a different era, he’s a legend. All of these people playing the game literally grew up while he was world number one. He was at the top for such a long time. No one knows the game as well as him.”
- Sandy Farquharson, former GB padel player
And then it happened. Another geometry defying rally ebbed and flowed and Gonzalez hit a huge overhead past Bela into the back glass and there’s ‘The Boss,’ all 45 years of him, racing to the net to keep the point going, successfully giving the ball the slightest touch. But unbeknown to the crowd, his opponents and the umpire, Bela brushes the ball with the most minimal of touches of his hand and immediately shakes his head to give the point away.
It was a great moment in padel summing up the complex sport in the briefest of moments. Fernando Belastaguin. His last competitive moment on a padel court wouldn’t be winning. And it wouldn’t be picking a ball off the ground he’d failed to return either.
Afterwards the players embraced the legend and the crowd stood to acclaim their hero.
Bela meanwhile had given the match to his opponents who hadn’t even known they’d won. A consummate sportsman to the end. And a moment of pure elegance.
The master wouldn’t be beaten. He’d beaten himself. Not for Fernando Belastaguin the crushing feeling of defeat as his opponent’s smash took the point, or he himself hit the net, or failed to reach a ball. That’s the way us mortals lose. Not The Boss. He who has crested the wave of this game for so long, longer than Pele played football and with more titles than Federer and Djokovic combined. He would give victory to his opponents and give himself that final moment of perfection and sportsmanship for all to remember, including himself.
Coello, Tapia, Lebron, Galan, the star players of today maybe who we’ll be watching for the next ten years, but it’s this man, Belastaguin, they’ll always be talking about over a beer.
Or as GB No 2 Sam Jones put it: “Bela is the GOAT of padel. Simple as that.” 🎾
“He’s got the biggest brains on the padel circuit. Belasteguin for me is kind of the godfather of padel. You know, when you think of padel, he is who you think of. Champion for 16 years straight. Number one. It’s unheard of.”
- Nikhil Mohindra, GB No 3
