Race to Barcelona After Milan: Coello and Tapia Pull Clear, Sánchez and Ustero Close In
Coello and Tapia lead the men's FIP Race by 2,840 points after Milan, but the women's top spot and the last Barcelona qualifying places are still wide open.
The Race to Barcelona has a clear shape after Milan P1, and it splits in two. Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia lead the men's FIP Race on 14,820 points, 2,840 clear of Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto, after a fourth straight title and an 18-match winning run. The women's race is far tighter: Ariana Sánchez and Andrea Ustero sit second on 10,040 points, 1,980 behind Gemma Triay and Delfina Brea, with momentum running their way. At the cut line, Javi Leal holds the last men's qualifying place by 591 points — and a FIP Gold event in Melilla this week puts even that margin in play.
Men's Race: Coello and Tapia close in on top spot
Milan changed little at the very top of the men's Race, because Coello and Tapia keep winning. Their fourth consecutive title — after Paris, Rotterdam and Düsseldorf — took each of them to 14,820 Race points for the 2026 season.
Behind them, the gap is now the story. Galán and Chingotto lost in the Milan semi-finals and sit second on 11,980 points, which leaves the leaders 2,840 points clear with the season's biggest events still to come.
- Leaders: Coello / Tapia — 14,820 points, on an 18-match winning run
- Second: Galán / Chingotto — 11,980 points, 2,840 behind the leaders
- Fifth pair: Lebrón / Augsburger — 6,525 points after their Milan final
- Already certain: per FIP, only the top six men in the Race — Coello, Tapia, Galán, Chingotto, Augsburger and Lebrón — are mathematically sure of a Barcelona place so far
The best move of the week came further down. Jon Sanz reached the Milan semi-finals alongside Franco Stupaczuk, gained three places and climbed to ninth in the Race on 3,797 points, passing Paquito Navarro, Martín Di Nenno and Fran Guerrero.
The last qualifying spots: Leal holds on, Tello chases
The Premier Padel Finals take the top 16 men and the top 16 women in the FIP Race, and qualification is decided player by player, not pair by pair. That is why the tightest battle in the men's standings is not for first place — it is for 16th.
| Position | Player | Race points |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Momo González | 3,079 |
| 14 | Lucas Campagnolo | 3,047 |
| 15 | Coki Nieto | 2,964 |
| 16 | Javi Leal | 2,943 |
| 17 | Juan Tello | 2,352 |
Coki Nieto is the player under pressure in that group. Physical discomfort kept him out of both Düsseldorf and Milan, where his partner Mike Yanguas teamed up temporarily with Pablo Lijó, and in his absence Momo González and Lucas Campagnolo both passed him in the standings published on October 19.
Nieto still holds a 612-point cushion over Juan Tello, the first player outside the qualifying places, and Leal's margin over Tello is 591 points. Those are defendable leads — but only for a player who is back on court scoring points, which is why Nieto's return matters more than any single result below him.
Women's Race: Sánchez and Ustero close to 1,980 points
The women's Race to Barcelona is the live contest at the top. Triay and Brea still lead it, but Sánchez and Ustero have cut the gap to 1,980 points by winning three of the last four tournaments, a run built on the Paris Major, Rotterdam and now Milan.
The Milan final also settled the fight directly behind them. Sánchez and Ustero beat Paula Josemaría and Bea González to take second place outright, after the two pairs had gone into the week separated by only 20 points.
- Leaders: Triay / Brea — 1,980 points ahead of second place
- Second: Sánchez / Ustero — 10,040 points, with three titles in four tournaments
- Third: Josemaría / González — 9,620 points, 420 behind second place
- Head-to-head: Sánchez / Ustero have beaten Triay / Brea three times in a row
At the women's cut line, Verónica Virseda currently holds 16th place in the Race, per FIP, with Bea Caldera in 20th but only 240 points behind her. With a Major and a P1 still to play before Barcelona, neither the top spot nor the last qualifying places are settled.
Melilla and Kuwait: where the next points come from
The Race does not pause for the break week. Melilla hosts a FIP Gold tournament this week with 150 Race points on offer, and the entry list reads like a cut-line special: Juan Tello, just outside the men's top 16, is a top seed alongside Maxi Arce, while women's top seeds Virseda and Martina Fassio give the current 16th-placed woman a chance to defend her spot directly.
The Premier Padel tour itself returns in Kuwait from October 26 to 31, an event FIP bills as a Major, followed by the FIP World Cup in Doha, Qatar, from November 2 to 7. Kuwait is the next big swing in both races: a deep run there can protect a qualifying place, and it is the next chance for Galán and Chingotto to stop the leaders pulling further away.
FAQ
Who qualifies for the Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona?
The top 16 men and the top 16 women in the FIP Race qualify for the Premier Padel Finals, and qualification is decided individually rather than by pair. So far, per FIP, only six men are mathematically certain of a place, which leaves ten men's spots and the women's places still open.
Who leads the FIP Race after Milan P1?
Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia lead the men's FIP Race on 14,820 points, 2,840 ahead of Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto. Gemma Triay and Delfina Brea lead the women's Race, with Ariana Sánchez and Andrea Ustero second on 10,040 points, 1,980 behind the leaders after their Milan title.
When are the Premier Padel Finals 2026?
The Premier Padel Finals run from December 10 to 13, 2026, at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. The season-ending event brings together the 16 best men and 16 best women from the FIP Race, the season-long ranking built only from points earned during the 2026 campaign.
Sources
- Padel Magazine — FIP rankings: Tapia and Coello widen the gap, Sánchez and Ustero close in: https://padel-magazine.co.uk/FIP-rankings%3A-Tapia-and-Coello-widen-the-gap--Sanchez-and-Ustero-close-in-on-the-world-number-1s/
- Padel Magazine — Race: Coki Nieto drops to 15th place, what margin does he still have for the Finals?: https://padel-magazine.co.uk/Race-Coki-Nieto-drops-to-15th-place%3B-what-margin-does-he-still-have-for-the-finals/
- Padel FIP — Melilla, another 150 points up for grabs in the Race for the Finals: https://www.padelfip.com/2026/10/melilla-another-150-points-up-for-grabs-in-the-race-for-the-finals-arce-tello-and-virseda-fassio-are-the-number-1-seeds-while-dal-pozzo-rodriguez-look-to-make-up-ground/
- Padel FIP — Coello and Tapia return to the Milan throne; Sánchez makes history with record of 58: https://www.padelfip.com/2026/10/coello-and-tapia-return-to-the-milan-throne-ari-sanchez-makes-history-title-with-ustero-and-record-of-58-matching-triay-and-salazar/
- Padel Magazine — Kuwait Major: Guichard directly into the main draw: https://padel-magazine.co.uk/Kuwait-Major-Guichard-directly-into-the-main-draw--several-French-players-storming-the-qualifiers/
- Fullview — Coello and Tapia, Sánchez and Ustero claim Milano titles: https://fullview.co.za/coello-and-tapia-sanchez-and-ustero-claim-milano-titles/
Milan settled the top of the men's Race without settling much else. Coello and Tapia look close to untouchable, Sánchez and Ustero have turned the women's top spot into a genuine contest, and from Leal and Nieto down to Tello and Virseda, the last tickets to Barcelona will be won in Kuwait and the weeks that follow.
