The pala is booming at Padel Rush Arena, and Riyadh Season P1 just served up a quarter-final thriller with a brand-new 2026 duo stealing the spotlight. Paquito Navarro and Fran Guerrero—freshly linked and already firing—pulled off a stunning turnaround to dump the third seeds Franco Stupaczuk and Mike Yanguas 3-6 6-3 6-2. One of the top four was guaranteed to fall, and it was Stupa and Yanguas who got caught in the Navarro-Guerrero storm.

For Guerrero, it’s been a dizzying, dreamlike start to the year: only five days after lifting the FIP Platinum trophy in Marseille alongside Javi Leal, he’s right back on the big stage—now holding a semi-final ticket at the season’s first Premier Padel event. Next challenge? A blockbuster with Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan, who marched past Javi Garrido and Lucas Bergamini (8) 6-1 6-3 with authority.

Up in the top half, Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia booked their semi-final spot after taking the first set 6-2 and moving ahead 2-1 before Juan Tello and Edu Alonso were forced to withdraw. Awaiting them: Juan Lebron and Leo Augsburger (4), who slammed the door on the fairy-tale run of qualifiers Javi Martinez and Rama Valenzuela, winning 6-2, 7-5.

WOMEN That much-hyped first head-to-head as rivals between Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez? It’ll have to wait. Ari—now paired with Andrea Ustero—was ruthless, dismantling Ale Salazar and Ale Alonso 6-2, 6-1. But the shockwave of the day came on the other side: Paula Josemaria and Bea Gonzalez were edged in a marathon classic, falling 6-7 6-4 6-2 after two hours and 45 minutes to Tamara Icardo and Claudia Jensen.

The first semi-final of the day (3 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. CET) sets up a heavyweight clash: Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay, sharp in a 6-2 6-4 win over Marta Ortega and Martina Calvo, will face Claudia Fernandez and Sofia Araujo, who held strong to take a double 6-4 victory against Victoria Iglesias and Aranzazu Osoro. Riyadh is heating up—and the weekend is ready to explode.