Valencia hosted its first-ever Premier Padel event this week, and the new crowd at the Fuente de San Luis pavilion was treated to a classic. The Valencia P1 (8–14 June) delivered another instalment of the sport’s defining men’s rivalry — and, once again, it was world number ones Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia who came out on top, hauling themselves back from the brink to claim their fourth title of 2026.
Away from the court, Premier Padel and the International Padel Federation (FIP) set out a package of changes for 2027 aimed at player welfare, the FIP Gold in Shanghai crowned fresh champions, and there was plenty for British fans to digest as the LTA confirmed its 2026 performance calendar and the countdown to London’s first Premier Padel event rolled on. Here’s your round-up of the week ending Sunday 14 June 2026.
In this week’s edition: Coello & Tapia’s Valencia comeback · Sánchez & Ustero’s revenge final · FIP Gold Shanghai winners · Premier Padel’s 2027 rule-book refresh · world ranking movements · British & UK padel news · the week ahead.
Premier Padel: Coello & Tapia Survive a Valencia Epic
It was the 36th chapter in the endless rivalry between Coello, Tapia, Federico Chingotto and Alejandro Galán — and one of the most dramatic yet. The deciding set went all the way to a tie-break, and in it the top seeds trailed 5–1 before reeling off the next six points. Galán and Chingotto had taken the opening-set tie-break and led 5–2, then 5–4, in the third; serving for the title, they were broken back, and a thunderous Tapia smash eventually sealed an extraordinary turnaround.
Men’s final: Arturo Coello & Agustín Tapia def. Alejandro Galán & Federico Chingotto 6–7, 6–1, 7–6 · Valencia P1 · 14 June 2026
For Coello it was the 50th title of his career, and a fourth of the campaign for the pair who continue to set the standard. “This win means a great deal to us,” said Coello afterwards. “These matches push us to our limits.” Galán and Chingotto could take heart from the run that took them there — including a battling semi-final win over Juan Lebrón and Leandro Augsburger (4–6, 6–3, 6–4) — but the result keeps the head-to-head firmly in the champions’ favour.
Sánchez & Ustero Gain Their Revenge
The women’s final offered a neat sense of symmetry. A week on from losing the Italy Major final, third seeds Ariana Sánchez and Andrea Ustero came through a three-set examination against Claudia Fernández and Sofía Araujo to claim their second title of 2026, having also won the season opener in Riyadh. Fernández and Araujo, contesting their first final of the year, levelled the match in the second set before three consecutive breaks in the decider settled it.
Women’s final: Ariana Sánchez & Andrea Ustero def. Claudia Fernández & Sofía Araujo 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 · Valencia P1 · 14 June 2026
“We are very happy to have won a tournament in Spain,” said Sánchez. “The crowd has been fantastic from the very first days.” It was a fitting finale for a Valencian debut that drew strong galleries all week at La Fonteta.
FIP Tour: Gold in Shanghai
While the elite were in Valencia, the CUPRA FIP Tour’s flagship event of the week was the FIP Gold Shanghai (£-equivalent €50,000 prize fund, 12–14 June). Argentina’s Facundo López and Julián Lacamoire took the men’s title, beating Denis Perino and Arnau Ayats 6–2, 6–4. In the women’s draw, the all-Spanish pairing of Laia Rodríguez and Noa Cánovas edged Marta Borrero and Giorgia Marchetti 7–6(6), 7–5 to be “crowned queens” in China. Elsewhere on the calendar, FIP Silver and Bronze events ran in Palermo and Ljubljana, keeping the tour’s busy mid-June schedule ticking over.
Rule-Book Refresh: Premier Padel & FIP Outline 2027 Changes
One of the week’s most significant stories happened off the court. On 10 June, following the Premier Padel Steering Committees held in Rome alongside the recent BNL Italy Major, Premier Padel and the FIP outlined a package of changes for the 2027 season. The stated aim is to balance the demands of a fast-growing international tour with the long-term health, performance and career sustainability of players — while also being mindful of the financial pressures on tournament organisers.
Built on feedback gathered across the professional game, the package spans five key areas covering ranking structures, qualifying draws, competition formats, early-round points and player participation, across both Premier Padel and the CUPRA FIP Tour. Two headline measures stand out: the number of tournaments counting towards the official FIP Ranking will be reduced from 22 to 21, and the ranking points awarded in the opening rounds of Major, P1 and P2 events will be increased, rewarding players who progress through the early stages of the draw.
World Rankings Watch
There was no change at the very top of the men’s standings: Coello and Tapia remain clear world number ones on roughly 21,100 points, with Galán and Chingotto holding third on around 17,300. Valencia only reinforced that order. Behind them the chasing pack continues to shuffle — Juan Lebrón sits fifth, with Leandro Augsburger climbing to sixth and the likes of Franco Stupaczuk, Miguel Yanguas and Jorge Nieto separated by fine margins. In the women’s game, Sánchez and Ustero’s second title of the season strengthens their case near the top, even as Delfina Brea and Gemma Triay remain the pair to beat.
British & UK Padel
It was a notable week for the domestic game. LTA Padel confirmed its 2026 performance calendar, giving British players — juniors, open and seniors — some 35 weeks of international and domestic playing opportunities to earn prize money and ranking points. The programme includes five FIP Tour events, seven LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 events, 21 Grade 2 events and three FIP Promises tournaments for aspiring juniors. The headline, of course, remains that London will host Britain’s first-ever Premier Padel event in August — a landmark moment for the professional sport in the UK.
There was plenty of home action this week too, with the LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 NSM & SPF Cup staged at Guernsey Padel Club in the Channel Islands (12–14 June) and a Grade 2 event at Middlesbrough Padel Club in the north-east (13–14 June). On the international circuit, Britain’s leading players continue to fly the flag — with Christian Medina Murphy heading the men’s GB rankings and Aimee Gibson, Catherine Rose and Tia Norton among the women regularly reaching the latter stages of CUPRA FIP Tour events.
The backdrop to all of this is extraordinary growth. The LTA’s 2024–29 padel strategy set a target of reaching 1,000 courts in Great Britain by 2026 (up from 350), alongside ambitions to grow annual participation towards 400,000 players. Britain is now routinely cited among the largest padel markets in the world by revenue — a remarkable rise for a sport that barely registered here a few years ago, and one that makes August’s London debut feel very well timed.
The Week Ahead
Premier Padel now pauses for a week before the next stop, the Valladolid P2 (22–28 June), at the Coliseum Valladolid. The end of the month then gets busy: the Bordeaux P2 (29 June–5 July) runs alongside the FIP Silver R3 Bullpadel Cup in Belfast (29 June–5 July), bringing professional padel back to these islands and offering British and Irish players a strong home opportunity. Beyond that, all eyes turn to the historic London P1 in early August.
The Bottom Line
Valencia reaffirmed the established order at the summit of the men’s game, even as Galán and Chingotto showed once more that they can push the champions to the very edge. Sánchez and Ustero’s revenge mission and a fresh set of FIP Gold winners kept the rest of the week lively, while the 2027 reforms hint at a more sustainable future for a sport growing almost too fast for its own good. For UK fans, the momentum is unmistakable — and it all points towards a landmark summer in London.
If watching the pros has you itching to get back on court, there’s no better motivation than a fresh tube of match balls.
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