Málaga P1: Two French pairs reach main draw

At the Premier Padel Málaga P1, two pairs featuring French players have qualified for the main draw. Thomas Leygue and Arnau Ayats, along with Dylan Guichard and Clément Geens, secured their tickets for the final tableau, while Timéo Fonteny and Yoan Boronad were eliminated in the last qualifying round. For French padel, it is a mixed but overall encouraging outcome ahead of the main tournament on the Costa del Sol.

Fonteny and Boronad fall to the number two seeds

Timéo Fonteny and Yoan Boronad reached the second qualifying round without playing, as their opening opponents did not take the court. That spared the French pair an extra match, but they faced a much stronger challenge in the decisive tie. Aris Patiniotis and Miguel Benítez Lara, seeded second and firmly established at the top of the game, represented a genuine test for the young duo.

Patiniotis and Benítez Lara are established forces on the international padel circuit and regularly sit near the top 100 of the FIP rankings. Against such an experienced pair, Fonteny and Boronad had to perform at the highest level from the start. In the first set, the French duo still managed to stay in touch and put pressure on the favourites. In the end, it was not enough: Patiniotis and Benítez Lara prevailed 6-4, 6-2.

The defeat was understandable from a sporting perspective. Against higher-ranked and more experienced opponents, Fonteny and Boronad lacked the consistency needed to turn the set around at key moments. Even so, the French pair showed in the opening phase that they can compete at this level. For now, the main draw remains out of reach, while their compatriots continue to fight for prize money and ranking points in Málaga.

Leygue and Ayats turn the match around in the tiebreak

The path for Thomas Leygue and Arnau Ayats was far more dramatic. The pair had to go the full distance against Pablo Reina Ambel and Jairo Guerrero Escarcena, who returned to the draw as lucky losers. After losing the opening set, the match initially looked unfavourable for Leygue and Ayats. Yet they stayed mentally strong, took the second set 6-3 and clinched the third in a tiebreak, 7-6.

The 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 scoreline highlights how tight and nerve-racking qualifying can be on the Premier Padel tour. After falling behind in the first set, Leygue and Ayats had to adjust their tactics, take more risks and keep their composure in the decisive rallies. The third-set tiebreak became the ultimate test: those who think clearly and strike precisely secure a place in the main draw.

The qualification carries special meaning for Thomas Leygue. The Frenchman returns to a Premier Padel main draw for the first time in a while. After a phase with fewer visible results at the highest level, this resilient performance sends an important signal. Leygue and Ayats have shown they can deliver under pressure and are ready to compete against stronger opponents in Málaga.

Guichard and Geens confirm their favourite status

While Leygue and Ayats needed a third set, Dylan Guichard and Clément Geens looked far more controlled. Seeded fourth in qualifying, they faced Juan Pablo Dametto and Felipe Calleja. Guichard and Geens dominated large parts of the match and won 6-3, 7-5 in straight sets, confirming their status as one of the strongest French-influenced pairs in this stage of the tournament.

Guichard and Geens had already impressed in their first qualifying match, when they comfortably beat Alejandro Jerez Canero and Jesús Moya. Against Dametto and Calleja, they again relied on a clear game plan: build pressure early, dominate at the net and give their opponents little time to find solutions. They had to fight briefly in the second set when Calleja and Dametto closed the gap, but the Franco-Belgian pair held on until the end.

Two French pairs in the main draw

With Leygue and Ayats as well as Guichard and Geens, two pairs with French involvement are represented in the main draw of the Premier Padel Málaga P1. That is a notable result for French padel and shows that the qualifying phase on the Premier Padel tour is not a sideshow, but a genuine test for emerging teams.

The draw could also produce an interesting scenario: two pairs from qualifying meet each other in the first round of the main draw. Should one of the French pairs land in that slot, the path to the second round would be more favourable than against a seeded top team. For Leygue, Ayats, Guichard and Geens, that opens a realistic chance not only to participate in Málaga, but to go deep in the tournament. The Málaga P1 is one of the key stops on the Premier Padel calendar and regularly attracts an international field.