Today was the second round of the European Padel Championship, taking place in Sardinia, Italy, and it brought different outcomes for the Portuguese men's and women's teams.
The day did not favor our women's team, who faced significant difficulties in all three matches against France and ended up losing 1-2 in the second round of the Championship.
The day began with Ana Catarina Nogueira and Kátia Rodrigues facing many difficulties and making several errors, ultimately losing to Alix Collombon and Jessica Ginier-Barbier by 2-6 and 4-6.
The second match was not much different from the first, and despite a greater effort with some breaks and counter-breaks, the duo of Margarida Fernandes and Catarina Vilela could not impose themselves and lost to a very solid French pair, Charlotte Soubrie and Carla Touly, by 4-6 and 3-6.
In the last match, Sofia Araújo and Patrícia Ribeiro "saved face" and, despite the challenges and a very balanced game, defeated Léa Godallier and Lucile Pothier by 6-4 and 7-6.
In contrast to what happened during the morning, our men's team achieved an important victory (and group stage qualification) in the second round of the European Championship.
The round started with a very tough game where Afonso Fazendeiro and Pedro Perry faced Linus Frost and Douglas Rutgersson.
While the first set was fiercely contested and only decided in a tie-break won by the Swedes 7-6, the second set was very different, with the national duo dominating throughout and securing a 6-2 victory. Riding the confidence from their second set win, Afonso Fazendeiro and Pedro Perry took the third set 6-4.
In the day's second match, with the wind affecting the ball's trajectory, the Deus brothers showed their class and defeated the pair of Daniel Applgren and Daniel Windahl. The first set was decided in a tie-break in favor of the Portuguese, and in the second, the national duo played almost perfectly and won 6-2.
In the last match, Peu Araújo and António Luque deservedly defeated Adam Axelsson and Albin Olsson by 6-4 and 6-3.
With today's results, the men's team has already qualified for the quarterfinals, while the women's team will need a win to secure advancement.
Tomorrow marks the last round of the group stage. Starting at 8:00 AM, the women's team will face Poland, while the men's team will take on Denmark at 3:00 PM.