Kuwait Major semi-finals: Libaak and Alfonso, from two upsets to a date with Coello-Tapia

If Wednesday's round of 16 was the earthquake with the fall of Lebrón-Augsburger, quarter-final day at the Kuwait Major confirmed the season's skin is changing. Tino Libaak and Gonzalo Alfonso knocked out Martín Di Nenno and Paquito Navarro (5) 7-6(5), 6-1 —their second big-name victim in 48 hours— and this afternoon the semi-finals are played (from 12:00 Spanish time on Red Bull TV) with three pairs debuting at this stage of a Major. In the women's draw, the familiar script: the top four seeds in the semis for the fourth consecutive tournament.

Libaak and Alfonso: the week of their lives

The official Premier Padel report captures the fine detail: the Argentines came back from 2-5 down in the first-set tie-break, and from there the rollercoaster only went one way, with a crushing 6-1 closing set. It is their first Major semi-final and only the second they play together after the Madrid P1; the result guarantees them at least 780 FIP Race points and brings them closer to the Finals at the Palau Sant Jordi. For Gonzalo Alfonso there is a personal footnote: his first win over Paquito Navarro in four meetings. And there is no rest in sight: next week they defend Argentina's colours at the FIP World Cup, alongside Maxi Arce. Libaak keeps doing it with the Siux Diablo Pro 2026from 199,90 € in his hand.

Coello-Tapia: routine, mathematics and a fifth date with the upset-makers

Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia (1) dispatched Jairo Bautista and Lucas Bergamini (11) 6-1, 6-4 and keep intact the outlook they landed in Kuwait with: reach the final and year-end No. 1 for a fourth consecutive season is all but theirs. In between stands the fifth meeting with Libaak-Alfonso. Tapia plays the Nox AT10 Luxury Genius 18K Alum 2026 by Agustín Tapiafrom 169,90 € and Coello the Head Coello Pro 2026from 142,11 €.

In the other semi, a debutant finalist guaranteed

The bottom half of the draw serves up Juan Tello and Maxi Arce (9) against Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi (11), and with it one certainty: Saturday will feature a first-time finalist pair. Tello-Arce ended the dream of Sintes and Zamora —the lowest-ranked pair ever to play a Major quarter-final— with a 6-4, 6-2 win in one hour and seven minutes. For Tello it is a first Major semi-final since Paris 2022, when he lost the final alongside Chingotto; for Arce, the first of his career. The performance of the day belonged to Alonso-Goñi: 6-1, 6-2 over Stupaczuk-Sanz (4) in 54 minutes, the shortest match of the day, and a first semi-final since Asunción in May. Edu Alonso competes with the Nox EA10 Ventus Attack 12K XTREM by Edu Alonsofrom 193,80 €, Tello with the Bullpadel Vertex 05from 208,90 €, and Stupa closed his tournament with the Siux Electra Stupa Pro ST4from 119,95 €.

The women's top four, in the same place once again

The only pair that truly suffered was Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero (3): almost three hours against the Bordeaux P2 champions, Tamara Icardo —playing the StarVie Tritón T-Onefrom 253,99 €— and Claudia Jensen, trailing 1-3 and saving four break points in the third set before closing out 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. Ari held on with the Adidas Arrow HIT Light 2026from 175,99 € and now awaits a repeat of the Milano final they won against Paula Josemaría and Bea González (2), who came through against Rufo-Iglesias (6-2, 6-4); Bea plays the Bullpadel Pearl 2027from 215,99 €. In the top half, Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea (1) swept past Dal Pozzo-Rodríguez (6-1, 6-0) —Triay with the Bullpadel Elite 02from 241,99 € and Brea with the Bullpadel Vertex 05 Womanfrom 132,99 €— and meet Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo (4), who once again beat their former partners Ortega-Araújo (6-1, 6-0) and have reached the semi-finals at all eight tournaments they have played together; Claudia plays the Bullpadel Wonderfrom 210,95 €. The stat that matters: Triay-Brea have won four of the six Majors they have contested since joining forces.