Milano P1 Octavos Shock as Javi Garrido and Juani de Pascual Eliminate Paquito Navarro and Martín Di Nenno
Javi Garrido and Juani de Pascual delivered the standout upset of the Milano P1 tournament, knocking out fifth seeds Paquito Navarro and Martín Di Nenno in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. The pair nearly played a flawless match before surviving a late surge of pressure. With the victory, Garrido and de Pascual advanced to the quarterfinals, reshaping that sector of the draw in Italy.
As the round of 16 concluded, other top contenders also advanced, including Fede Chingotto and Ale Galán, Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello, and Stupaczuk and Sanz, alongside pairs like Leal and Guerrero, Momo and Campagnolo, and Gonzalo Alfonso and Valentino Libaak.
Early Dominance and a Stumbling Finish
From the opening games, Garrido and de Pascual dictated the tempo with heavy, decisive hitting that left their opponents scrambling. They breezed through the first set 6-2. The second set appeared headed for an even more lopsided scoreline when the pair surged to a 5-0 lead and held three match points on the return. However, Navarro and Di Nenno mounted a fierce rescue mission, rattling off three consecutive games to narrow the deficit to 5-3 and expose sudden nerves in their opponents.
WOW! 🤯Un Javi Garrido DESCOMUNAL desde que va al mismo peluquero que Coki Nieto se acaba de cargar, junto a De Pascual, a Don Pacorro Navarro y Di Nenno en los octavos del P1 de Milán 🇮🇹Un Paquito que tardó en reaccionar y que luchó más contra sí mismo que contra sus rivales pic.twitter.com/Milgs4aAFk
The eighth game turned into a nerve-wracking spectacle as Garrido served for the match. De Pascual and Garrido squandered a total of seven match points before the game stretched to a star point. Under intense pressure, de Pascual stepped up with a series of sharp winners to finally seal the 6-2, 6-3 victory. The 16th seeds never allowed the fifth seeds to find any rhythm until the very edge of defeat.
A Familiar Struggle for Navarro and Di Nenno
For Navarro and Di Nenno, the straight-sets defeat marks another disappointing early exit during a difficult closing stretch of the season. This represents the pair’s first elimination in the round of 16 since the Pretoria P1, highlighting ongoing struggles to regain the consistency they showed following their semifinal run at the Major of Paris. Despite the loss, both veterans fought aggressively to claw their way back into the second set before ultimately falling.
Quarterfinal Showdown Against Lebrón and Augsburger
Following their breakthrough win in Milan, Javi Garrido and Juani de Pascual move on to face third seeds Juan Lebrón and Leo Augsburger in the quarterfinals. Lebrón and Augsburger secured their own spot in the next round by defeating Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi 6-4, 6-2. Meanwhile, Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello continued their dominant run with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Álex Arroyo and José Jiménez, setting up a quarterfinal clash against Javi Leal and Fran Guerrero.
More Round of 16 Results and Quarterfinal Pairings
Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello landed in Italy after stringing together titles in Paris, Rotterdam, and Düsseldorf. Javi Leal and Fran Guerrero advanced by defeating José Antonio Diestro and Marc Sintes 6-3, 6-4.
Defending champions Fede Chingotto and Ale Galán defeated Xisco Gil and Rama Valenzuela 6-1, 6-1 in one of the most lopsided scores of the round, after Gil and Valenzuela had previously eliminated Maxi Arce and Juan Tello. Chingotto and Galán will next face Gonzalo Alfonso and Valentino Libaak.
Alfonso and Libaak defeated Mike Yanguas and Pablo Lijó 6-1, 7-6, sealing a third quarterfinal appearance. Yanguas played alongside 54th-ranked Pablo Lijó this week due to the absence of his usual partner, Coki Nieto. For Juani de Pascual—a 21-year-old former A1 Padel number one and currently ranked 43rd in the FIP rankings—this marks one of the biggest wins of his young career. His next opponents, Juan Lebrón and Leo Augsburger, await in an encounter that pairs a tournament favorite against the rising sensation.
