The Atano III is emerging as a weighty fronton within the current Couples Championship. Not only because it is going to be close to full capacity on the occasion … of this Saturday’s duel between Altuna III-Ezkurdia and Artola-Imaz –the number of reservations is around 1,300–, but for the announcement by the companies that at least two matches of the second round will stop in San Sebastián. Added to the two visits from the first, there would be a total of five while waiting for what a semi-final group holds, whose calendar is currently still up in the air waiting for the reopening date of the Labrit in Pamplona.
Artola and Imaz, protagonists this Saturday afternoon (ETB1, 5:15 p.m.), will repeat at the Atano III in the festival that on Saturday, January 3, still on Christmas dates, will open the second round of the competition. Then they will have Laso and Albisu as opponents.
The next commitment confirmed by the companies for Atano III corresponds to the day that will close the initial phase, the fourteenth, on the weekend of February 15. The combination chosen for the capital of Gipuzkoa will depend on how the classification is at that stage of the competition.
It is likely that in that time interval between January 3 and February 15, the Couples Championship will alternate another match at Atano III. Among the venues for the eleventh day, that of January 24-25, there is one to be confirmed. It can be deduced that Aspe and Baiko are still waiting for LaLiga to announce the dates and times of that weekend in Primera.
Real Sociedad will host Celta in Anoeta. Given that the Vigo team has a Europa League match on Thursday the 22nd, logic suggests that their League match in San Sebastián will be scheduled on Sunday the 25th or Monday the 26th. In that case, on Saturday the 24th the Atano III would be available for ball companies, which would not clash with any perimeter closure around the stadium and the fronton.
Precisely Saturday the 24th is the date that interests the organizers of the Couples Championship, since on Sunday the 25th they have arranged a meeting at the Navarra Arena in Pamplona. The four duels that weekend are as follows: Altuna III-Ezkurdia against Laso-Albisu, Jaka-Iztueta against Zabala-Martija, Artola-Imaz against Elordi-Zabaleta and Peio Etxeberria-Rezusta against Larrazabal-Mariezkurrena II. The alternative to the fronton of the Gipuzkoa capital would be the Astelena in Eibar.
If this third trip to Donostia is confirmed, Atano III would become the most visited fronton of the second round, ahead of Deportivo de Bilbao, Beotibar de Tolosa, Ogueta de Vitoria and Adarraga de Logroño, with two each. Astelena de Eibar, in that case, would keep one, the one on Three Kings’ Day.
Atano III is also guaranteed a match on the second day of the semi-final group. In principle, that of Sunday, March 8, when Real Sociedad plays in Madrid against Atlético. Now, a delay in the reopening date of the Labrit, still under construction, could lead to a rethinking of the initial plans of those responsible for Parejas, who could lean towards San Sebastián for some other function.
