There is no doubt that Fernando Belasteguín is the living legend of paddle tennis“the best in history” in the words of Martín Di Nenno. He dominated the ranking for 16 years in a row, with Juan Martín Diaz and Pablo Lima as successive companions, and he is the oldest player to win a WPT tournament (43). Today, Friday, he turns 44, he is among the top ten in the ranking, and he tutors another young man who accompanies him, Mike Yanguas (21) with whom he has recently joined after starting the year with Sanyo Gutiérrez. Well, at that age, when the rest of the veterans who remain on the first day, he has gone to the semifinal of the Danish Open, the first of the 2023 season, in which he is directed on the bench by a Spanish myth, Willy Lahoz, with whom he formed a circumstantial couple and made Wlly win a professional tournament.
To celebrate his birthday, in Copenhagen, He had no better idea than to win the quarterfinals against Javi Garrido and Jon Sanz, in a long, intense clash, in which he had to come back to win the match in three sets: 3-6, 6-4 and 7-5. Now they will play this Saturday in the semifinals against Sanyo and Momo González, who again won Chingotto and Tello in three sets, 7-5, 3-6 and 6-2. Sanyo and Bela face to face, after starting the season together: the curiosity is served by what the two Argentines represent. In the other semifinal they will be, faithful to all the appointments of the year, Di Nenno and Stupaczuk, who defeated Ruiz and Tello (6-1, 7-5) against Maxi Sánchez and Lucas Campagnolo (6-4 and 6.-3 against Capra and Arroyo)
The women’s team is heading towards the most classic final of the last two years between the top two ranking couples, with the permission of Delfina Brea and Bea González, who are facing Paula Josemaríaand of Virginia Riera and Tamara Icardo, who defeated Marta Ortega and Sofi Araujo (6-2, 6-7 and 7-5), rivals of Alejandra Salazar and Gemma Triay.
