Italy Major consecrates its new emperors

The end of one of the most special weeks of the year. The Foro Italico passes judgement and bids farewell to its Italy Major. This is what the finals had in store for us:

Chingalan: new Caesars in Rome

Once again it was the classic of this 2024, once again the couple one against the couple two, once again Tapia/Coello vs Galán/Chingotto; and once again a totally different match. If we look back, these types of matches always follow the same pattern: one set clearly for one of the two couples, and another very evenly matched set. Today was no different.

They have played each other six times so far, and with today’s match, they have a draw in head-to-heads. 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 for Alejandro Galan and Federico Chingotto in the final of the Italy Major. A match that was a rollercoaster, but in which Jorge Martinez’s team won once again.

Since they’ve teamed up, they’ve won four titles as a couple and still haven’t made it out of the semi-finals. But, it seems, the level continues to rise. After the brief disconnection in the second set (which you can’t do against the #1’s because that’s what happens), they swept Tapia and Coello. They’ve clicked like a charm, they’re a perfectly oiled machine with a totally balanced game.

Ari and Paula: veni, vidi, vici

It’s true that they were the favourites to win the final, but the way they did it was overwhelming. Less than an hour of play was enough for the best couple in the world.

They might not have started off in the best possible way, but they have chosen perfectly which tournaments to win. With a 6-1 and 6-0 win over Patty Llaguno and Lucia Sainz, they’ve added 2,000 points to their ranking; which practically sentences the year. There’s still a long way to go, but the gap to the second pairing is almost 10,000 points…

They have won two Majors and another two P1s this 2024, or in other words, 6,000 points in four tournaments. The gap seems insurmountable, they would have to do very badly from now on to lose that first position.