Qatar - Defending champs Argentina in semis

(MENAFN - Gulf Times) Reigning champions Argentina Thursday stormed into the semi-finals of the Qatar Ooredoo World Padel Championship 2021 with a commanding 3-0 win over Paraguay at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha. In the men's quarter-finals on Thursday, Argentina's Carlos Daniel Gutierrez and his partner Franco Stupaczuk overcame Paraguayans Diego Gonzalez and Martin Abud 6-1, 6-0 while Federico Chingotto and Juan Tello defeated Jose Benitez and Santiago Castaneyra 6-0, 6-1. Martin Di Nenno and Fernando Belasteguin sealed the semis spot for Argentina when they defeated Horacio Adorno and P. Matias Fernandez 6-0, 6-3 despite a late charge by the Uruguayan pair. Meanwhile, World No. 1 pair Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan led a strong show by Spaniards to eliminate Italy from the tournament. Lebron and Galan beat Italy's Alessandro Tinti and Andres Britos 6-2, 6-1 while Francisco Navarro and Alejandro Ruiz defeated Riccardo Sinicropi and Lorenzo Di Giovanni 6-1, 6-0. Jorge Nieto and Javier Rico made it 3-0 for Spain after defeating Simone Cremona and Marcelo Capitani 6-2, 6-4 in a tense match at the end. Brazil also reached the semis after beating Chile in straight sets. Team Qatar, meanwhile, signed off after losing to Great Britain 0-3 in yesterday's placement round. Khalid Saadon al-Kuwari and Jabor Mohamed al-Mutawa gave a run for their money in their match against Sam Jones and Harris Louie yesterday before going down 5-7, 6-1. Mohamed Saadon al-Kuwari and Abdulla Ali al-Hijji lost to Richard Brooks and Christian Medina with a 4-6, 2-6 score-line while Mohamed Abdulla and Abdulaziz Saadon al-Kuwari lost to Alexander Farquharson and Nikhil Mohindra 0-6, 2-6. In the women's side, world no. 1 Gemma Triay and Alejandra Salazar led a strong attack as title favourites Spain reached the semis with a clean sweep over Belgium. Tiray and Salazar beat Astrid Dierckx and An-Sophie Mestach 6-0, 6-3 while Marta Ortega and Patricia Llaguno defeated Helena Wyckaert and Elyne Boeykens 6-0, 6-1. Paula Josemaria and Lucia Sainz sealed the 3-0 win when they thrashed Dorien Cuypers and Evelyne Dom 6-0, 6-0, giving Belgium no chance to earn a point. Eight-time women's team champions Argentina also made it to the last four in dominant fashion, beating their German counterparts 3-0. Delfina Brea and Julieta Bidahorria defeated Katrin Backer and Corina Scholtern 6-0, 6-2. Aranzazu Osoro and Virginia Riera defeated Inken Breyer and Maren Tiedjen 6-1, 6-0. Cecilia Reiter and Silvana Campus beat Victoria Kurz and Denise Hofer 6-0, 6-1 to make it 3-0 for the South Americans. France advanced after blanking Mexico 3-0 while Italy beat Brazil 2-1 to join the rest of the semi-finalists. MENAFN18112021000067011011ID1103202865