Gijón P2 women's final review: Triay & Brea withstand Storm Ustero

A fierce rivalry is brewing in the women's game. Two matches and six sets later, there is nothing separating the pairings of Ari Sanchez / Andrea Ustero and Gemma Triay / Delfi Brea.

The women's final in Gijón lasted more than three hours. Three hours of exhilarating padel, resilience, and drama. But was not a full gone conclusion.

Sánchez and Ustero had beaten Triay and Brea 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in Riyadh, and arrived in Gijón as genuine favourites in form if not in ranking, with Ustero's ability to smash from seemingly anywhere on the court having caused the world number ones serious structural problems in Saudi Arabia.

The rise and rise of Andrea Ustero

Ustero's smashes and spectacular defensive recoveries earned an early break, and for stretches of the first set Triay and Brea looked tactically unsettled, pushed back further than they are comfortable operating.

The response from Seba Nerone's charges — in what is his debut season as their coach — was technically astute: they took the pace off, deployed the lob far more systematically, and started winning the long exchanges that Sánchez struggles to sustain.

Playing higher and deeper, they temporarily thought they had stunted Ustero's ability to smash with repetitive success from deep.

Ustero, arguably the game's most excitingly talking point, was electric. It seemed unfair for the 18-year-old to be on the losing side.

Andrea Ustero is the attacking threat Ari Sanchez missed last season when Paula Josemaria's attacking form in a state of flux last year.

Despite defeat, the Riyadh P1 winners can take pride in their performance, pushing Triay and Brea all the way for the second time in a few weeks.

The first title in seven attempts for Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea

Triay and Brea were contesting their sixth consecutive final, having lost all five previous finals. The pair hadn't won a title since the Rotterdam P1 in September 2025, six tournaments ago.

Whilst their consistency has gotten them to number one in the world, it was evident from Delfi Brea's outburst of tears at the end of the match that the win released all that pressure to get over the line.

Sánchez and Ustero, for all the explosiveness Ustero provides, are still calibrating.

Gemma Triay was clearly targeting Ari Sanchez come the third set, with the 28-year-old Catalan making uncharacteristic mistakes which contributed to the new pairings downfall.

Ustero and Sanchez will need to take stock after this defeat, and evaluate their tactics to get the most out of Ustero, who was at times in this match, a storm that Triay nor Brea could handle.

Two finals, two different outcomes. An exciting rivalry is already brewing which could dominate the women's Premier Padel Tour in 2026.

Next stop for both pairs will be the Cancún P2 in two weeks.

Full match stats: Women's Gijón p2 Final 2026

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