Newgiza crowns Chingalán,
Josemaría sets a record.
Two finals, one tour record and one century-style contract. Here is what truly matters from this padel week, curated cleanly in ten minutes.
all-time record
Josemaría
with Siux until 2040
duration
Welcome to the first edition of your weekly PadelCompass briefing. This week had everything: in Egypt, Galán and Chingotto defended their crown at Newgiza P2, Paula Josemaría became the first player ever to reach 19 Premier Padel titles, and Siux tied Leo Augsburger to an unprecedented deal through 2040. At the same time, three new venues opened in Germany and the DPV finalised the structure of the Deutsche Padel Liga. We sort out what matters and add one fresh injury study, one bandeja fix and a quick equipment radar.
Newgiza P2: Chingalán and Josemaría cap a historic week
At Newgiza P2 (April 13 to 18, 2026) in Egypt, two storylines ran in parallel. On the men's side, Galán and Chingotto defended last year's title with authority. On the women's side, Paula Josemaría made tour history.
Galán now moves to 56 Premier Padel titles, one ahead of Agustín Tapia. The pair's 2026 record stands at 18:2, and in the FIP Race 2026 Galán and Chingotto move into first place for the first time, ahead of Tapia and Arturo Coello, who skipped Egypt. It is their second straight final against Stupaczuk and Yanguas after Miami.
On the women's side, Bea González and Paula Josemaría won a marathon final against world No. 1s Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay.
Three hours and two minutes on court. Sixty winners from the champions versus 49 from the losing side. For Josemaría, this is Premier Padel title No. 19, the new standalone record on tour. For the second time this season, "Bepa" beat the top-ranked pair after a similarly dramatic three-set battle in Miami. In the 2026 women's race, González and Josemaría now match Triay and Brea in total titles.
Chingalán versus Stupa and Yanguas has become the final pairing of the season. And "Bepa" clearly seems to have solved the structural problem against the No. 1 team.
Anyone following Premier Padel live this week also got a heated debate between Yanguas and Lucas Bergamini in the quarter-finals, triggered by a disputed serve. Details and the video clip are covered by Padel Magazine.
Five stories from a packed week on tour
Siux extends Augsburger through 2040
The 14-year term, announced on April 15, is considered the longest equipment contract in padel history. When the deal ends, Augsburger would be 36 years old. The Spanish brand staged the announcement with a joint video message from Franco Stupaczuk, formerly the biggest Siux face on tour. Context in Padel Tonic.
Lebrón and Augsburger under pressure
The sporting downside: Lebrón and Augsburger lost in the very first main-draw round in Newgiza to qualifiers Enzo Jensen and Luis Hernández after a 0:6 deciding set. After seven tournaments together, the pair's return stands at one final, three semi-finals and no title. The analysis from Padel Tonic shows why the mood behind the scenes is becoming rougher.
Abbate equals the Cupra FIP title record
Álvaro Montiel and Flavio Abbate won FIP Bronze Cyprus I 7:5, 7:5 against Marqués and Luna. For Abbate, it is Cupra FIP title No. 13, which means he now shares the all-time record with Cassetta, Rubio and González. Official report on padelfip.com.
Qatar Major remains postponed
The Doha opener, originally scheduled for early April, was cancelled because of the regional situation. A new date has still not been confirmed, and the official calendar on padelfip.com still lists the slot as postponed.
Salazar's farewell begins in Brussels
Seven-time world champion Alejandra Salazar declared 2026 her last season. At Lotto Brussels Premier Padel P2 (from April 19), she plays her first farewell appearances alongside Martina Calvo. Background at Padel Magazine FR.
Three new venues, league kickoff in sight
The week was strong for infrastructure in the DACH region. In Pinnow (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), the new Pinnø hall opened on April 18 and 19 with five doubles courts and six singles courts inside a converted tennis hall, including gastronomy. In Offenbach, TSG Bürgel celebrated the official opening of its new venue on the same weekend. And in Bavaria, Padelvalley at TC Eckental also launches in these April days with a strong focus on noise protection.
At federation level, the German Padel Federation finalised the structure of the Deutsche Padel Liga 2026 after registrations closed on April 8, completing the process by April 18. The season starts on May 9, 2026. Details are on the DPV league page. For the biggest international event on German soil, the CUPRA Germany Premier Padel P2 in Düsseldorf from September 20 to 28, 2026, the wildcards are set: Johannes Lindmeyer and Matthias Wunner enter the main draw, while Nick Merten and Christian Böhnke start in qualifying. Official note on germany-premierpadel.com.
In Austria, the HEAD Elite Tour continues after the Casa Padel Seefeld stop (April 11 and 12) with strong participation. Since January 1, 2026, the new competition regulations of the Austrian Padel Union are in force, including FIP-point recognition at a 1-to-50 ratio. Switzerland began the federation year with the Swiss Padel general assembly on April 10. On the broader FIP level, this week did not feature any DACH top player in main-draw positions, neither in Cyprus, Seville nor Marrakech.
How often do we really get injured?
How high is the injury rate in padel, and which body regions are affected the most?
Scoping review, 14 studies with 3,581 players, 2020 to 2025, PRISMA-ScR.
Roughly 3 injuries per 1,000 training hours, 8 per 1,000 match hours and 40 percent with one case per year.
Aguilar-Núñez and colleagues published a systematic overview of current padel injury literature in Applied Sciences (MDPI, March 11, 2026). In the upper body, tendon injuries around the elbow, especially lateral epicondylitis, and shoulder issues dominate. In the lower body, ligament injuries around knee and ankle appear most often.
Practical takeaway. Structured warm-ups, gradual load progression, targeted forearm and core strength work, plus technical coaching for direction changes, consistently emerge as the most useful prevention levers. The study is open access and available via DOI. Small caveat: scoping reviews describe heterogeneous evidence and are not causal intervention studies.
Prepare the bandeja earlier and higher
The most common bandeja error is moving the hitting arm too late. Anyone who first runs under the ball and only then lifts the racket tends to contact too low and sends attackable balls back.
Run under the ball first, only then lift the racket. Contact point too low, and the ball drops into the opponent's hitting zone.
Take the racket head back early at shoulder height. Move sideways under the ball. Keep the shoulder turned toward the net and contact around forehead height.
The goal is not a winner but a controlled sliced ball that kicks off the side glass on the other side and lets you keep the net. A compact breakdown is available at The Padel School.
Three 2026 models in a neutral check
The big 2026 collections have been on the market since autumn 2025. Three models are especially visible this season on tour and in shops. Described neutrally, without a recommendation.
AT10 Genius 18K Alum 2026
Agustín Tapia
- Weight
- 360–375 g
- Balance
- balanced
- Surface
- 18K carbon
- Core
- MLD Black EVA
- Feature
- Weight Balance
Vertex 05 2026
Offensive profile
- Balance
- ~25.4 cm
- Surface
- X-Tend 12K rough
- Core
- MultiEVA
- Extras
- Vertex Core · Ease Vibe
- Grip
- Hesacore
XPLO 2026
Martín Di Nenno
- Balance
- ~26.5 cm
- Surface
- X-Tend · 3D-Grain
- Core
- MultiEVA
- Tech
- Wave System
- Frame
- Smart Holes
If you want to know which shape and balance suit your game, our neutral racket finder on padelcompass.de helps. Manufacturer information can be found, among others, at Zonadepadel and Expresspadel.
Brussels is live, Düsseldorf is getting closer
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Live · April 19–26, 2026
Lotto Brussels Premier Padel P2
With the return of Tapia and Coello and a historically Belgian-flavoured opening pairing between Geens / Guichard and Huysveld / Lamperti. Event profile at padelfip.com.
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May 9, 2026
Deutsche Padel Liga season start
Following the division of groups by the DPV. Details on the DPV league page.
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September 20–28, 2026
CUPRA Germany Premier Padel P2 Düsseldorf
German wildcards: Lindmeyer, Wunner, Merten and Böhnke. Official ticket hub.
Losing is normal. Winning is not.
Alejandra Salazar, 40, seven-time world champion, 52 WPT titles, four years at No. 1, in an interview about her farewell season. Context at Padel Magazine ES.
The origin lies in a garden that was too small
Padel was invented in Acapulco in 1969 because the tennis garden was too small. Mexican entrepreneur Enrique Corcuera originally wanted to build a tennis court at home. Since the space only measured 20 by 10 metres, he built walls all around it. His Argentine wife Viviana Corcuera wrote down the first rules as a birthday gift. Curious detail: the original court no longer exists. After the house was sold, a swimming pool was built in the same place. More on the story at Padel1969.
Seven primary sources
Which topic would you like us to explore in the next issue?
- 01A profile of the Düsseldorf wildcards
- 02A tactical bandeja series
- 03A data-based comparison of the top 2026 racket models
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