Diestro Advances at Madrid P1 Days After Mediterranean Games Gold, Gala Falls in Debut

Jose Diestro is through to the round of 16 at the Comunidad de Madrid P1, just four days after winning gold at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto. His countryman and Taranto teammate David Gala did not get the same result.

A tale of two returns

Diestro, playing with Marc Sintes, opened the main draw with a three-set battle against Tolito Aguirre and Pablo Garcia. He dropped the first set 3-6, then came back to win 7-5, 6-1 and book a round of 16 date with the 16th seeds, Javi Barahona and Maxi Sanchez Blasco.

Gala had a rougher welcome home. Playing alongside Enzo Jensen in his tournament debut, he lost a tight three-setter to Andres Fernandez Lancha and Denis Perino, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6. The match went the distance in every set, and Gala's run ended before the second round even started.

From Taranto to Madrid in days

Diestro and Gala were both part of Spain's gold medal padel squad at the Mediterranean Games, which wrapped up in late August. Turning around from an international team event straight into a Premier Padel main draw is a brutal schedule, and it produced two very different outcomes on the same day at the Movistar Arena.

The Madrid P1 main draw runs through September 6, with the round of 16 starting September 3.