Yanguas and Lijo Win Milano P1 Debut After Nieto's Injury Breaks Up Partnership

Mike Yanguas opened the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1 with a win alongside a brand new partner, Pablo Lijo, beating Javi Ruiz and Jose Luis Gonzalez 7-6, 6-2 in the first round.

It was the first competitive match for Yanguas and Lijo as a pair. Yanguas needed a new partner in Milan after his longtime partnership with Coki Nieto was sidelined by injury, according to Premier Padel's own tournament coverage.

A shaky start, then control

The new pairing did not look settled early on. Ruiz and Gonzalez pushed the opening set to a tiebreak, and Yanguas and Lijo had to dig in to take it. Once they found their rhythm, the match tilted their way fast. They broke serve repeatedly in the second set and closed it out 6-2 in just over an hour and a half.

What comes next for Lijo

The partnership with Yanguas looks like a short-term fix rather than a long-term project. Lijo is set to team up with Tolito Aguirre starting at the Kuwait Major later this month, which puts a clock on how long this Milan pairing lasts.

The bigger picture

Nieto's absence leaves a gap at the top of the men's draw in Milan, where Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia are chasing a fourth straight title after winning in Paris, Rotterdam and Dusseldorf. Yanguas and Lijo will need to keep winning if they want to test themselves against that kind of form.