Home favourite falls short of retaining Malaga Premier Padel title after epic three-set final

Bea González was unable to defend her Andalucía Málaga Premier Padel P1 crown on Sunday after she and partner Paula Josemaría were edged out by Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea in a gripping women's final at the Martín Carpena.

The world number two pairing claimed the title with a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 victory after a marathon contest lasting three hours and eight minutes, ending González's reign in her home city after she lifted the trophy in Malaga last year.

The final was the seventh meeting between the world's top two women's pairs in a title match this season. González and Josemaría had won five of their previous six encounters and remain the circuit's most successful partnership in 2026 with six titles, but Triay and Brea prevailed in another closely fought battle.

The opening set set the tone for the contest, with both pairs repeatedly breaking back after losing serve before Triay and Brea took the decisive points to secure it 7-5.

González and Josemaría responded strongly in the second set, producing the more consistent padel to level the match at one set apiece. The deciding set proved equally dramatic, lasting 79 minutes and featuring lengthy rallies, spectacular recoveries and momentum swings before it was settled by a tie-break.

Triay and Brea held their nerve in the closing stages despite Brea appearing to struggle with an elbow problem, eventually sealing victory to deny González a successful title defence in front of her home crowd.

The tournament also recorded a new attendance milestone. Saturday's semi-finals attracted a sell-out crowd of 10,320 spectators at the Martín Carpena, surpassing last year's record of 10,014 and underlining Malaga's growing status as one of the leading stops on the Premier Padel calendar.