Triay and Brea survive a three-set fight to win Pretoria P1

Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea became the first women's champions of Premier Padel in South Africa on 2 August. They had to work for every part of it.

Triay and Brea beat Claudia Fernandez and Martina Calvo 6-2, 6-7, 7-6 in the Pretoria P1 final. The win was their second title in a row and fifth of the 2026 season. It also strengthened their place at the top of the women's ranking.

The match began as expected. The No. 1 pair took the first set 6-2 and appeared to have control. Fernandez and Calvo refused to let the final become routine. They won the second-set tie-break 7-5, then stayed level through another tense set before Triay and Brea took the deciding tie-break 7-4.

Why Pretoria mattered to the tour

This was South Africa's first Premier Padel tournament. The event had originally been scheduled as a P2, but Premier Padel and the International Padel Federation upgraded it to P1 after the Qatar Major was postponed. The change brought more ranking points and prize money to Pretoria.

The tour also used balls designed for the city's altitude, roughly 1,340 metres above sea level. High-altitude conditions can make the ball travel faster, so the tournament used a softer model to keep play under control.

Experience won the uncomfortable points

Triay and Brea did not close the match when it first opened for them. They lost a tight second set and had to begin again. That is where experienced pairs usually separate themselves. They stop arguing with the match they expected and play the one in front of them.

The final tie-break was not a return to first-set dominance. It was a short race, decided by a few choices under pressure. The No. 1 pair made the cleaner ones.

The rematch changed the story

One week later in London, Fernandez and Calvo beat Triay and Brea in straight sets. That result made the Pretoria final look less like a scare from an improvised pair and more like the start of a serious rivalry.

For club players, Pretoria is a reminder to reset after a set gets away. Momentum feels permanent while you are inside it. Usually it lasts only until the next good return, lob, or first volley.

Sources: Cadena SER match report, FIP calendar update, and the r/padel tournament discussion.