Twenty-three minutes. That is how long it took Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto to win the first set of their Milano Premier Padel P1 semi-final against Juan Lebrón and Leo Augsburger. The score: 6-0. A bagel, in a semi-final, against the number 3 seeds.
The Allianz Cloud was already getting ready for another 'Clásico' final against Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia. It never came. Lebrón and Augsburger won the next two sets 6-2 6-2 and knocked the defending champions out of the tournament. Final score: 0-6 6-2 6-2.
The result at a glance
| Match | Milano Premier Padel P1 2026, men's semi-final |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | Saturday 17 October 2026, Allianz Cloud, Milan |
| Winners | Juan Lebrón / Leo Augsburger (3) |
| Losers | Ale Galán / Fede Chingotto (2) |
| Score | 0-6 6-2 6-2 |
| First set | 6-0 to Galán and Chingotto in 23 minutes |
A perfect start
Galán and Chingotto came into the semi-final as defending champions. They won Milan in 2025, and their route to the last four was convincing: 6-1 6-2 against the Portuguese brothers Miguel and Nuno Deus, 6-1 6-1 against Xisco Gil and Rama Valenzuela, and 6-3 7-6 against Gonza Alfonso and Tino Libaak in the quarter-finals.
The first set picked up exactly where that left off. Six games in a row, no games dropped, and Lebrón and Augsburger looking lost. At that point, most people in the arena expected the match to be over within an hour.
Then it went wrong
From the second set on, the match flipped completely. Lebrón and Augsburger won twelve of the last sixteen games. The second set went 6-2, the third set went 6-2. After a 6-0 start, Galán and Chingotto won only four more games for the rest of the evening.
Turnarounds like this rarely come down to one shot. It is usually a shift in rhythm: one team finds its level, the other loses a little confidence, and in a sport played at this speed, a small swing in momentum becomes a big one. Lebrón is one of the most emotional players on tour, and once 'El Lobo' and Augsburger got the crowd and the momentum on their side, Galán and Chingotto could not get it back.
Not the first time this year
This is not a one-off. Galán and Lebrón won Milan together in 2022 and 2023 before their partnership ended, and since then every meeting between them has had extra weight. In 2026, the two pairs have now met in seven semi-finals:
- Brussels P2 (April): Lebrón / Augsburger won 6-4 6-4
- Buenos Aires P1 (May): Galán / Chingotto won 6-0 6-3
- Rome Major (May): Galán / Chingotto won 7-6 6-3
- Valencia P1 (June): Galán / Chingotto won 4-6 6-3 6-4
- Málaga P1 (July): Lebrón / Augsburger won 2-6 6-3 7-6, after saving two match points
- London P1 (August): Galán / Chingotto won 7-6 6-3
- Milan P1 (October): Lebrón / Augsburger won 0-6 6-2 6-2
That makes it 4-3 to Galán and Chingotto this season, but the trend is worrying for them. In Málaga and now in Milan, Lebrón and Augsburger came back after losing the first set. They have clearly found a way to stay in matches against the 'Chingalan' even when things start badly.
A tough autumn for Galán and Chingotto
Milan is also the third tournament in a row in which Galán and Chingotto have missed the final. They lost the Rotterdam quarter-final and the Düsseldorf semi-final to Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz, and now this semi-final in Milan. They are still one of the two best teams in the world, with titles in Madrid, Buenos Aires, Pretoria and Miami this season, but the gap to the chasing pack is getting smaller.
According to the official FIP report, this was the sixth time in the last eight tournaments that the Coello/Tapia vs Galán/Chingotto final did not happen. The 'Clásico' that dominated padel for two years is no longer guaranteed.
What's next: the final tonight
Lebrón and Augsburger now face Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia in tonight's final, not before 17:00 CEST. Coello and Tapia beat Stupaczuk and Sanz 6-4 6-3 in the other semi-final and are chasing their fourth title in a row and their twelfth together. Lebrón and Augsburger are looking for their second title of the season, after their win in Brussels.
For Galán and Chingotto, the next chance to respond comes at the Kuwait Major later this month. After Milan, they will have something to prove.
Play like it's a semi-final
If this match shows anything, it's that a padel match is never over after one set. Momentum, confidence and the right gear make the difference when it gets tight.
Want a racket that keeps up when the rallies get fast? Read our racket guide or browse all Skull Padel rackets. Follow us on Instagram at @skull.padel for more padel news.
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