790 points. That is the entire distance between the two best pairs in men's padel right now, and over the next 48 hours the BNL Italy Major 2026 can either erase it or stretch it out of reach. The quarterfinals are done, the Rome semifinals are set for today, and the Foro Italico has quietly become the most important court of the season so far.
At Ace One Padel, we have followed this Major from the draw to the business end, and the semifinal line-up tells you almost everything about where the 2026 season is heading. Here is what is locked in, what is still live, and the one number that explains why everyone is watching.
TL;DR
- The stage: the BNL Italy Major 2026 runs 31 May to 7 June at the Foro Italico in Rome, one of the four Majors, worth 2,000 ranking points and 1,044,849 euros in prize money.
- Men through to the semis: Tapia and Coello beat Garrido and Bergamini 6-3 7-6(6), and defending champions Galan and Chingotto dismissed Hernandez and Collado 6-3 6-1.
- The number: Galan and Chingotto lead the 2026 Race by 790 points. Italy Major hands the winners 2,000 points, so Rome can decide the world No. 1 chase.
- The women: Buenos Aires champions Josemaria and Gonzalez beat Ortega and Calvo 6-2 2-6 6-3 and meet Sanchez and Ustero, with Triay and Brea still in the draw.
- The amateur takeaway: copy how the champions build points, not how they finish them. Construction beats highlights, and that is a racket choice as much as a tactic.
Why the Italy Major is the heavyweight of the calendar
Not every tournament carries the same weight, and the Italy Major sits at the top of the pile. It is one of only four Majors on the Premier Padel FIP circuit, the highest tier below the season finals, and the points reflect that status.
A Major winner banks 2,000 ranking points. The runners-up still collect 1,200. For context, a regular P1 or P2 stop pays out far less, so a single strong week in Rome can move a pair several rungs up the standings. The 2026 edition, the fifth time the event has been hosted at the Foro Italico, also puts 1,044,849 euros on the line, split equally between the men's and women's draws.
The format is a long, brutal week. Qualifying opened on 31 May, the main draw started on 2 June, the quarterfinals were played on Friday 5 June, and the semifinals are split across two sessions today, Saturday 6 June, before Sunday's finals at 18:00. Seven days, one trophy, and no easy route through.
The men's semifinals: who is already through
Two of the four men's semifinal tickets are stamped, and they belong to the two pairs everyone expected to be here.
Agustin Tapia and Arturo Coello came through their quarterfinal against the eighth seeds Javier Garrido and Lucas Bergamini, winning 6-3 7-6(6). The first set was comfortable. The second was not, and surviving a tie-break that tight is exactly the kind of escape that builds a title run.
On the other side of the headline, Alejandro Galan and Federico Chingotto were ruthless. They beat Pol Hernandez and Guillermo Collado 6-3 6-1 in a quarterfinal that started as a contest and ended as a statement. Galan and Chingotto are the two-time defending Rome champions, winners in 2024 and 2025, and they are now two wins away from a third straight Foro Italico crown.
The bottom half of the draw is where the intrigue lives. Momo Gonzalez and Lucas Campagnolo produced the surprise of the week to reach the quarters, the seeded pair Martin Di Nenno and Paquito Navarro arrived as live contenders, and Juan Lebron and Edu Augsburger lurk as the kind of duo nobody wants to draw. Those semifinal results are still to be written as we publish, so we will not pretend to know them. What we do know: if the top two pairs hold serve today, Sunday becomes the rematch the whole season has been pointing toward.
The 790-point number that explains everything
Strip away the highlights and one statistic frames the entire week. In the 2026 Race, Galan and Chingotto hold 4,670 points. Coello and Tapia sit on 3,880. The gap is 790 points, the closest the No. 1 chase has been all year.
Now layer the math on top. The Italy Major pays 2,000 points to the champions and 1,200 to the finalists. If Coello and Tapia win the title and Galan and Chingotto fall in the semifinals, that 790-point cushion does not shrink, it flips. Rome is not just a trophy. It is a lever on the world No. 1 ranking.
The rivalry has teeth because the record is lopsided in a way the rankings are not. Galan and Chingotto have gone 31-3 as a pair in 2026, against 26-5 for Coello and Tapia, and they have won four of their five head-to-head meetings this season. The most recent was a 6-2 6-1 demolition in the Buenos Aires P1 final, the kind of scoreline that lingers. We broke that match down in our Buenos Aires P1 final recap, and the patterns there are about to be tested again on a bigger stage.
The women's draw: Josemaria and Gonzalez chase the double
The women's side has been the cleaner story. Paula Josemaria and Ariana Gonzalez, fresh from the Buenos Aires P1 title, survived a real scare against Marta Ortega and Martina Calvo before closing it out 6-2 2-6 6-3. They now face Ariana Sanchez and Andrea Ustero for a place in the final.
Gemma Triay and Delfina Brea remain in the draw and remain the most likely pair to stop them. The head-to-head favours Josemaria and Gonzalez 3-1, including a 2-6 7-5 6-4 win in Buenos Aires last month, but a Major semifinal resets the nerves for everyone.
| Men's title favourites | Galan / Chingotto | Coello / Tapia |
|---|---|---|
| Game identity | Construction, patience, lethal closing | Power, pace, aerial dominance |
| 2026 record | 31-3 | 26-5 |
| Race points | 4,670 (No. 1) | 3,880 (No. 2) |
| 2026 head-to-head | 4 wins | 1 win |
| Rome history | Champions 2024 and 2025 | Chasing a first Rome crown together |
The wrong lesson to copy from a champion
Here is the trap, and almost every improving amateur falls into it. You watch Galan and Chingotto win a Major, and you walk onto your club court on Sunday trying to hit their highlights. The 200 km/h smash. The blind volley. The between-the-legs winner that made the crowd roar.
That is the wrong tape to study. The reason they win is not the finish, it is the 12 boring shots before it. The deep lob that buys back the net. The cross-court that pins an opponent. The patience to wait for the ball that sits up. The finish is the last 5 percent. The construction is the other 95.
This is where the watching turns into a buying decision, because the racket you play should match the half of the game you are actually trying to build. The patient, place-first player who wants to construct points and protect their elbow is the control player, and that is the TŸR 3K carbon with its softer core and longer dwell. The player who already builds well and wants a finishing weapon for the smash is the power player, and that is the Cøre 12K. Brand-new to the sport and watching this Major thinking you want in? Start with the Pack Performance bundle and grow into the level. One game, three honest answers.
The Ace One Padel Verdict
The BNL Italy Major 2026 has set up the match the season has been quietly demanding. Galan and Chingotto are chasing a third straight Rome title and protecting a 790-point lead. Coello and Tapia are chasing the pair that has beaten them four times in five. If both hold their nerve today, Sunday at 18:00 is the rematch, and the world No. 1 ranking rides on it.
This Major opened the new Premier Padel chapter we previewed in our Rome preview, and it has delivered on the promise. For the rest of us, the real value is in the watching. Study how the points are built, not just how they end, and bring that lesson to your own court. The champions are not better than you because they hit harder. They are better because they wait better. Watch the boring shots. That is where Rome is won, and that is the habit worth stealing. Follow the official scores on Premier Padel and pick your side before 18:00 on Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Italy Major 2026 finals?
The men's and women's finals of the BNL Italy Major 2026 are scheduled for Sunday 7 June at 18:00 at the Foro Italico in Rome. The semifinals are played today, Saturday 6 June, across afternoon and evening sessions.
Who are the favourites to win in Rome?
On the men's side, defending champions Galan and Chingotto are favourites after a 6-3 6-1 quarterfinal win and a 31-3 season, with Coello and Tapia the main threat. On the women's side, Buenos Aires champions Josemaria and Gonzalez lead the field, with Triay and Brea the closest challengers.
How does the Italy Major affect the world No. 1 race?
The winners earn 2,000 ranking points and the finalists 1,200. Galan and Chingotto currently lead Coello and Tapia by 790 points in the 2026 Race, so the result in Rome can either confirm or overturn the top spot in men's padel.
What can an amateur player learn from watching the Major?
Focus on point construction rather than the highlight finishes. The top pairs win by lobbing deep, recovering net position and waiting for a high ball, then finishing. Patience and positioning are more copyable than a 200 km/h smash, and they translate directly to club-level padel.
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