Spain vs France and Argentina vs Italy: the women's World Cup semifinals in Doha

Padel World Cup women's semifinals today: Spain vs France and Argentina vs Italy in Doha, the road to the last four, the keys and the Saturday final.

Spain, the reigning champion, meets France, a team that was not in the semifinals two years ago, in the first women's FIP World Cup semifinal in Doha this Friday. Argentina and Italy play the other. Three of the four teams in the last four also reached the podium in 2024; the fourth is the one that beat the Netherlands 2-0 to take Portugal's place.

The winners meet in the final on Saturday 7 November. Official start times for the semifinals had not been published when this was written; women's ties have started at 14:00 in Doha (12:00 in Spain) earlier in the week, so check the FIP order of play before kickoff.

The road to the semifinals

Spain: Sweden swept 3-0

The champions won all three matches in straight sets. Paula Josemaria and Bea Gonzalez won 6-0 and 6-1, Marta Ortega and Martina Calvo won 6-0 and 6-2, and Andrea Ustero and Ari Sanchez added 6-1 and 6-2. Captain Carolina Navarro said she has to choose pairs according to fatigue: “I have an idea, but of course I can change it as we go along”.

France: two matches were enough

France never needed a third rubber against the Netherlands. Alix Collombon and Louise Bahurel won 6-0 and 6-3, then Carla Touly and Lucile Pothier took the second tie 6-2 and 7-6. It is a team of players ranked far below the Spanish stars, which is exactly why the semifinal is a chance for an upset.

Argentina: a clean 3-0 against Portugal

Delfi Brea and Claudia Jensen won 6-0 and 6-0, Aranzazu Osoro and Martina Fassio won 6-1 and 6-3, and Virginia Riera and Julieta Bidahorria won 6-2 and 6-0. Portugal, who lost top spot in Group D to the Netherlands, now play for fifth place.

Italy: the Azzurre beat Brazil 2-0

Giulia Dal Pozzo and Emily Stellato won 6-0 and 6-2, and Clarissa Aima and Giulia Sussarello followed with 6-1 and 7-6. Aima and Sussarello were direct about the plan: “We have to fight for this dream on every ball, on every point.”

The ranking gap that frames both ties

On paper the gap is wide. Brea is the world number one, Sanchez is number three, Gonzalez number four and Josemaria number five on the site's women's ranking. Collombon, France's best-ranked name, is 38th, and Italy's Dal Pozzo is 26th. In a team event, though, the ranking is only a starting point: each tie is three separate matches, and one set can change the day.

Keys to the two semifinals

Spain vs France

Spain can rotate. With players such as Ortega and Calvo winning comfortably in the quarterfinal, Navarro has options at every spot. France need to turn one of the three pairings into a long match: the 7-6 result from Touly and Pothier shows they can win tight sets.

Argentina vs Italy

Italy's stated goal is modest and realistic: win a set. Argentina have shown unity all week; Brea highlighted that the team format means playing with different partners rather than the usual one. Osoro said wearing the shirt means they are “capable of anything”.

Time and where to watch

The semifinals are on Friday 6 November at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha. The final is Saturday 7 November. Confirm the exact order of play on the FIP website and its official channels before the first match.