Bela missed the chance — eliminated in semi-final against new couple

Bela missed the chance — eliminated in semi-final against new couple

Fernando Belasteguin and Arturo Coello created an excellent chance for themselves to reach the final of the Brussels Open. But in the semi-final against the new pair Franco Stupaczuk and Pablo Lima, it wasn't enough.

Fernando Belasteguin was at his most successful with Brazilian Pablo Lima, and for many years they dominated as the world's best couple. 

Last Saturday, they faced each other in the semi-finals of the Brussels Open. Bela and Coello then faced the newly formed pair of Franco Stupaczuk and Pablo Lima. 

Once there, Argentina's Stupa and Brazil's Lima were the strongest, winning in two straight sets to reach an impressive final in their first-ever tournament together. 

The result was 7-5, 6-3. 

In advance, it was a dream opponent to get in a semifinal of a World Padel Tour. Bela and Coello had secured the position in the semi-finals by knocking out Federico Chingotto and Juan Tello in three straight sets in the quarter-finals. In the round of 16, they won steadily in two consecutive sets against talented Javi Garrido and Lucas Campagnolo. 

The competition was won by Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan. The pair's second title of the year. The next competition is the Danish Padel Open on the World Padel Tour, after which the Italy Masters in Premier Padel will be played. 

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1990

Bela begins to play padel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the Club Atlético Gral in 1990.

2001

In 2001 he reaches an unbeated record, winning 22 consecutive tournaments in 1 year and 9 months.

2006

Playing paired with Juan Martín Díaz, Bela won all 17 of 17 tournaments he played. This made them the most awarded couple in the history of padel and kings of the professional circuit.

2016

Bela reached 15 consecutive years of being #1 on the World Padel Tour ranking.

2019

He started the season playing alongside Pablo Lima. In the middle of the season Augustín Tapia became his new sports partner, achieving victory in the "Madrid Master" and the final "Master Final".

2021

Currently playing paired with Sanyo Gutíerrez. Bela is once again aiming for the title and proved his ambitions winning this year's first stop of the World Padel Tour.

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Interview with Bela

What is this initiative of Bela Padel Center about? What new does it show us?

It is very clear to me: I will never tell a father to bring his children to Bela Padel Center because I will assure him that they will be professional players. What we will assure them is that padel is not the end, but the way to educate them in the values ​​of sport that I have learned for many years and that it starts from daily effort and sacrifice. 

Are your clubs going to focus more on educational Padel?

No, there will be a little bit of everything. Bela Academy, Adult and minor classes, tournaments… We chose the Arena space because it is a club open to all. The idea is to give Padel what it has given me all these years.

There will be those who think that the figure of a businessman Bela emerges because his sports career is coming to an end…

I am going to be an athlete all my life. We are a group of four friends who have become partners to develop these centers and one of them is Carlos Costa, Rafa Nadal´s manager, who knows a lot about this. We already have requests to open clubs in Sweden, Mexico and Portugal, but we want to grow with a clear direction.

After 16 years being world number one, what remains for Belasteguín to achieve on the 20 × 10 courts?

I train every day with the obsession to keep improving so that the day I retire I will offer my best professional version. And I wake up every morning convinced that the best of my career is yet to come.

The word retiring is not yet in your vocabulary at 41…

It will come, sooner or later. But that day I will get out of bed not thinking that the best of my career is yet to come.