Padel's world No 1 spot in 2026: how Coello-Tapia and Triay-Brea held on

Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia and Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea have held the No 1 spots in the FIP rankings through the whole 2026 season, despite a spring in which their main rivals beat them repeatedly. In the ranking of 12 October, both pairs share first place on identical totals: 19,840 points for the men, 15,700 for the women.

Men: Galán and Chingotto take the Race, not the ranking

Coello and Tapia started the year as the world No 1 pair, and the FIP still called them that after the Cancún P2 in March. "Without this attitude we would not be number 1," Tapia said there, as reported by the FIP. The challenge came from Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto, who beat them in the Gijón, Miami, Asunción and Buenos Aires finals.

The New Giza P2 title in April put Galán and Chingotto on top of the 2026 Race, the season-only table that decides qualification for the Barcelona Finals. After their 6-2 6-1 win in the Buenos Aires P1 final in May, they led it by 790 points and had a 4-1 record against the No 1s in 2026, according to Padel Addict. The 52-week FIP ranking did not move: Padel Magazine reported that Coello and Tapia officially remained world No 1 that week.

The turning point came at the Italy Major in Rome, where Coello and Tapia won the final 7-5 7-6 in June and, the FIP said, took back the Race lead. They then beat Galán and Chingotto in five more finals, from Valencia to the Paris Major.

Why the No 1s are joint No 1s

The FIP ranking counts each player's best results over a rolling 52 weeks, so a pair that has played every event together ends up on the same total. After Paris, Red Bull put Coello and Tapia on 20,526 points each and Galán and Chingotto on 18,331. The rolling cycle has since removed 2025 results, and on 12 October the gap was 2,980 points, 19,840 to 16,860. Juan Lebrón is fifth on 7,590. In the Race, the No 1s led by 2,200 points after the Germany P2, Padel Addict reported.

Women: five lost finals, but the top spot holds

Triay and Brea reached No 1 in 2025 and began 2026 there, but Paula Josemaría and Bea González beat them in five consecutive finals, from Miami to Buenos Aires. Their Asunción win in May made them the new leaders of the women's Race, according to Padel Magazine, which had them 440 points clear.

In the FIP ranking, Triay and Brea still had a clear lead before Rome, and Padel Addict and Padel Magazine both calculated that only González could overtake them there, if she and Josemaría won the Major and the No 1s lost early. Instead Triay and Brea won it, beating Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero 6-1 7-5. "Winning this tournament is very important for us after losing five finals in a row," Triay said, as quoted by the FIP.

On 12 October Triay and Brea share No 1 on 15,700 points. González is third on 13,700, ahead of Sánchez (12,990), Josemaría (12,520) and Claudia Fernández (11,830). The FIP reported that Sánchez and Ustero moved to second in the Race after the Germany P2 semi-finals, and Padel Addict's table puts Triay and Brea first.

What it means

In both tours, the ranking and the Race told different stories in the spring: the challengers won more finals, but the No 1s kept enough points from 2025 and won the Rome Major when it counted. With the Milan P1, the Kuwait and Mexico Majors, the Dubai P1 and the Finals still to come, there are many points left, but the 2026 leaders go into the last stretch with clear margins. Our season reviews of the men's and women's tours cover the results in more detail.