Internationals Orsi and Godallier among winners in La Rioja qualifying

The 2023 World Padel Tour season has kicked off as the La Rioja Open qualifying rounds were completed over the weekend at the EuroIndoor in Madrid.

Four couples scratched and clawed their way out of qualifying, including several international players.

Carolina Orsi and Lea Godallier headlined these couples, the Italian-French tandem winning the final in straight sets to book their ticket to Argentina.

Carolina Orsi / Lea Godallier vs Monica Gómez / Carmen García

The international outfit of Carolina Orsi and Lea Godallier were first in action at the EuroIndoor centre court against Monica Gomez and Carmen Garcia.

The Italian-French tandem won in straight sets, 6-2 7-5, to book their place in the main draw in March in Argentina.

Orsi and Godallier already played one tournament together in 2022, and have started the new year in great fashion too.

Lorena Alonso / Sandra Hernández vs Marta Borrero / Carmen Castillón

An incredible comeback followed as Lorena Alonso and Sandra Hernandez were in action against Marta Borrero and Carmen Castillon.

Youngsters Borrero and Castillon were completely overwhelming in the first set, and ended up sweeping it 0-6.

Incredibly, however, the more seasoned Alonso and Hernandez flipped the match on its head entirely. The Spaniards won the second set 6-2 and followed it up with another 6-2 to complete the comeback and punch their ticket to La Rioja.

Agueda Pérez / Sara Ruiz vs Carlotta Casali / Maria Rodríguez

Third on the menu were Sara Ruiz and 15-year-old Agueda Perez as they faced Maria Rodriguez and Italian Carlotta Casali.

Ruiz and Perez, both teenagers, lack experience but have a lot of talent between them, and it showed as they broke late in the first set to win it 7-5.

Casali and Rodriguez had no answer in the second set, which only became more one-sided. Ruiz and Perez won 7-5 6-3, making Perez one of the youngest players ever to reach a main draw.

Emily Stellato / Giulia Sussarello vs Ariadna Cañellas / Sandra Bellver

Finally, Italians Emily Stellato and Giulia Sussarello sprung onto the court against Sandra Bellver and Ariadna Cañellas.

Bellver and Cañellas took care of the first set with ease, winning it 2-6, but were unable to keep up their dominance.

The Spaniards lost the second set to a resilient Stellato and Sussarello 7-6, and the Italians completed the comeback 6-4 in the third.