Argentina edge Spain 3-2 to retain senior world championship crown

Key Takeaways

• Argentina defeated Spain 3-2 in the Senior World Championship final amidst home crowd chants of “I’m Argentinian, it’s a feeling I can’t stop…”.
• After falling behind 2-1 following Spanish wins in the 60 and third rubber, Fernando Poggi and Ramiro Nanni leveled the tie at 2-2.
• Miguel Lamperti and Cristian Gutiérrez secured the championship for Argentina with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Aday Santana and Javier Limones.

Argentina withstand Spanish rally to claim title in home decider

Amid tango melodies and booming chants of “I’m Argentinian, it’s a feeling I can’t stop…” from a packed home crowd, Argentina defended their world title with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Spain in the Senior World Championship final.

The tie brought together the sport’s two traditional heavyweights, featuring decorated squads packed with former champions who shaped the modern game.

Opening exchanges and Spanish fightback

Argentina grabbed early momentum in the 40 category. ‘Tito’ Allemandi and Agustín “La Bestia” Silingo imposed their authority from the outset against Enric Sanmartí and Gerard Company. Dictating the tempo with relentless play, the Argentine duo registered a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 win to put the hosts ahead.

Spain, guided by Juanjo Gutiérrez, mounted an immediate reply. In the 60 category, Pablo Semprún and Luis Menéndez countered Argentine legends Alejandro Lasaigues and Alejandro “Pollo” Novillo. Displaying superior physical freshness and activity, Semprún and Menéndez capitalized on Novillo’s errors to secure a 6-3, 6-3 win, leveling the overall score at 1-1.

The Spaniards seized the lead in the third match. Willy Lahoz and Antonio Ochoa stormed out to a 5-0 lead against Hernán “Bebe” Auguste and Roby Gattiker. Although Auguste and Gattiker battled to narrow the gap, a left leg injury progressively limited Auguste’s movement. Gattiker covered immense territory, but Lahoz and Ochoa closed out the set 6-4 and repeated the scoreline in the second set to hand Spain a 2-1 edge.

Decisive matches settle the world title

Facing defeat in the 50 category, Fernando Poggi and Ramiro Nanni stepped up against Raúl Arias and Pitu Losada. Driven by vocal home supporters, Poggi and Nanni delivered a composed 6-3, 6-2 triumph to draw Argentina level at 2-2, sending the championship to a fifth and final rubber just as occurred in La Nucía in 2024.

The decisive clash pitted Miguel Lamperti and Cristian Gutiérrez against Spain’s Aday Santana and Javier Limones. Competing in his final professional season, Lamperti showed his trademark vigor alongside the tactical precision and composure of Gutiérrez. The Argentine pair captured the opening set 6-4 before closing out the second 6-3 to seal the tie and preserve Argentina’s Senior World Championship crown.