It’s Gala’s Night: With Garcia He Reaches a Historic Quarterfinal Against Yanguas-Nieto
The match was a true NextGen derby filled with raw talent. On the court stood “the boys from Krakow,” Spaniards Alonso Rodriguez and David Gala, who had been instrumental in Spain’s gold medal run at the 2023 European Games in Poland.
Rodriguez partnered with the left-handed Argentinian Ignacio Juani Rubini, while Gala played alongside fellow Madrilenian Pablo Garcia. The four young athletes—Gala and Rubini born in 2006, Rodriguez and Garcia in 2003—delivered an intense and high-quality game at Court 2 of the Rafa Nadal Academy.
Gala and Garcia had already proven their form by knocking out the number 5 seeds, Di Nenno and Augsburger. Both players have shown consistency on the CUPRA FIP Tour, where Garcia arrived with three consecutive championship titles and Gala with two.
The final score, 6-4, 7-6, came after Rodriguez and Rubini mounted a strong comeback in the second set, pushing the game to a tiebreak. The result perfectly illustrated the competitive fire of padel’s new generation.
“If David Gala has been called ‘the chosen one’ and the brightest gem of Spain’s new generation, there’s a reason.”
This quarterfinal appearance marks the most significant achievement yet for both Gala and Garcia. Previously, Gala’s best run had been a quarterfinal finish at Tarragona P1 2025 (with Campagnolo), where he lost 6-2, 6-2 to Yanguas-Nieto.
Author’s Summary
Young talents David Gala and Pablo Garcia solidified their rise in world padel, reaching their career-best quarterfinal with a commanding win over Rodriguez and Rubini.