When a padel fan thinks of Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz, currently number 10 and 11 in the FIP Ranking, one image immediately comes to mind: their historic title win at the 2024 Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona, secured thanks to a three-set victory (2-6 7-5 6-3) over Agustin Tapia and Arturo Coello in the final. That match has gone down in the history of the sport: on that occasion, the winners ended the world number ones’ run of 47 consecutive victories after saving two championship points in the second set and overturning a match that appeared all but over.
Nieto and Sanz, who reunited at the start of this season, are the number 2 seeds at the FIP Platinum Albania, scheduled from 26 to 30 May, with 11,110 FIP Ranking points. Ahead of them are Franco Stupaczuk and Mike Yanguas (13,380), while behind them are Javi Leal and Fran Guerrero (8,765) and Martín Di Nenno and Jairo Bautista (7,310). The pair arrive in Tirana following strong results in recent months, highlighted by semi-final appearances at the P2 tournaments in Newgiza, Egypt, and Gijón, Spain. They also reached the quarter-finals at the P1 events in Buenos Aires and Miami, as well as the P2 tournaments in Asunción and Brussels, confirming the consistency that has firmly established them among the best pairs in the world. Their quality is also reflected in other major results achieved together, including victory at the Bordeaux Premier Padel P2 in 2024. Both players reached the semi-finals at the FIP World Cup Pairs in Kuwait last year: on that occasion Nieto partnered Mike Yanguas, while Sanz played alongside Paquito Navarro. These performances demonstrate the ability of both players to perform at the highest level on the sport’s biggest stages.
All of their strong results as a pair have been made possible by the perfect complementarity of their playing styles. Sanz, born in 2000 and left-handed, is an aggressive player with great intensity and remarkable energy, capable of exciting spectators at every moment. The player from Pamplona likes to accelerate rallies, often looking for spectacular solutions and quick points thanks to his explosiveness. Nieto, born in 1998, represents the opposite of Sanz in many respects. His main strengths are solidity and a low number of unforced errors. The Madrid-born player excels in point construction and in managing the most complex situations. Their attitudes on court also differ: while Sanz experiences every point with strong emotional intensity, Nieto tends to keep his emotions under control.
It is precisely this balance between energy and calm, aggression and tactical order, that makes them one of the most complete and dangerous pairs in the world. In Albania, they will aim to confirm their status among the stars of world padel.