On one side of the court, the talent of Argentina’s Franco Stupaczuk; on the other, the tactical intelligence and creativity of Spain’s Mike Yanguas. Looking at the entry list for the FIP Platinum Albania — scheduled from 26 to 30 May in Tirana — there is little doubt that they are the favourites for the title. Not only because they are the tournament’s number 1 seeds with a combined total of 13,380 FIP Ranking points, but because both are among the leading players in world padel. In 2026, the pair came close to triumphing at the Premier Padel P2 in Newgiza, where they were defeated in the final by the Race leaders Ale Galan and Fede Chingotto. Their objective at the Albanian stop of the CUPRA FIP Tour is clear: to lift their first trophy of the season.
Stupaczuk’s résumé is of the highest level. The Argentine, born in 1996 and nicknamed “El Polaco” because of his Polish family origins, became World Champion with the Argentine national team by winning the 2024 FIP World Padel Championships. He is currently number 6 in the FIP Ranking, with a career-high position of world number 5. Stupaczuk has won two Premier Padel titles: the first came at the 2024 Newgiza P2 alongside Yanguas, while the second arrived last year at the Cancun P2 with Juan Lebron. His historic partner was Martin Di Nenno, with whom he formed the “Superpibes”, dominating Argentine junior padel together. Their sporting relationship has been a rollercoaster: after reuniting in 2023 and separating midway through 2024, they teamed up again at the end of last season to play the final part of the year together before beginning new chapters in their careers. Together, Stupaczuk and Di Nenno wrote legendary pages in the sport’s history, playing iconic matches such as the memorable 2023 Milan P1 final, lost to Ale Galan and Juan Lebron (6-7 7-6 6-7) after exactly three hours of play. Yanguas, world number 7, was born in 2002 and has established himself during the modern era of padel. Last year, alongside Coki Nieto, he reached the semi-finals of the FIP World Cup Pairs in Kuwait.
Stupaczuk and Yanguas form a dangerous and difficult pair to beat. Stupaczuk, a left-side player, possesses every shot: from the vibora to the smash and the volley. However, “El Polaco” is renowned throughout the circuit for the extraordinary effectiveness of his kick off the side fence, which he can execute both from a central lob and a diagonal one. Yanguas is an unconventional right-side player. Unlike others in his position, such as Chingotto or Martin Di Nenno, he likes to cover a large area of the court and play the bandeja and vibora even from central positions. In addition, an increasingly important aspect in modern padel even for right-side players, he possesses a smash capable of finishing points decisively.
Their start to the season has been very strong. In addition to the final reached in Egypt, the pair have also reached the semi-finals in three tournaments: Miami (P1), Buenos Aires (P1) and Brussels (P2). At the P2 events in Cancun and Asunción, they were instead eliminated in the quarter-finals. In this context, the FIP Platinum Albania represents the perfect opportunity to secure their first title of the season and arrive at the Italy Major Premier Padel in Rome in early June with maximum confidence and momentum.