The XIII South American Games in Santa Fe have reached a thrilling conclusion as Argentina secures spots in both the men’s and women’s padel finals. The host nation aims to capture the first-ever padel gold medals in the history of these games, backed by a passionate home crowd at the Estadio Invencible.
Tournament Finals and Bronze Medal Matchups
Following a dominant performance on Day 3, the tournament has set the stage for the final medal matches. The following matchups will determine the podium placements for the 2026 Games:
- Men’s Gold Medal Match: Argentina’s Contreras/Piotto will face Paraguay’s Abud/Dehnike. The Argentine pair remains undefeated throughout the tournament, while the Paraguayan duo enters the final fresh off a strong 6-4, 6-2 victory over Chile in the semi-finals.
- Women’s Gold Medal Match: Argentina’s Milena Vilchez/Mosca are set to challenge Chile’s Arancibia/Ahumada Carrasco. The Argentine women have been nearly untouchable, conceding only 10 games total across their tournament path.
- Men’s Bronze Medal Match: Uruguay’s Artia Malugani/Ensslin Alves will compete against Chile’s Salinas Ordenes/Negrete Oliva.
- Women’s Bronze Medal Match: Peru’s Aragones Miro Quesada/Torres Draxl will play against Ecuador’s Alvarez/Holguin Reyes.
The road to the finals saw Argentina’s men defeat Uruguay in a competitive semi-final, winning the first set 6-0 before clinching the second in a hard-fought tie-break. On the women’s side, the Argentine pair of Vilchez and Mosca cruised past Peru with a decisive 6-1, 6-1 victory. Notably, several finalists, including Paraguay’s Abud/Dehnike and Chile’s Arancibia, are carrying momentum from their recent success at the FIP World Cup Qualifiers in South America, where they successfully earned qualification for the upcoming Doha World Championships.
The final day of competition is scheduled for Friday, September 25. The action begins at 11 am local time with the women’s bronze medal match, while the men’s gold medal final is slated to take place no earlier than 6 pm local time. Fans can follow the conclusion of the tournament via the official Odesur YouTube channel.
