Chile escape Qatar’s match points in World Cup day-two thriller
By Courtsider · November 4, 2026
Two match points separated Qatar from beating Chile before Sebastian Muñoz and Angel Torres turned the deciding rubber around. Chile’s 2-1 victory supplied the tension on 3 November at the FIP World Cup 2026 in Doha, with the hosts left to reflect on an opportunity that had been within reach.
Mohammed Saadon and Hassan Waly took the opening set 6-2 and earned those chances to finish in the second. Muñoz and Torres survived, won that set in a tie-break and completed a 2-6 7-6 6-3 comeback. Qatar had moved ahead through Rashed and Mashari Nawaf, who beat Matias Negrete and Daniel Salinas 6-3 6-3. Javi Valdes and Cristobal Molina answered for Chile, defeating Al Khanji and Khalid Saadon 6-3 6-2.
The recovery left Chile level with Germany in Group C after Portugal beat the Germans. For Qatar, winning the first rubber and leading the last still yielded no tie victory: the decisive swing came within the third match, rather than in the opening exchanges between the national teams.
Portugal’s 3-0 result offered a different picture. The Deus brothers won 6-1 6-2, Pedro Araujo and Pedro Graça followed with a 6-2 6-0 victory, and Salvador Simões and Antonio Luque completed the sweep 6-1 6-1. All three Portuguese combinations finished in straight sets.
Argentina also won each rubber without dropping a set in their 3-0 defeat of the Netherlands in Group A. Agustin Tapia and Tino Libaak opened with a 6-4 6-2 win; Franco Stupaczuk and Maxi Arce won 6-1 6-3; Leo Augsburger and Fede Chingotto closed out their match 6-3 6-4. France beat Australia 3-0 in the same group.
Spain swept Paraguay 3-0 in Group B, with Mike Yanguas and Javi Leal, Paquito Navarro and Juan Lebron, and Aimar Goñi and Arturo Coello all winning in straight sets. Sweden matched that tie score against the United Arab Emirates. In Group D, Italy beat Mexico 3-0 and Brazil defeated the United States by the same margin. Brazil’s opening rubber nevertheless required three sets: Lucas Bergamini and Diogo Correa won 6-1 6-7 6-3. A clean tie score did not mean every match was straightforward.
The women’s standout turnaround belonged to Germany, who recovered to beat Brazil 2-1. Kurz and Blaschke won 6-2 6-2 before Hering and Plumer delivered a 6-1 6-1 victory. Spain beat Great Britain 3-0. Argentina, France, Italy, Sweden and Portugal also recorded 3-0 wins, while the Netherlands overcame the United States 2-1. Spain, Argentina, France, Italy, Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands ended the second round with two tie victories apiece.
Context image: Netherlands players on the opening day of the 2026 World Cup (2 November), rather than the Qatar–Chile tie. Photo source: International Padel Federation (FIP).