Alkass English
Defending champions Argentina continued their impressive start to the FIP World Cup Qatar 2026, securing a second consecutive 3-0 victory to strengthen their position at the top of Group A. Meanwhile, hosts Qatar suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against Chile in a closely contested Group C encounter at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
Argentina, 13-time champions, have collected four points from their opening two ties without dropping a single match, underlining their determination to retain the title.
Agustin Tapia and Valentino Libaak got Argentina off to a strong start with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over S. Richters and T. Roper. Franco Stupaczuk and Maximiliano Arce Simo then sealed the tie with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win against B. van Opstal and J. Prins. Leandro Augsburger and Federico Chingotto completed the clean sweep, defeating J. Nolten and N. van Betuw 6-3, 6-4.
Spain, runners-up in the previous edition, also maintained their unbeaten run with a commanding 3-0 victory over Paraguay in Group B.
Miguel Yanguas and Javier Leal opened with a 6-4, 6-3 win over M. A. Gonzalez San Martin and F. Dehnike. Francisco Navarro and Juan Lebron then secured the tie with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory against P. Petit Fernandez and M. N. Popovich Fernandez. Aimer Goñi Lacabe and Arturo Coello completed Spain's impressive performance with a 6-1, 6-3 win over A. M. Miranda and S. N. Rodriguez.
Qatar fall just short against Chile
Hosts Qatar came close to recording their first victory of the tournament but ultimately went down 2-1 to Chile in a fiercely contested Group C tie.
Newly crowned Asian Games champions Rashed Nawaf and Mashari Nawaf gave Qatar the perfect start, securing a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over M. Negrete Oliva and D. Salinas Ordenes.
Chile responded in the second match, with J. Valdes and C. Molina defeating Mohammed Al-Khanji and Khalid Saadon Alkuwari 6-3, 6-2 to level the tie and set up a decisive third encounter.
Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari and Hassan Adel Waly looked poised to put Qatar back in front after claiming the opening set 6-2. However, Chile's S. Munoz Campos and A. Torres staged a determined comeback, taking the second set 7-6 before winning the decider 6-3 to secure the overall victory.
Elsewhere, France bounced back with a convincing 3-0 win over Australia in Group A, while Sweden also enjoyed a clean sweep against the United Arab Emirates in Group B. Both teams won all three matches in straight sets to round off a successful day of competition.