Zabaleta and Elezkano II defend the title of Couples harvested last year. /
More than half of the pelota players who are still in the Couples have won it at some time and have enough tables to manage the semifinals
In a tournament as long and demanding as the Couples, regularity and avoiding injuries seem very important to reach the decisive phases. However, from the semifinals other factors come into play. The margin of error is reduced to the maximum expression and the pressure is increased significantly. The experience when facing determining encounters wins integers. Individuals are not enough. A choral performance is required. Compact more than ever with your partner. Five of the eight survivors of the tournament have already passed this stage successfully before and even know what it is like to win the championship. There are many boards in the final sprint.
At 30 years old, Zabaleta is the oldest of all and the one with the greatest number of titles. The dominator of the long squares of the pediment in recent seasons is a regular in the semifinals the last six seasons. He has won three txapelas. The last one was achieved last year with the Elezkano II. In this edition they have been given the opportunity to defend it and they are working on it. The Biscayan is a pelotari who knows how to take advantage of his opportunities. In his four previous participations he added two wounds and reached a final. In 2020, incomprehensibly, they left him out of the championship and he was unable to defend the one he won with Rezusta the previous year.
Elezkano II and Zabaleta defend the title achieved last year and add five between the two
start today
The defender from Bergara returns to the semifinals after missing the last two editions. But previously he chained four consecutive finals and two titles, one of them with his current partner, Irribarria, in 2017. It is the only one that the forward from Arama has, who has also resurfaced this year after overcoming a knee injury and has transmitted who is very hungry.
Martija is the fifth pelotari with a Couples in his record. He did it with Ezkurdia a couple of campaigns ago. He is the youngest of all but he is in his fifth participation, so nothing is new for the Navarrese. He defends the backs of Altuna III, who on his seventh try will try to reach a final for the first time. He is the unfinished business of the best striker today. And he doesn’t usually take long to approve them.
Laso and Imaz are the least experienced. His explosion came a little later than the rest. Both have only played the semifinals once. Today (5:00 p.m.) they start their second attempt at the Labrit fronton in Pamplona against Irribarria and Rezusta. They do not start as favorites, but money does not understand rapport either.
