One of the surprises of the Cancun P2 tournament was Sanyo Gutierrez’s return to the semifinals of a Premier Padel event, something he hadn’t done in almost two years. His collaboration with Gonza Alfonso will end after Miami P1, despite this positive outcome, since both players have chosen to pursue new endeavors on the circuit.
Despite advances, separation
The pair had been improving, as evidenced by their quarterfinal run in Cancun, when they decided to split up. With that outcome, Gutierrez made his 728-day comeback to the final stages in a Premier Padel tournament. Nevertheless, the decision was made to alter course in spite of the advancements. Following Miami, Gutierrez will collaborate with Victor Ruiz, and Alfonso will work with Javi Barahona.
Motives behind the choice
Gutierrez candidly discussed the reasons behind the split in an interview with writer Joaquin Serna. “When we decided to continue together, there were certain aspects that created problems, and these came up at important moments,” he stated.
He clarified that the sporting bond was harmed by thoughts about ranking and future prospects. We knew we were a good match when we parted ways in Acapulco. However, the plan was to take some time after the event to see whether it was worthwhile to continue based on the ranking. And I was troubled by that,” he said.
Gutierrez believes that ranking shouldn’t be the only factor used to choose a mate. “It annoys me when you are selected by default or solely based on ranking rather than affinity,” he stated.
Unstable alliances on the circuit
Beyond his own circumstances, Gutierrez brought attention to a more general problem in professional padel: relationship instability, especially among players in the middle of the rankings. He pointed out that the best partnerships have steadiness while others don’t. “Those who excel have an advantage. He added, “The others frequently switch partners and wind up playing with anybody.”
He claims that some partnerships are unable to genuinely advance and compete with well-established teams at the top because of this frequent rearranging.
In order to maintain a steady presence in the top echelons of the circuit, Gutierrez must now work with Victor Ruiz to forge a solid and long-lasting alliance.
Gutierrez and Alfonso in Miami, ranking, and results in 2026
Gutierrez and Alfonso have achieved a win-loss 7-4 record together in 2026. They are currently playing the Miami P1 2026 where they overcame Capra(world no.93) and Ruiz(world no.34) 7-5 6-4.
