Darío Gómez, the newly crowned Manomanista champion, will defend his title this Friday at the fronton in Luzaide, as part of the San Fermín Four and a Half tournament. According to his management, his summer schedule will feature the "most important" fairs and matches. The Ezcaray-born forward, though less heralded, has proven to be a highly skilled player for short distances.
Javier Zabala (Eibar, June 24) and Joseba Ezkurdia (Altsasu, June 28) are positioned higher in the rankings. Meanwhile, the round of 32 for Aspe has been set with Salaberria defeating Rekalde (22-18). The company has scheduled Aitor Elordi's debut for Sunday, close to home, at the Olazar fronton in Zaldibar, where he will face the Goizueta-based puntillero.
Both players participated in the same stage of the 2025 edition, where the player from Mallabia asserted his dominance with a clear 22-9 victory. The player from Biscay avenged his loss from the previous year, when Salaberria beat him 12-22. Ahead of them, Peio Etxeberria (Hernani, June 25) and Altuna III (Mungia, June 29) await. The Aspe final is scheduled for July 3rd at the Atano III in Donostia.
The matches for Baiko Pilota also commenced on the weekend of the Manomanista final between Berriatua and Orozko. At Mendibarren, newcomer Beñat Zubizarreta secured a hard-fought victory against Beñat Senar, the current Cuatro y Medio Serie B champion, in a match that ended 21-21. The Ataun forward will face Iker Larrazabal on Sunday at the Donibane fronton in Muskiz.
Erik Jaka, on the other hand, defeated Unai Amiano 22-17 in the first round and will play against Iñaki Artola on Saturday at the Retegi fronton in Barañain. The top seeds for Baiko Pilota will be Jon Ander Peña (the current champion) and Unai Laso. Peña will face the winner from Muskiz on June 26th in Sestao, while Laso will compete against the winner from Barañain the following day in Gernika-Lumo.
