The debuting Teqball World Series in Asia was hosted in Quy Nhon, Vietnam and the fans of the jam-packed arena experienced three different winners while history was made in the individual awards.
QUY NHON, Vietnam, June 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In mixed doubles, we are potentially witnessing the birth of a rivalry between the top Thai and the top Hungarian duos. Four Thai and two Hungarian teams made it to the top 8, and then we saw one semifinal between Suphawadi Wongkhamchan/Phakpong Dejaroen and Jutatip Kuntatong/Jirati Chianliang and one between Krisztina Acs/Csaba Banyik and Gabriella Kota/Balazs Katz. The formers managed to get the job done in 2 sets, thus they met again for the third time in a row in a major tournament. Back in Bangkok at the World Teqball Championships 2023, the Thais came up victorious in the semifinals on their way to the title. Two weeks ago, at the debuting Teqball World Series in Madrid, it was Acs/Banyik who came out on top in the semis and eventually won the gold medal, too. So, arguably the two best units faced each other in the final in Quy Nhon, but it was more lopsided than anybody expected. The Hungarians took the early lead and held onto it until the end of the first set, then in the second period, they found another gear and made it clear to everybody which twosome was the better.
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Final, mixed doubles
Acs/Banyik (HUN) – Wongkhamchan, Dejaroen 2:0 (THA) (9, 6)
“Four-five points lead in Teqball feels nothing during the game, but this time it gave us stability which came from our powerful serves and counter-attacks” – said WR number 1 Banyik after the final, who won 2 events in a row alongside Krisztina Acs.
The men’s singles final was the only one without a Thai athlete, but it featured 4 singles world gold medals as 2022 champion Apor Gyorgydeak (ROU) clashed with his current doubles partner, 3-time gold medallist in this category, Adam Blazsovics (HUN). They had quite different starts to their seasons as Gyorgydeak won the first major in Madrid, meanwhile, Blazsovics was bounced out in the Round of 16 by Boonkoom Tipwong (THA). The Hungarian did not have to wait too much for his opportunity to get his revenge, and in the semifinal in Vietnam, he did just that to reach his first Teqball World Series or Teqball Tour final in more than a year. He needed three sets in the quarterfinals against Lionel Beyer (FRA), then in the semis against Tipwong, too, and the gold medal match was not any different. On the other side, Gyorgydeak has almost been unstoppable in 2024 as he has not lost a set (!) before this final. This streak came to an end because after winning the first set to 12:10, FITEQ World Rankings leader dropped the second one to Blazsovics who played very convincingly. But in the third, it was all Gyorgydeak again, and Blazsovics’s late push fell short, so the Romanian ace extended his winning streak and claimed his second trophy in as many tournaments.
Final, men’s singles
Gyorgydeak (ROU) – Blazsovics (HUN) 2:1 (10, -7, 9)
“The heat took a lot of energy out of us, but the support of the local crowd made up for it. It was an amazing experience to play in front of them. Blazsovics came very close to beating me, but I regained control in the third set and it led to winning the final” – said Gyorgydeak about the gold medal game.
Despite having world champions Csaba Banyik/Balazs Katz (HUN), multiple tournament winners Leonardo Lindoso de Almeida/Leonardo Santana (BRA), Adam Bako/Matyas Odnoga (HUN) and Gyorgydeak/Blazsovics in the men’s doubles field, none of these teams made it to the final! The quarterfinals shook things up after Bako/Odnoga defeated the undisputed top duo in Banyik/Katz, becoming their “Kryptonite” by being the only team that won against them more than once ever.
In the semis, they went up against Thailand’s Nr. 1 unit, Tipwong and Phakpong Dejaroen, and this clash will very likely contend for the Match of the Year title at the end of 2024. The twosomes went back and forth in the first two sets, and to nobody’s surprise, the third period needed overtime. After a long battle, the Thais edged out the Hungarians 16:14 and advanced to the final. There they met their countrymen, Sorrasak Thaosiri/Chianliang, who ended Gyorgydeak/Blazsovics’s journey in the other semifinal, so the stage was set to the all-Thai gold medal game. However, the weather had the final word again, as another heavy rain struck the Quy Nhon beach when Dejaroen/Tipwong led 1:0, 6:2 in the second set. After many drying attempts and heroic efforts from the organizers, the match continued, but the rain returned and washed it away. The parties agreed to end the final, and Dejaroen/Tipwong were declared the winners.
Final, men’s doubles
Dejaroen/Tipwong (THA) – Thaosiri/Chianliang (THA) 1:0 (8, 6:2) – Dejaroen/Tipwong were declared winners due to weather
For the second time, the Best Female and Best Male Athlete of the Event Awards were handed out. Also for the second time in a row, the former went to a Thai star: after Jutatip Kuntatong took it home from Madrid, it was Suphawadi Wongkhamchan’s turn because of her continued level of excellence and for possessing the best record among women in mixed doubles. Nigerian Victor Ademoye Oyamade won the latter for his amazing improvement and for setting his personal best by making it to the Round of 16 in singles (where he was two points away from eliminating Lionel Beyer), and men’s doubles, too.
“I love Teqball, and this trophy means everything to me. I still cannot believe I won, but this title makes me even more motivated to reach my dreams!” – said the first-ever African honoree
Only five days later Teqball World Series Tulsa will be organised between the 14th & 16th of June in the United States of America.
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