Romania’s Apor Gyorgydeak came through a star-studded field in Poland to secure the Zabki Challenger Cup (22-23 May) men’s singles title, defeating the reigning world champion Adam Blazsovics in a tense final. Blazsovics and Csaba Banyik won men’s doubles gold, whilst Banyik and women’s singles champion Zsanett Janicsek took home the mixed doubles title. Janicsek teamed up with her singles and mixed doubles final opponent, Gabriella Kota, to earn a third gold medal in the women’s doubles.

In the men’s singles, the top five ranked players in the world (Adrian Duszak (Poland), Adam Blazsovics (Hungary), Apor Gyorgydeak (Romania), Julien Grondin (France) and Csaba Banyik (Hungary) all cruised through the group stages without dropping a set. Grondin fell at the next hurdle, losing to surprise package Balazs Katz in the round of 16. Gyorgydeak knocked out Banyik in the quarter-finals, whilst World Number 1 and home favourite Duszak lost to Hugo Rabeux, who joined Gyorgydeak, Blazsovics and Katz in the final four.

Gyorgydeak was in impressive form as he overcame Rabeux 2-0 (12-6, 12-10), whilst Blazsovics defeated his countryman Katz 2-1 (7-12, 12-6, 12-9) to join his Romanian rival in the final. Blazsovics took a tight first set 12-9, before Gyorgydeak showed nerves of steel to take the second by the same scoreline. In the deciding set, Gyorgydeak turned up the heat and took home the gold with a 12-2 victory. In the bronze medal match, Rabeux recovered from a first set loss to secure his position on the podium.

In the women’s singles, Janicsek and Kota both progressed to the final without dropping a set. In the all-Hungarian final, Janicsek came through a back and forth match to win 2-1 (12-6, 4-12, 12-9). Poland’s Alicja Bartnicka beat Lauryne Scherrer to take home the bronze. Janicsek and Kota entered the women’s doubles as firm favourites and lived up to the pre-tournament expectations to win gold without dropping a set. They defeated resilient Polish pair Paulina Lezak and Klaudia Mindak 2-0 (12-7, 12-7) in the final. Bartnicka won her second bronze of the weekend with partner Justyna Bartman.

In the men’s doubles, reigning world champions and World Number 1 doubles pair Blazsovics and Banyik were in formidable form as they secured the title without dropping a set. They beat French duo Grondin and Rabeux 2-0 (12-8, 12-6) in an entertaining final. Gyorgydeak and fellow Romanian Szabolcs Ilyes finished in third place. In the mixed doubles final, Banyik and the in-form Janicsek beat Blazsovics and Kota 2-0 (12-8, 12-6), ensure Janicsek finished with three gold medals.

After the event, Apor Gyorgydeak said, “I am very glad that I was able to be finish first in such a high quality tournament. I managed to beat Adam Blazsovics in the final set, whom I consider as an example in the sport. It’s a huge thing for me that I was able to win against him. I’m glad I was able to prove to myself that there is no impossible. At the same time, it is a great pleasure for me to be able to stand on the podium in pairs with my doubles partner Szabolcs Ilyes. Last but not least, I would like to thank the Góbék Teqball Team for getting me this far and I hope there will be many more happy moments as a fantastic summer tournament series follows.”

Zsanett Janicsek said, “We were able to take part in a fantastic competition and I want to thank the organisers! It was a great idea to give more attention to female teqers by having additional categories for women’s singles and doubles. This competition proved to be exciting in several respects and we were able to immerse ourselves in three categories at the same time. I would like to thank my teammates, Gabi and Csabi, for helping me win triple gold with their fantastic performance! It was an incredible sensation to stand up to the top of the podium for the third time in such a high-standard tournament.”

ALL INFORMATION & RESULTS of the Zabki Challenger Cup - HERE