The Teqball World Series Madrid 2024 opening day was nothing short of excitement and spectacular rallies, and some upsets were added to the mix.

The men’s singles lived up to the hype and brought some surprising results early on. Nikola Mitro (SRB) did not even survive the group phase as he dropped both of his matches against Boonkoom Tipwong and Gergo Dombai. The Thai and the Hungarian played one of the best games of the day with the former winning 2:1, and a maximum of two points decided all three sets. Belgian Jonathan Coquelle was one of the bright stars of the World Teqball Championships 2023 by making it to the top 8, today he was relegated in the group phase after losing to Arnold Szilagyi (ROU) and Yassine Sahli (TUN). Lionel Beyer (FRA) also finished third in his group, where Soma Cseri (HUN) surprised not only him but 4-time world champ Adam Blazsovics (HUN), too. The other contenders, like Apor Gyorgydeak (ROU), Hugo Rabeux (FRA), Martin Csereklye (HUN) and Marek Pokwap (POL) made no mistakes and won their respective quartets.

Then, in the Round of 16, another favourite dropped out as Tipwong won his second marathon, this time against Blazsovics. At the end of the day, three Hungarians (Cseri, Csereklye and Martin Csabi), two Romanians (Gyorgydeak and Szilagyi), one French (Rabeux), one Polish (Pokwap) and one Thai (Tipwong) made it to the quarterfinals.

Four Spaniards made their debut in their home country, and even though all of them finished 4th in their group, the crowd supported them from the first second until the last. Ivan Alvarez Lopez said it felt fantastic to debut in front of their fans. He added that he knew he was drawn into a tough group but was satisfied with his play.

Agnieszka Rybicka must be the most tired person after Day 1. The Polish athlete played 3 three-setters in the women’s singles, winning two of them, the last one in the Round of 16 against Viorica Tonu (MDA). She even stole one set from last year’s WCh runner-up Jutatip Kuntatong (THA), who - other than that - advanced to the top 8 quite easily. 2021 world champion Anna Izsak (HUN) dominated in Group A by allowing only 16 points in 2 games, but 2022 WCh winner Carolyn Greco (USA) topped this by surrendering only 14 in Group B.

European champ Kinga Barabasi (ROU) finished with the same number in Group C, while Amelie Julian (FRA), Zsofia Dezsenyi (HUN) and Nanna Lind Kristensen (DEN) also swept their respective groups. All of the aforementioned contenders made it to the top 8, too, except the Danish prodigy, who got bounced by Hungarian Boglarka Nagy in two tight sets in the Round of 16.

Day 2 is going to be the busiest of all as the three remaining categories start on Friday with the group phase.

In the mixed doubles, world champions Suphawadi Wongkhamchan and Phakpong Dejaroen (Thailand) will try to claim the country’s first gold medal outside of Asia, but Bogdan Marojevic (SRB) and Ester Viana Mendes (BRA) will do their best to surprise them early in Group E.

Group A features last year’s WCh runner-ups Vania Moraes da Cruz&Leonardo Lindoso de Almeida from Brazil, and it will be great to see Julian Grondin’s (FRA) comeback, who missed the entire 2023 season because of injuries. In Madrid, he teams up with Maria Chedid from Lebanon. Group B looks to be even stronger with Bangkok bronze medallists Krisztina Acs&Csaba Banyik (HUN) Patricia Mayara Nardy&Leonardo Santana (BRA), Sudarak Thongkot&Sorrasak Thaosiri (THA) and Bartlomiej Franczuk&Angelika Puchalska (POL).

Group C includes France’s number 1 unit of Amelie Julian&Hugo Rabeux and potential dark horses Zsofia Dezsenyi&Martin Csereklye from Hungary. Group D could be a duel between two Hungarian teams of Gabriella Kota&Balazs Katz and Nora Vicsek&Matyas Odnoga, and Group F also has a talented twosome from the country with Petra Pechy&Adam Blazsovics, who will try to win the quartet ahead of Maja Umicevic&Szabolcs Ilyes (SRB&ROU). Group G is looking massive with medal contenders in Kinga Barabasi&Apor Gyorgydeak (ROU) and Alicja Bartnicka&Marek Pokwap (POL) in it, and the same can be said about Group H, where we can find Carolyn Greco&Frankie Diaz (USA), Boglarka Nagy&Adam Bako (HUN) and Areeya Homdee&Jirati Chanliang (THA).

The men’s doubles will follow the mixed event, and it can bring the same amount of excitement as three of the top four teams from the World Teqball Championships 2023 will show up in Madrid. Title holders Banyik/Katz (HUN) were drawn into Group A where they will face Baptiste Berna&Lionel Beyer (POR&FRA), and the last time they met Beyer, the Frenchman almost pulled off the upset together with Jean Thierry Belus. Former three-time world champs Nikola Mitro&Marojevic (SRB) are going to play in Group B with the Thai twosome of Chanliang/Thaosiri, and in Group C we will find Adam Bako&Matyas Odnoga, who ended Banyik/Katz’s unbeaten streak back in July 2023.

Group D features the interesting team of Franczuk/Grondin, and in Group E there are Lindoso de Almeida/Santana, who are always contenders, wherever they go. Another medal-hopeful team is Boonkoom Tipwong/Dejaroen, who finished 3rd on home soil in Bangkok at the Wch last year, they will start their quest from Group F.

The women’s doubles qualifiers will end Day 2, and all World Teqball Championships 2023 podium finishers will take on this challenge in Madrid. Kuntatong&Wongkhamchan dominated last year and they plan to repeat, but first, they have to advance from Group C, which should not be a hard task for them.

Silver medallists Pechy/Vicsek will start from Group D, where they will clash against another Thai duo, Jariya Seesawad/Homdee, but the Slovakian-Colombian pair of Karina Zustakova&Luisa Villamil also aims to advance. Bronze medallists Viana Mendes&Moraes da Cruz (BRA) are slotted into Group A, and Acs/Kota (HUN) should also be taken seriously in Group B.

117 matches are waiting for us on Friday, so tune into our TEQ TV on YouTube to follow the events!