The 4th event of the Teqball World Series in 2024 kicked off on Friday in Qingdao, China PR with the women’s doubles qualifiers and quarterfinals and men’s doubles qualifiers.

In the women’s doubles, the most anticipated match of the group phase lived up to the expectations. Multiple Teqball Tour champions and Madrid’s silver medallists Krisztina Acs/Gabriella Kota (HUN) faced Thailand’s No. 3 unit, Sudarat Thongkot/Wantika Innu, with this tournament being the first international event of Innu. The Asian duo showed great potential by not giving up after trailing 1:0, and levelled the score in the second set. The third period became a thriller: the parties were tied at 11, but Acs/Kota used their experience to hold off the Thais’ comeback attempt and scored the next two points which helped them winning Group A.

The other groups played out according to the odds: world champions Suphawadi Wongkhamchan/Jutatip Kuntatong (THA) dominated Group B, allowing only 13 points in two matches, and their countrywomen, Jariya Seesawad/Ariya Homdee performed similarly in Group C, while the Iraqi team, Samah Shakir Abed/Zahraa Alshammari swept Group D.

Abed/Alshammari kept their journey on after eliminating one of the two advanced home teams, Wang Sha Sha/Xia Xin. However, they will meet the still-unbeaten -after 25 matches- Wongkhamchan/Kuntatong in the semis, who bounced Thongkot/Innu in Quarterfinals. On the upper bracket, the other Chinese twosome, Huhong Shi/Yazhen Cui who advanced from the group stage, ran into Acs/Kota who did not give them any chance. Their opponent in the semifinal will be Seesawad/Homdee, who took care of the only Japanese pair, Kanae Sugawara/Yuina Sakamoto.

By the end of Day 1, we were supposed to know the semifinalists in the men’s doubles, too, but the round will be organised on Day 2 due to rain. The group stage was held entirely and none of the main contenders made any mistakes. World champions Csaba Banyik/Balazs Katz (HUN) WCh bronze medallists Boonkoom Tipwong/Phakpong Dejaroen (THA), Szabocs Ilyes (ROU)/Marek Pokwap (POL) and Sorrasak Thaosiri/Jirati Chanliang (THA) finished on top of their respective groups without dropping a set, however, Tipwong/Dejaroen were on the brink as they narrowly won their first set (12:11) against Ali Jalil Mezher Alelayawi/Abdulrahman Ahmed Radhi from Iraq. Julien Grondin/Bartlomiej Franczuk (FRA/POL) finished 2nd in Group D and they were set to face Tipwong/Dejaroen in what could have been the most exciting Quarterfinal when rain struck the scene and washed away the remaining schedule, thus the QFs will be played on Saturday.

The event continues in Qingdao with the men’s doubles quarterfinals and mixed doubles on Saturday, which is the largest and most star-studded field in the tournament. Follow the action live on Teq TV on YouTube!