With Day 1 and the mixed doubles in the books (except for the final), Teqball World Series Budapest resumed with the men’s doubles on Friday. The chaotic group phase set the tone for the day, the Quarterfinals saw some stars falling out of contention, and after all, Adam Bako/Matyas Odnoga and Apor Gyorgydeak/Adam Blazsovics reached the final.

Reigning world champions Csaba Banyik/Balazs Katz (HUN) cruised through the group stage by allowing the fewest points with 30 to sweep Group A, but three-time world champs Nikola Mitro/Bogdan Marojevic (SRB) were not far behind with conceding 35 points en route to their Group B victory. They were not the second most dominant unit though, as Apor Gyorgydeak/Adam Blazsovics (ROU/HUN), who have a combined four individual world titles allowed only 32 points in three games.

The two lost third sets proved to be disastrous for Frankie Diaz/Zalan Szegedi (USA/HUN) in Group D as they lost both tie-breakers to 1st-placed Adam Bako/Matyas Odnoga (HUN) and 2nd-placed Stefan Orlowski/Szabolcs Ilyes (POL/ROU), thus getting eliminated. Abdulrahman Ahmed Radhi/Ali Jalil Mezher Alelayawi (KUW) had the same experience in Group H after losing to Jean Thierry Belus/Hugo Rabeux (FRA) and Bence Forgacs/Soma Cseri (HUN) in three sets.

Group E was also chaotic with half of the matches going to three sets; in the end, Martin Csereklye/Barna Kovacsfi (HUN) finished first while Stoychko Zhekov/Chavdar Slavkov (BUL) upset David and Petr Kratochvil (CZE) and moved on to the Round of 16.

Marek Pokwap/Adrian Duszak (POL) also survived the group phase without dropping a set, just like Bartlomiej Franczuk/Julien Grondin (POL/FRA) who won Group G and H, respectively.

The eighth-finals went according to the odds as all contenders defeated their opponents in straight sets, but the quarterfinals started the fireworks. Gyorgydeak/Blazsovics knocked out Mitro/Marojevic in two sets, but the other three matches all went to overtime. Banyik/Katz faced their nemesis, Bako/Odnoga and took a 1:0 lead after winning the first set 12:11. The latter pair (who won the last major tournament in Hungary) stormed back with a 12:3 period, then edged out the WR leaders in the third set with the score of 12:10 and advanced to the semifinal.

Franczuk/Grondin were also unable to hold onto their 1:0 advantage as Forgacs/Cseri completed the comeback and reached the semifinals for the first time in the World Series since they joined forces. Pokwap/Duszak and Csereklye/Kovacsfi also played a nail-biter as the Hungarian duo saved a matchpoint at the end of the second set to extend the match. In the third, they jumped to a 5:0 lead, but the Polish team fought their way back and managed to close out the home team.

Surprisingly, the semis turned out to be quite one-sided; Bako/Odnoga put on a show against Forgacs/Cseri and bounced them in two short sets. Gyorgydeak/Blazsovics also dominated in the first set versus Pokwap/Duszak and despite it looked like the Polish team could gain momentum in the second, the former team stayed focused and ended the match in the second set to reach the final.

So it is going to be Bako/Odnoga against Gyorgydeak/Blazsovics in the final on Sunday, which means the Romanian ace will be featured in two gold medal games after winning all his matches on the first two days.

The women will take over the spotlight on Saturday as their doubles competition is held. After the disqualification of FITEQ World Ranking No1 Gabriella Kota (HUN) for unsportsmanlike behavior, Krisztina Acs will also suffer from the consequences, so one of the contenders will be missing from the competition.

That opens the road for other teams, especially in Group B where Mira Faeno Dahlmann/Nanna Lind Kristensen (DEN), Anna Izsak/Boglarka Nagy (HUN) and Mara D’Alessandro/Karina Zustakova (ITA/SVK) will battle for the quarterfinals.

2022 World and 2023 European champions Lea Vasas and Zsanett Janicsek (HUN) reunited for the first time this year and they are looking for a strong performance, including winning Group A ahead of Maja Umicevic/Krisztina Lakatos (SRB/ROU), Nelly Wilke/Daytona Hansen (GER) and Silvia Ferrer Garcia/Timea Kapusi (ESP/HUN). Group C promises a great duel between world silver medallists Petra Pechy/Nora Vicsek (HUN) and Alicja Bartnicka/Zaneta Cygora (POL), and Group D is really anybody’s to win with Zsofia Dezsenyi/Amelie Julian (HUN/FRA), Agnieszka Rybicka/Aleksandra Orzechowska (POL), Agnieszka Zmudzka/Ewa Kaminska (POL) and Kinga Barabasi/Viorica Tonu (ROU/MDA) in it.

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