The Teqball World Series came to an end, but it does not mean that the season is over, too. The World Teqball Championships 2024 is coming soon, but until then, we have the brand new Challenger Teqball League that debuted at the end of this summer in Portugal.

CTL's next stop was the Malaga Marca Cup in Spain, where plenty of top-ranked players from the 63 registered representing 16 nations competed in three categories women’s doubles, mixed doubles and men’s doubles.

In the women’s doubles, ten teams were drawn into two groups with only the top two advancing to the knockout stage. World silver medallists Petra Pechy/Nora Vicsek (HUN) made no mistake throughout the first phase in Group A, but three duos finished with 6 points each behind them. The tiebreaker favoured Mara D’Alessandro/Eleonora Cunsolo (ITA) to break the hearts of home favourites Silvia Ferrer Garcia/Anna Gomez I Vila and Karina Zustakova/Nina Steinbauer (SVK/AUT).

In Group B, Kinga Barabasi (ROU) stayed hot after winning two golds last week in Budapest, and together with Amelie Julian (FRA), they swept their group. Timea Kapusi replaced the suspended Gabriella Kota alongside Krisztina Acs and they finished second, thus moving on to the semifinals.

They met with fellow Hungarians Pechy/Vicsek who easily knocked them out in the SF, and Barabasi/Julien bounced the Italians.

The final started with a very close set that eventually went to Pechy/Vicsek by a single point, but Barabasi/Julian responded with a 12-9. Their momentum vanished in the third set, though, the Hungarians took control and cruised to victory, so they are now 2/2 in the League.

Pechy/Vicsek in blue stayed undefeated at CTL after two rounds.

18 units participated in the men’s doubles, including world champions Csaba Banyik/Balazs (HUN) Katz, who enjoyed a bye after the successful group phase, just like Apor Gyorgydeak/Adam Blazsovics (ROU/HUN) on the lower bracket. The top-seeded Hungarians faced Hugo Rabeux/Frederik Guldborg-Mondrup (FRA/DEN) in the quarterfinals and handled the challenge easily, then matched up against one of their arch-rivals, Serbian Nikola Mitro, whose teammate was Portugues Martim Vasques this time. Banyik/Katz did not let them get in their way en route to the final where they fought an epic one against Gyorgydeak/Blazsovics, who knocked out Portuguese Raul Firmino/Mauro Matos in the QF, then Gobek teammates Marek Pokwap/Szabolcs Ilyes (POL/ROU) in the semi-final in dominating fashion.

The final lived up to the expectations as it was tied after two sets. The tie-breaker went to overtime, where the world champs kept their cool and claimed the gold after a costly double fault by Blazsovics.

The mixed doubles also featured 18 teams, with a bit different lineups compared to the World Series. Like in Portugal, Vicsek teamed up with Marek Pokwap (POL), Kapusi also subbed in for Kota next to Katz, Gomez I Vila paired up with Julien Grondin (FRA), and Zsofia Dezsenyi (HUN) with Mitro.

Vicsek and Pokwap continued to showcase the chemistry they built in Santarém as they did not lose a set on their way to the gold medal game despite their road not being easy. They had to eliminate Zustakova/Marian Badar in the Round of 16, then world championship bronze medallists Acs/Banyik (HUN), and then Pechy/Blazsovics in the semifinal.

They faced Budapest winners Barabasi/Gyorgydeak who also maintained immaculate record after defeating D’Alessandro/Vincenzo Streppone (ITA), Gomez I Vila/Grondin and Julian/Rabeux (FRA), respectively.

The Romanian duo crushed Vicsek/Pokwap in the opening set, but the second could not have been any closer. At 11:11 the question was whether the Hungarian-Polish duo could extend the match or the Romanians win the title. The Gobek teammates won the rally so they ended up with the gold medal, meaning both finished the tournament with a gold and a silver each.

The next Challenger Teqball League event will be held in Malaga between November 8 & 10. The player registration ends on the 25 of October to the Challenger Teqball League - Szekelyudvarhely GOBEK Cup