The Teqball World Championship took place in Odorheiu Secuiesc from December 3 to 7, 2025. Participants from 38 countries competed. In the quarterfinals, I faced the reigning world champion. In the end, I finished in fifth place.
I'm still processing the events of the past few days in Romania. My fifth-place finish at the Teqball World Championships marks Austria's best result ever. It almost seems unreal when I write it down.
But let me tell the story from the beginning.
The Plan: Win the group, avoid the top teams
I arrived ranked 24th in the world. Last year I finished 17th; this time I wanted more. Much more. My plan was clear: finish first in my group so I could avoid facing the big names in the round of 16.
But here's the thing: My first match was against Li Liberman from Israel. And at that point, I hadn't really gotten into the tournament yet. I lost the first set 10–12. To be honest, I felt a little queasy for a moment.
Then I got my focus back. 12-2 in the second set. 12-5 in the third. Suddenly, I was back in the game.
Then I beat Martin Biros from Slovakia 2–0 in a commanding performance. The match against Matheus Ferraz from Brazil was for first place in the group, and I kept my cool. To top it off, I beat my buddy Dimitar Pejchinovski 2–0. First place in the group was secured. Plan A worked.
Round of 16 against the Mexican
In the round of 16, I faced Aaron Servin from Mexico. He’s a really strong player technically. But I was in the zone, played with composure, and won 2–0. Quarterfinals. Just one more win away from a medal.
And then he came. Again.
Déjà vu in the Quarterfinals
Gyorgydeak Apor. Reigning world champion. Romanian. And thus, practically a local hero in Odorheiu Secuiesc. He already knocked me out last year.
The arena was packed with his fans. And he played just like a reigning world champion should: cool as ice, seasoned, making no mistakes. 2-0 in his favor. I was disappointed at that moment, of course. When you're so close to a World Championship medal, it hurts.
But looking back with some perspective: I gave it my all. Fifth place in the singles at a World Championship with 38 nations. That’s the best result Austria has ever had. I have to let myself say that, too.
In the end, Apor Gyorgydeak from Romania won, successfully defending his world championship title. Nikola Mitro from Serbia took second place. The bronze medals went to Uthen Kukheaw from Thailand and Milan Csabi from Hungary. Congratulations!
The Doubles: The Moment I'm Most Proud Of
In doubles, I played alongside Daniel Neuhold from Styria. Our first group match against the French went well—we won 2–0.
Then came the decisive match against the Ukrainians, Oleh Usychenko and Dmytro Shevchuk. Third set, with the score tied at 20–20. In Teqball, you have to win the set by a margin of two points.
And then I got the perfect setup for the smash. A point for us—as good as certain.
But here's the thing: After I received the ball and was preparing to smash it, I felt another touch. That meant I'd already had two touches, and the smash would have been the third. A clear violation of the rules. The referees didn't see anything. Neither did the Ukrainians.
I quit the Smash match on Fairplay.
A quick explanation for anyone who doesn't play Teqball: You're only allowed a total of three touches of the ball per team. Your partner also gets one touch. Since Daniel had already passed the ball to me, I only had two touches left. However, I accidentally touched the ball during that play and therefore voluntarily gave up what would have been an almost certain point. No one forced me to do it.
The next rally resulted in a double fault on our part. We lost 20–22 and, as a result, finished second in the group.
Would I do it the same way again? One hundred percent. Fairness always comes first.
As the second-place team in our group, we still advanced to the round of 16, where the Romanian duo of Szabolcs Ilyes and Arnold Szilagyi was waiting for us. First set: We were already leading 11–9, but squandered the set point and ended up losing 11–12. Frustrating. In the second set, too many errors crept in, and we ended up losing 0–2. We finished 9th in doubles. That’s still a significant improvement over last year’s 17th-place finish, but with the match against Ukraine still on our minds, we should have been able to do better.
In the end, Bogdan Marojevic and Nikola Mitro from Serbia took the doubles title. Sorrasak Thaosiri and Jirati Chanliang from Thailand finished second. The bronze medals went to Csaba Banyik and Balazs Katz from Hungary, as well as Rodrigo Bento Medeiros and Matheus Ferraz from Brazil. Congratulations to the guys—that was some great teqball.
Time for Dracula
A World Championship week like this isn't just about Teqball. On the day of the final, we got together with the team before the final Bran Castle, the famous Dracula Castle. It was quite the day trip, but it was worth it. A bit of a spooky atmosphere, a little history, and for a few hours, my mind was off the stress of the tournament. Exactly what you need during such an intense week.
What's next?
This year has already been crazy. In August, I won bronze at the very first U19 European Championships. A month ago, I won my first men's title on clay in Wanning, China. And now, I finished 5th at the World Championships.
My goal for next year? To finish in the top three at the World Championships. I know that sounds ambitious, but anyone who knows me knows: I always go all out. To do that, I’ll have to train even harder, play even more tournaments at this level, and become even mentally tougher.
Thank you!
You can't handle a year like this all on your own. So, from the bottom of my heart:
Thanks to my family, who have been cheering me on at every tournament for years, driving me around, filming me, and lifting my spirits—whether things are going well or not. Without you, none of this would be possible.
I'd like to thank my doubles partner, Daniel Neuhold, who fully supported the spirit of fair play during the doubles match. He didn't say a word during the discussion. That speaks to his character.
Thanks also to my club, the laketownRIDERS. Without your support, I wouldn't be where I am today.
I would like to thank my sponsor PODOBeach. At your place I train on clay all summer long. That pays off at the big tournaments. You've been with me every step of the way, and that means a lot to me.
Thanks also to everyone who cheered us on. Every message, every “fingers crossed” on Instagram, every comment—we see all of that between matches, and it gives us strength.
Conclusions on the Teqball World Championship in Romania and My Year in 2025
A fifth-place finish at the World Championships marks Austria's best result ever. A bronze medal at the U19 European Championships and the first men's title in China round out the success. I won't forget the year 2025 anytime soon.
Now it's time to take a quick breather, and then training starts up again. I want to make it to the podium in 2026.
