"Athens-Bamboo" in hot form advance to men's doubles final at "Teqball World Series Ayutthaya 2026" held at Ayutthaya City Park shopping center.
On 30 Oct 2026, the international teqball ranking tournament "Teqball World Series Ayutthaya 2026," a Tier 2 event with a total prize pool of 30,000 USD (about 1,013,100 baht), was held at Ayutthaya City Park shopping center, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. The competition ran from 30 Oct to 1 Nov, featuring 137 athletes from 24 countries competing in three events.
The events included men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. The opening ceremony was honored by Ms. Preamen Raknak, Advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Sports, as the presiding official, alongside Sylvia Zalogi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Thailand, Mr. Suthee Laosubinprasert, Governor of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, and Major General Preeyaphat Jaranpong, President of the Teqball Association of Thailand.
Major General Preeyaphat Jaranpong, President of the Teqball Association of Thailand, stated that the "Teqball World Series Ayutthaya 2026," a Tier 2 event just below the World Championship, offers the champion 1,200 world ranking points. This has attracted numerous top teqball players worldwide to compete.
Leading participants include "Apor Gyokidik," the world No. 1 men's singles player from Romania, and "Marek Pokphap," the world No. 1 men's doubles player from Poland, as well as Jutatip Kanthathong, world No. 1 women's singles, and Supawadee Wongkamchan, world No. 1 women's doubles player. As the host nation, Thailand received wildcards, allowing youth players from across the country to participate internationally to develop their skills and progress toward the national team.
Additionally, the tournament serves as a selection platform to prepare athletes for the 2026 Teqball World Championship, scheduled from 1-6 Dec 2026 in Hungary.
On the first day of competition, the men's doubles event featured the Thai national team duo "Athens" Katanyu Phothong and "Bamboo" Kasada Mahasaksit, young rising stars. They finished second in their group and then defeated Basel Ahmad Hassan and Abdulwahab Alqattan from Kuwait 2-0 sets, 12-6, 12-6 in the round of 16. They then caused an upset by beating senior Thai teammates "Sor" Sorasak Thesiri and "Tum" Jeerati Janliang, Asian Games gold medalists in the quarterfinals, 2-0 sets, 12-7, 12-10.
In the semifinals, Katanyu and Kasada faced Somo Cheri and Gergely Domboy. In this match, they maintained excellent performance, winning 2-1 sets: 12-7, 7-12, and 12-6.
This victory advanced Katanyu and Kasada to the final, where they will meet world No. 1 men's doubles pair Apor Gyokidik from Romania and Marek Pokphap from Poland. The final is scheduled for 1 Nov 2026.
On 31 Oct 2026, the mixed doubles event will commence at 09:00, with highlights including the participation of Pakpong Decharoen and Supawadee Wongkamchan.