The world silver medallist Marek Pokwap pulled off a sensational victory at the Adriatic Teqball League tournament held in Bar, defeating FITEQ World Ranking no. 1 Apor Gyorgydeak of Romania in a dramatic final to claim the singles title.

The second stop of the 2025 Adriatic Teqball League reached new heights even before the competition began on the 19th of July, as 49 athletes, reaching an absolute record in the history of the tournament, representing 11 countries, registered in two categories, men's singles & doubles.

While the preliminaries were held indoors, in the city's sports hall, the semifinals and the finals took place in the heart of Bar, at the promenade, right next to the seafront in front of an electric crowd. As both Hungarians, Boldizsar Levik and Martin Csereklye, could only dominate for short periods, the members of the GOBEK Teqball Team, Apor Gyorgydeak, and Marek Pokwap advanced to the finals. Gyorgydeak was on the path to prolong the number of his undefeated months (20) and owned the first set. Pokwap came back in the second and took the momentum in the third, handing Gyorgydeak his first loss since the 2023 World Teqball Championships final in Bangkok, Thailand. The win marked a major personal comeback for the Polish athlete, who was visibly emotional after the match.

“Judging by the atmosphere and the crowd’s reaction, I think we truly put on a show in the final,” said Pokwap. “I’m so happy winning here in Bar, especially after the disappointment at the last Challenger Series event. I have immense respect for Apor and want to congratulate him on a great tournament.”

Pokwap and Gyorgydeak also teamed up in the men's doubles, where they showcased resilience and teamwork. First, they defeated Barna Kovacsfi/Csereklye (HUN), then, after losing the first set to Hungarian duo Benjamin Toth and Levik, who previously beat Stefan Orlovski (POL)/Milan Csabi (HUN), they bounced back to win 2-1, securing the doubles crown as well. 

“Honestly, I’m exhausted,” Gyorgydeak admitted after the final. “But I’m glad that we managed to regroup after the singles and take home the doubles title.”

Now in its third consecutive year in Bar, the tournament — organised with support from the Municipality of Bar and the Bar Tourism Organisation — drew a record number of participants, cementing its status as one of the premier events in the region.

Montenegro’s top hope, Marko Zarkovic, had a strong showing, reaching the quarterfinals in both singles and doubles and finishing fifth. He narrowly missed a semifinal spot in singles after a hard-fought match against Levik. 

“I believe this was the highest-quality tournament in the Adriatic League so far,” Zarkovic said. “It was a great experience, and I hope we can take it one step further next time.”

The event kicked off with a workshop, bringing together representatives from FITEQ (International Federation of Teqball) as part of the “Explore More With Teqball” initiative — a project aiming to link sport with destination development.

“Teqball is a fantastic example of how a relatively small, non-Olympic sport can create long-term value for host communities,” said Milorad Sutulović, President of Teqball Montenegro. “This project, supported by the Visegrad Fund, will help us develop guidelines for sustainable sports events in line with Montenegro’s national sport development strategy.”

The next Adriatic League event is scheduled for August 16 in Sarajevo, where the tour continues with high expectations and growing excitement.