Brazil and Hungary Dominated 5th Los Angeles Teqball Tournament; the American World Champion, Carolyn Greco, Takes Home Bronze
Teqball USA, the fastest growing global soccer-based sport, returned to the famous Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles for its fifth US Tournament stop of the 2023 season. The tournament brought out top teqball athletes from all over the world to battle it out to get one step closer to obtain world ranking points, whilst giving fans an exciting sporting experience that aired live on ESPN.
Teqball’s brightest stars participated in the tournament starting Friday, July 14th, where 85 players from 17 countries competed in three different categories, Women’s Doubles (WD), Men’s Doubles (MD), and Mixed Doubles (MD).
The American World Champion, Carolyn Greco, entered the tournament with fellow Bella Teq member and cousin Kimmy Baker. Baker and Greco took the would-be Brazilian champions to a riveting 3rd set in the Semi Finals and ended up clinching 3rd place in the women’s doubles match. In the Men’s doubles division, a new American partnership captivated fans. Former UTT Champion Luka Pilic teamed up with the experienced Griffin Freeman. Pilic and Freeman were a power duo during the qualifiers and made it all the way to the semi finals, setting up an incredible matchup against the tournament favorites, Hungary’s Katz and Banyik. The new duo played some incredible defense against the best attacking player in the world but ended up finishing in 4th place. Pilic and Freeman certainly are the next big young American duo to look out for.
Final matches were won by the following top ranked international teams:
- Women’s Doubles finals winner: Brazilian Vania Moraes da Cruz and Ester Viana Mendes
- Mixed Doubles finals winner: Brazilian Ester Viana Mendes and Romanian Apor Gyorgydeak
- Men’s Doubles finals winner: Hungarian Balazs Katz and Csaba Banyik
“After two outstanding days of qualifying rounds, the stage was set for a truly historic and captivating final,” Ajay Nwosu, President of the US National Teqball Federation and CEO of Teqball USA, expressed his admiration for the exceptional performances displayed during the games. “While we always root for our USA teams to claim victory, the international powerhouses showcased their phenomenal skills, making the competition incredibly thrilling to watch.”
For more information and details on the players and all the action, visit fiteq.org
About Teqball
Teqball, the popular soccer like sport with a presence globally in 150+ countries and with Teqball tables across all 50 states — has found huge popularity across the United States and among professional and celebrity fans including Messi, Neymar, Ronaldinho, David Beckham, Mauro Icardi, Eden Hazard, Justin Bieber, and Adam Levine.
The soccer-based sport is played on a specially-curved table (the Teq table), and is attracting a new generation of athletes and amateur enthusiasts (teqers). Teqball USA is committed to building a community by using the power of sports to build cultural relevance and creating a movement that brings joy to people’s lives daily. Teqball currently has ambitions at becoming an Olympic Sport by LA28.
Feature image courtesy of fiteq.org