World champion Apor Györgydeák added the inaugural European Games men's teqball title to his CV following the earlier victory in the women's final by his team-mate Kinga Barabasi.

Local hero Adrian Duszak gave his all in the men’s final but as in the last world final, found the Romanian always just out of reach.

As he had in the first set, the Polish player fell significantly behind before recovering.

With the score at 11-7 he faced his first match point and saved it by winning an extended rally that was the highlight of the match. 

At this point Györgydeák called for a timeout which proved effective.

When he returned to the court the Pole served an anticlimactic double fault that gave the Romanian the set 12-8 and the match 2-0.

Duszak had put himself and the home crowd through from the start as he lost the first four points in the men's final, but, after some strategically prompted chants of "Polska, Polska", he recovered to 9-7 down.

Among the skills of Györgydeák, however, is a serve that seems to skid away rather than bounce - very difficult to return, as Duszak increasingly found while his opponent regained the initiative to take the first set 12-8.

Romania's Kinga Barabasi jumped for joy after becoming teqball's first European Games gold medallist by beating France's Amelie Julian 2-0 in a women’s gold medal match postponed because of the previous evening’s rain.

After a close first set, Barabasi extended her lead to arrive at match point with a seven-point advantage. The French athlete saved two match points, but a final strike by the Romanian decided the destination of the honours.

Amongst the appreciative crowd was the President of the European Olympic Committees, Spyros Capralos.

Given his expressions of disappointment at spectator numbers at the Games it was a happy juxtaposition for him on an evening when all the elements to which a continental championship aspires - packed stands, exciting and easily comprehensible sport, an historic and beautiful setting and gorgeous sunny weather with the blessed hint of a breeze - came together.

"This is the biggest teqball event in Europe," Duszak commented.

"We are happy to compete in front of our own audience. 

"I am quietly hoping that in 2028, teqball will appear at the Olympic Games."

Medal matches had begun with the contest for men’s singles bronze, which Hugo Rabeux of France won 2-0 over Hungary’s Csaba Banyik and celebrated wildly with his supporters.