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A new champion has been crowned at the 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party, with Congya Zhang capturing the $2,200 Global Poker Championship title at Merit Crystal Cove Hotel Casino & Spa in North Cyprus.
Zhang entered the final day in 12th place among 16 returning players and began her climb almost immediately with an early elimination. She remained among the shorter stacks on her way to the final table, but everything changed once the tournament reached its final six.
A series of crucial double-ups brought Zhang back into contention before an impressive late run propelled her to the top of the leaderboard. She eventually defeated Sergei Petrushevskii in a heads-up battle lasting less than 20 minutes to secure the trophy and the $300,000 first-place prize.
“I have a lot of feelings, but the main one is that I feel peaceful. I feel calm,” Zhang said after the victory. “This has been a fantastic year for me so far. I’m growing very fast and I feel very confident in myself.”
$2,200 Global Poker Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congya Zhang | China | $300,000 |
| 2 | Sergei Petrushevskii | Russia | $200,000 |
| 3 | Yilu Yuan | China | $140,000 |
| 4 | Mengdian Peng | China | $100,000 |
| 5 | Adrian State | Romania | $80,000 |
| 6 | Paul Esau | Germany | $65,000 |
| 7 | Oguzhan Kasar | Turkey | $52,000 |
| 8 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | $40,000 |
| 9 | Selahaddin Bedir | Turkey | $29,000 |
State Takes Control Before the Momentum Shifts
Before Zhang’s late surge, Adrian State appeared to be the player to beat.
The Romanian built momentum across the final two tables, eliminating Anatoly Korochenskiy in 13th place with a set of tens before picking up pocket tens again to send Roman Gadzhiev out in 12th.
State’s run continued when his pocket kings met Mehmet Dalkilic’s pocket queens in a blind-versus-blind confrontation. He later finished the job against Dalkilic, taking the chip lead into the final table ahead of Petrushevskii.
Once the final nine were seated, State maintained the pressure and eliminated Selahaddin Bedir in ninth place. For a period, he looked firmly in control of the tournament.
The momentum eventually began to shift. State lost significant pots to Petrushevskii and Mengdian Peng, allowing the rest of the field to close the gap.
His tournament ultimately ended at the hands of Zhang. Shortly after the dinner break, State moved all in from the big blind and was called by Zhang holding ace-king, sending him to the rail in fifth place.
Zhang’s Comeback Begins
With six players remaining, Zhang began transforming a short-stack survival story into a championship run.
She first doubled through Paul Esau and later eliminated him in sixth place. A rivered straight against Petrushevskii then earned her another major pot and moved her into second place on the leaderboard.
“On Day 2, I played very well and was very satisfied with myself,” Zhang said. “On Day 3, I was a little nervous because I was too short, but I believed in myself and kept hanging on. I had a lot of patience.”
She also acknowledged the importance of winning the critical confrontations when her tournament was at risk.
“I got a lot of good hands and won all the flips when I had a short stack, so everything went very smoothly.”
After eliminating State, Zhang moved into a commanding position with four players remaining.
Remarkably, three of the final four players represented China, with Zhang joined by Peng and Yilu Yuan, while Petrushevskii was the only remaining challenger.
“I’m so proud of us. It’s a big moment for China,” Zhang said. “Every Chinese player who comes so far to be here — they are all very good players.”
Zhang Completes the Run
The shared nationality did not slow Zhang down.
She eliminated Peng in fourth place before her pocket tens held to send Yuan to the rail in third, leaving Zhang and Petrushevskii to battle for the title.
Zhang entered heads-up play with approximately a 4-to-1 chip advantage, putting her firmly in control. The contest proved brief.
After only a handful of hands, Zhang limped from the button before Petrushevskii moved all in with pocket fives. Zhang made the call holding pocket jacks and remained ahead through the board to bring the tournament to an end.
The victory secured Zhang the $300,000 top prize, the Global Poker Championship trophy, and another major result in what has already been an exceptional year at the tables.
Her reaction to the venue was equally enthusiastic:
“I love it here. I love Cyprus. I love Merit. This is paradise, I think.”
With that, Congya Zhang becomes the latest champion of the 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party at Merit Crystal Cove, completing an impressive comeback from 12th of 16 at the start of the final day to the top of the podium.
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