2025 - Shuttlecock Hungarian Open

ISF Admin
Aug 28, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Újszász, July 2025

28th Hungarian Open

As is tradition, shuttlecock players from all over the world meet in Újszász in mid-summer. This year, the competitions took place in the sports hall and the community center between 16 and 19 July. The open international tournament included single and team events. Women’s single was taken by So Hoi Ching (Hongkong, China), men’s single was won by David Zentarra, and the competition concluded with home victories, as both the women's and men's teams kept the trophies in Újszász.

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Individual events

In the men's singles, Alexander Rab was stopped in the semi-final by the German player in his best form so far, Christopher Zentarra. In the three-set match, Alex, who played spectacularly, had several match points, but couldn't convert them, losing in a close contest and ultimately finishing third. The men's final was a rarity, as never before in the history of the Hungarian Open had two brothers played against each other for the gold medal. The younger Christopher Zentarra was favored, but his famously determined older brother, David, defied expectations and successfully defended his 2024 title.

In the women's singles, Boglárka Udvari from Cserszegtomaj won easily against Dorka Szaszkó in the first semi-final. Among the players of Újszász on the bottom half of the draw, Brigitta Kovács advanced the furthest. She reached the semi-finals in a three-set battle, defeating Laura Erica Tin Lok from Hong Kong China, where another Asian awaited her. Brigi also gave So Hoi Ching a tough challenge. She lost the first set by only the minimum two-point difference, and even managed to win the second set. However, the third set again went according to the Hong Kong China player's will. So Hoi Ching was then dominant in the final, defeating Boglárka Udvari to become the Hungarian Open champion.

Men's team final: Újszász reclaims the title

An unfamiliar roar and wave of ovation swept through the Újszász sports hall, and yet we were only at the team introductions before the men's final of the 28th Hungarian Open. The huge cheer was sparked by the challenging unit—comprising Martin Kökény, Zoltán Kökény, Zoltán Lakatos, and Alexander Rab—who then, as if receiving an energy boost from the fans, won their first set against the defending champions, FFC Hagen, by a large margin.

The Germans simply had no answer for the attacks of Alexander Rab and Martin Kökény, while the Újszász boys also defended exceptionally well. FFC Hagen made a substitution and changed their formation, but to little avail, as Újszász easily secured the first set, 21-13.

It was expected that the seasoned Zentarra brothers would rally, making the second set much more balanced and tense. The Germans came close to leveling the score, reaching 20-20, but the two points required for the victory were then won by the Újszász players. In the final rally, Martin Kökény stopped David Zentarra's smash, and then Alexander Rab tricked the FFC Hagen defense with his sole-kick, after which the four Újszász players embraced.

The Kökény brothers and Alexander Rab won the Open for the first time, while Zoltán Lakatos secured first place again after 17 years, setting an example of perseverance for the younger players.

Their victory crowned the 28th Hungarian Open and concluded a long period, as the men's team competition last had a winner from Újszász in 2019, clearly showing how much the host club craved this success. The bronze medal went for László Bogár, Péter Nózi, Zoltán Takács, Gábor Tóth proved that their experience is highly valuable, taking them to third place. In the bronze match, they played against a German unit, Flying Feet Haspe, and won in two sets.

Women's team final: gold medals for Újszász

Fortunately, in the women's event Hong Kong China teams had taken the trophy in the previous two years. It became clear during the group matches that the Hong Kong China team was beatable after the unit of Petra Dániel, Brigitta Kovács, and Evelin Kovács defeated them relatively easily, 21-12, 21-13.

In the other group, Újszász Farkas (Vivien Csák, Letícia Diós, Lilla Farkas, Erzsébet Hornyák, Dorka Szaszkó) and Cserszegtomaj fought a major battle, which the Újszász team eventually won 2-1. This year, the Hungarian women's field was quite balanced, with the two Újszász teams and Cserszegtomaj having already defeated each other in ranking competitions, so there was no clear favorite for the Hungarian Open.

In the semi-final, Újszász Kovács lost to Cserszegtomaj in two close sets, while Újszász Farkas defeated Hong Kong China in two sets. In the final, Cserszegtomaj and Újszász Farkas met again and fought another three-set battle. Cserszegtomaj took the first set, the second went to Újszász by a minimal two-point difference, and then, further improving their defense, they won the third set comfortably, 21-15. The bronze medal went for Hong Kong China defeted Újszász Kovács in three sets.

Ceremony, support, and community

Since last year, the award ceremony for the individual events has been held on the city's outdoor stage, combined with a musical parade that was also very popular with the teams. This year, several clubs managed to excite the audience after the Dalma Dance production, and even the storm washing out the outdoor award ceremony didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Following a quick reorganization, the ceremony was held in the large hall and on the stage of the community center, where the medals were presented by the mayor of Újszász, Róbert Dobozi and József Rózsa, director of Szolnok Sports Center. The opening ceremony was also honored and participants were welcomed by the main patron of the competition, János Pócs, member of parliament for Jászság.

The international competitions of Újszász is about results and struggles for some extent, but equally important is the nearly week-long time spent together, the building of relationships between different cultures and nations, the strengthening of friendships, and the collective effort and work of the Újszász locals to make the event a success, which this year attracted 158 competitors from 8 countries.

Fortunately, there are always new faces at the competition, such as children whose parents competed one or two decades ago, and are now taking to the court together. Examples include the Manfredi family from France, and the Ézsiás and Czétényi families from Újszász. We have return visitors year after year from Austria, Germany, France, Csíkrákos in Transylvania, Mutěnice in the Czech Republic (who teach many children the tricks of the game called billiard hockey), and even Hong Kong China. This year, our Asian guests surprised many Újszász children with jerseys, who also had the chance to practice their English skills.

Local flavours were provided by the Szász Restaurant, and by Roland Tóth, who, along with his helpers, cooked a huge amount of bean goulash. In the temporary refreshment zone of the sports hall, participants could also enjoy locally grown vegetables and fruits. Moreover, as a big surprise, Judit Fülöpcsei showed up with over a hundred of her homemade lángos (fried flatbread), and many foreigners tasted the cheesy-sour-creamy-garlicky Hungarian specialty for the first time.

The Hungarian Open becomes memorable and remains people-centered because of many such small moments, local offerings, and the work of volunteers. Of course, organizing the competition would be impossible without the local government and local institutions; providing accommodation, meals, and competition venues forms the stable foundation of the Hungarian Open.

Results

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XkiL7CbUeo7SiFcCp55poes0hmTz0aNqNywPCHlOI80/edit?usp=drivesdk

Photos

The winners