Zhang Congya adds another major championship, marking a glorious year for women's poker.

Zhang Congya won the 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party $2,200 Global Poker Championship, taking home $300,000. She staged a comeback in the final table with six players, defeating Sergei Petrushevskii heads-up.

The champion of the $2,200 Global Poker Championship has been crowned at the 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party held at Merit Crystal Cove casino. Congya Zhang took home the trophy and the $300,000 champion prize.

Zhang Congya started the day with 12th in chips among the 16 returning players. She was eliminated in the first few hands, but then quietly advanced to the final table with a shorter chip stack.

When the match entered its final six players, everything changed. Zhang Congya staged a comeback, achieving double kills multiple times, and then displayed outstanding performance, standing out among the strong opponents, ultimately defeating Sergei Petrushevskii in a brief one-on-one duel lasting less than 20 minutes.

"I have many feelings, but most importantly, I feel calm. I feel composed," Zhang Congya said of her victory. "So far, it has been a fantastic year for me. I have grown very quickly. I have a lot of confidence in myself."

$2, 200 Global Poker Championship Final Table Prize Money

The Rise and Fall of the State

Before Zhang Congya's late surge to victory, Adrian State dominated the last two tables and seemed poised to win the tournament. He eliminated 13th-placed Anatoly Korochenskiy early on with three pocket tens, and then eliminated 12th-placed Roman Gadzhiev with pocket tens on his second consecutive hand.

State's momentum continued as he held pocket kings in the small blind, creating a formidable nemesis hand against Mehmet Dalkilic's pocket queens in the big blind. A few hands later, State delivered the decisive blow to Dalkilic, securing the final table and overtaking Petrushevskii to become the chip leader.

State continued to dominate the game, taking Selahaddin Bedir's chips and sending him to ninth place, before accumulating chips by applying almost constant pressure to the shorter-stacked opponent on the left.

The tide turned after State lost a grudge hand to Petrushevskii and then a big pot to Peng Mengdi. Ultimately, State lost to Zhang Congya, who was poised to become the champion. After returning from the dinner break, State seemed to misread Zhang Congya's chip stack, making a large all-in re-raise from the big blind, only to be caught red-handed by Zhang Congya, who held AK.

Zhang Congya's Path to the Top

When the final table was down to six, Zhang Congya started heating up. First, she doubled up against Paul Esau, then eliminated him in sixth place. Next, she made a straight on the river in a big pot, paying out Petrushevskii and jumping to second in chips, just behind State, before overtaking him as State began to lose chips.

"I played very well on the second day. I was very satisfied with myself. On the third day, I was a little nervous because my chip stack was too short, but I believed in myself, so I always persevered... I was very patient," Zhang Congya said of her performance. "I got a lot of good hands, and I won all the runs when my chip stack was short, so everything went very smoothly."

After eliminating State in fifth place, Zhang Congya gained a significant chip lead. At this point, the final table consisted of three Chinese players and Petrushevskii.

"I am proud of us. This is an important moment for China," Zhang Congya said of her compatriots. "Every Chinese athlete who came from afar is an excellent player."

This could have been a friendly contest between three Chinese players, but that didn't stop Zhang Congya from eliminating them from the tournament. She eliminated Peng Mengdi in fourth place, then held on with a pocket 10 to send Yuan Yilu to third place, securing a heads-up match against Petrushevskii.

Zhang Congya wins the championship.

After a short break, Zhang Congya and Petrushevskii sat down for heads-up play, but Zhang Congya already had a chip lead of approximately 4:1. After a few hands, Zhang Congya limped on the button, and Petrushevskii went all-in with pocket fives and a short stack. Zhang Congya called with pocket jacks, winning the hand, the tournament, and the $300,000 jackpot.

"I love it here, I love Cyprus, I love Merit. I think this is paradise," Zhang Congya said.

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