Female player Congya Zhang wins Mediterranean Poker Party event
The latest event to play out in the Merit Crystal Cove Casino in Northern Cyprus was a big one, and it was won by the female Chinese poker player and Coin Poker ambassador Congya Zhang. Costing $2,200 to play, the Global Poker Championship took place at the Merit Crystal Cove Casino as part of the 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party festival and came with a $300,000 top prize.
The final day began with 16 players, and at that stage, the Coin Poker ambassador Zhang was only 12th in chips. Her run to the final table was a tense one, as she played a short stack perfectly but remained among the lowest-ranked players with nine left. With just half a dozen players left in the hunt for the title in Northern Cyprus, Zhang doubled up with pocket tens through the chip leader Paul Esau to put herself back in contention when the German player’s ace-jack failed to hit.
Zhang, one of several star names to be picked up as ambassadors by Coin Poker in 2026, had a hold over Esau, eventually busting him in sixth place for $65,000 when her ace-queen held against Esau’s ace-ten. A period of dominance came for Zhang, who went into the dinner break as the force at the felt. Eliminating each of the other players, Zhang went into the heads-up battle with Russian Sergei Petrushevskii holding over 75% of the chips in play. As recently as April, Coin Poker would reward winners in the Cash Game Championship with a Rolex watch. Zhang played like she was running out of time herself, and just 20 minutes later, her pocket jacks beat Petrushevskii's pocket fives for all the chips, and Zhang had the victory as the Chinese player, who came 61st in last summer’s 2026 WSOP Main Event, won the biggest prize of her poker career to date.
$2,200 MPP Global Poker Championship 2026 Final Table Results:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Congya Zhang | China | $300,000 |
| 2nd | Sergei Petrushevskii | Russia | $200,000 |
| 3rd | Yilu Yuan | China | $140,000 |
| 4th | Mengdian Peng | China | $100,000 |
| 5th | Adrian State | Romania | $80,000 |
| 6th | Paul Esau | Germany | $65,000 |
| 7th | Oguzhan Kasar | Turkey | $52,000 |
| 8th | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | $40,000 |
| 9th | Selahaddin Bedir | Turkey | $29,000 |
Zhang calls victory “big moment for China”
The stunning Merit Crystal Cove Casino in Northern Cyprus
After the final table, Congya Zhang was asked about the magnitude of her victory.
“I have a lot of feelings, but the main one is I feel peaceful, I feel calm. This is a fantastic year for me, so far. I’m growing up very fast. I feel very confident in myself.”
Asked about her ability to survive when short-stacked for so long on the third and final day of the event, Zhang was equally Zen.
“Day 2, I played very good. I’m very satisfied with myself. Day 3, I was a little bit nervous because I’m too short, but I believe in myself, so I always hang on,” said Zhang. “I have a lot of patience. I got a lot of good hands and won all the flips when I had a short stack, so it’s gone very smoothly.”
Asked about the impact that it might have on the Chinese game in general, Zhang was positive.
“I’m so proud of us, it’s a big moment for China,” she said. “Every Chinese player who comes so far to be here, they are all very good players. I love it here, I love Cyprus, I love Merit. This is Paradise, I think.”
Congya Zhang was best known for finishing 60 places short of Main Event winner Lucas Jumalon before this weekend in Northern Cyprus. Should she continue with her trajectory based on her most recent final table, that summer score may end up a mere footnote in her story.
