Congya Zhang Triumphs in Mediterranean Poker Party Kickoff Event

Congya Zhang made a significant mark in the poker world by winning the Mediterranean Poker Party $2,200 buy-in kickoff no-limit hold’em event. Zhang earned $300,000 after topping a field of 830 entries, the largest score yet for the CoinPoker ambassador from Shanghai. She also earned 912 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win, placing her within striking distance of the top 500 in the 2026 POY standings.

The top 124 finishers earned a share of the $2 million guaranteed prize pool in this event. Notable players like Aren Bezhanyan, Omar Lakhdari, Selahaddin Bedir, and Fahredin Mustafov made it well inside the money. Mustafov lost a key flip with A♠Q♣ against the pocket tens of Paul Esau to be left on fumes. Shortly after that, the Bulgarian was sent packing by Esau, settling for $40,000 after making his eighth final-table finish of the year.

Zhang landed a massive knockout to narrow the field to five. Her A♣Q♣ held against Esau’s A♥10♥ to send him packing with $65,000. Zhang held the chip lead when the final five went on a dinner break. She added to her advantage when A♦K♠ held against the A♠5♠ of Romania’s Adrian State. The PokerStars Open Campione champion secured $80,000 after bricking out. Mengdian Peng of China then ran A♣7♥ into Zhang’s pocket jacks to finish fourth ($100,000). Then, another big pocket pair saw her bust another of her countrymen. That time, it was 10♥10♣ against A♠K♥ for Yilu Yuan (3rd – $140,000). That left Zhang heads-up with a healthy lead over Russia’s Sergei Petrushevskii. The final hand of the tournament soon arrived, with 5♦5♣ for Petrushevskii and J♠J♥ for Zhang. The board came down 7♠3♥3♦10♥9♣ to lock up the pot and the title for Zhang. Petrushevskii earned $200,000 as the runner-up.