Newsroom
Cyprus has won its first tennis medal in Mediterranean Games history, with Lefteris Neos and Melios Efstathiou claiming bronze in the men’s doubles at Taranto 2026.
And they certainly did not take the easy route.
The Cypriot pair lost the opening set 3-6 to Malta’s Alex De Gabriele and Liam Delicata, but refused to let the match slip away. They regrouped, took the second set 6-3 and then held their nerve in the decisive match tiebreak, winning it 10-6.
The comeback secured a 2-1 victory, and a small but significant piece of Cypriot sporting history.
Cyprus has celebrated Mediterranean Games medals in several sports over the years, but tennis had never produced one. Neos and Efstathiou have now changed that, becoming the first Cypriot players to reach the competition’s tennis podium.
The result also carries personal meaning for the pair. Both have represented Cyprus at national level for more than a decade, quietly putting in the years of training and international competition that rarely make front-page news.
This time, however, they have something historic to bring home.
The Cyprus Olympic Committee congratulated the two players on their determination and comeback, while also recognising national coach Demetris Herodotou and the Cyprus Tennis Federation for their roles in the achievement.
It may be bronze by colour, but for Cypriot tennis, it is very much a first-place moment.
