3-Cushion
NEW YORK - The Open Verhoeven in New York is entering the next stage of qualifications today (Thursday) with a marathon of 180 matches. Forty players meet in four groups of ten players to 40 points matches. The level will certainly rise, because from now on the seeded players Caudron, Merckx, Sánchez, Sayginer and Blomdahl enter the tournament. The German Martin Horn was the best player in the first preliminaries with 2.142 average.
The other group winners were Nguyen Quoc Nguyen (1.807), Can Capak (1.681), Quyet Chien Tran (1.581), Eddy Leppens (1.578), Roland Forthomme (1.500), Carlos Villegas (1.388), Sameh Sidhom (1.339), Hugo Patino (1.260), Huberney Catano (1.250), Fernando Diaz (1.145), Javier Teran (1.079), Miguel Torres (0.979) and Wilco Meusen (0.806).
Fourteen group winners, fourteen numbers two and four best thirds advanced to the next round with two players from the auction and one player from the lottery. The Dutchman Meerten Dallinga, number two in his group, withdrew for further participation. Quyet Chien Tran was the most notable number three, William Oh even finished fourth in a strong group of seven.
The groups for the second qualifying round:
Group A:
Frédéric Caudron, Eddy Leppens, Quyet Chien Tran, Javier Teran, Wilco Meusen, Can Capak, Young Gull Lee, Herbert Szivacz, Nikolaus Kogelbauer, Carlos Campino.
Group B:
Eddy Merckx, Sameh Sidhom, Roland Forthomme, Hugo Patino, Miguel Torres, Seung Il Jung, Allan Lys Jensen, Bassem Salem, John Hernan, John Petersen.
Group C:
Torbjörn Blomdahl, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, Martin Horn, Fernando Diaz, Dan Johansen, Sang Jin Lee, Kang Lee, Luis Aveiga, Samir Derradji, William Oh.
Group D:
Dani Sánchez, Semih Sayginer, Carlos Villegas, Huberney Cataño, Young Ha Choi, Dion Nelin, John Park, Vandenver Reina, Michael Kang, Alexander Weiss.
The first rounds for today:
10.00 (US time):
Leppens-Tran, Teran-Kogelbauer, Meusen-Szivacz, Capak-Lee, Nguyen-Derradli, Blomdahl-Oh, Horn-Aveiga, Diaz-Kang Lee, Caudron-Campino, Johansen-SJ Lee.
12.00: Merckx-Petersen, Sidhom-Hernan, Forthomme-Salem, Patino-Jensen, Torres-Jung, Sanchez-Weiss, Sayginer-Kang, Villegas-Reina, Cataño-Park, Choi-Nelin.
Dutchman Wilco Meusen surprised with a win against Dion Nelin and finished unbeaten as group winner
Martin Horn, qualified with over 2 average