The main draw of the Ankara World Cup got underway on Friday as the remaining 32 players were divided into eight groups of four, with only the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
While several title contenders confirmed their ambitions, one player stood clearly above the rest. South Korea's Cho Myung Woo produced the best performance of the day, topping the overall ranking of group winners and reinforcing his status as one of the leading favorites for the title.
Cho dominates Group A
Cho Myung Woo was simply untouchable throughout the opening stage.
The Korean star won all three of his matches and finished with an outstanding 2.400 general average, the highest figure among the sixteen players advancing to the last sixteen.
His campaign included a commanding victory over fellow Korean Heo Jung Han and another convincing win against American Pedro Piedrabuena. With six match points and match averages reaching as high as 2.857, Cho looked in complete control from start to finish.
After his recent victories on the international circuit, Friday's performance only strengthened the feeling that he is currently one of the most dangerous players in world three-cushion billiards.
The favorites deliver
Several of the sport's biggest names successfully negotiated the group stage.
Vietnam's Bao Phuong Vinh won Group B with a perfect record, finishing ahead of Belgian star Eddy Merckx.
In Group D, Swedish legend Torbjörn Blomdahl secured first place ahead of Dutchman Glenn Hofman, eliminating both Tayfun Tasdemir and Omer Karakurt in the process.
Egypt's Sameh Sidhom was another standout performer. He completed a flawless campaign in Group F with three victories and a superb 2.068 average, finishing ahead of Vietnam's Tran Quyet Chien.
Meanwhile, Group G delivered one of the day's strongest lineups, with Germany's Martin Horn edging Belgian legend Frédéric Caudron for first place as both players advanced to the knockout rounds.
Karakurt and Tran survive the toughest group
Group H proved to be one of the most competitive sections of the draw.
Turkey's Berkay Karakurt topped the group with five match points and an impressive 1.935 average, while Vietnam's Tran Thanh Luc secured the second qualifying position.
Germany's Tom Löwe, one of the revelations of the qualification rounds, narrowly missed out despite another strong showing, underlining the quality of the opposition in the group.
Panaia impresses on his World Cup main-draw debut
One of the most encouraging stories of the day came from France's Maxime Panaia, who was making his first-ever appearance in a World Cup main draw.
Drawn alongside world number one Dick Jaspers, Kim Haeng Jik and Turkey's Gokhan Salman, Panaia faced one of the toughest assignments in the tournament.
After losing to Jaspers, he responded brilliantly by defeating Kim Haeng Jik 40-21 in 20 innings, producing a superb 2.000 average.
His qualification hopes remained alive until the final moments of the group stage, but a narrow 40-38 defeat against Salman left him just short of the knockout rounds. Despite the disappointment, Panaia leaves Ankara with one of the most memorable performances of his career.
Bury fights hard, Soumagne's run ends
French veteran Jérémy Bury faced a particularly difficult challenge in Group E against Marco Zanetti, Ruben Legazpi and Nikos Polychronopoulos.
Although he finished fourth, Bury showed his fighting spirit throughout the day and closed his campaign with an impressive draw against Zanetti after averaging 1.666 over the match.
Fellow Frenchman Pierre Soumagne, who had successfully emerged from the qualification rounds, was unable to advance from Group H but can nevertheless look back on a strong week after returning to the World Cup main draw.
Last 16 Matchups
The knockout stage promises several high-profile encounters:
- Cho Myung Woo vs Glenn Hofman
- Torbjörn Blomdahl vs Ruben Legazpi
- Berkay Karakurt vs Tran Thanh Luc
- Bao Phuong Vinh vs Heo Jung Han
- Sameh Sidhom vs Gokhan Salman
- Marco Zanetti vs Tran Quyet Chien
- Martin Horn vs Frédéric Caudron
- Dick Jaspers vs Eddy Merckx
The group stage confirmed what many expected: the field is exceptionally strong, and every knockout match will feel like a final. Yet among all the contenders, one name stood out on opening day. With a tournament-best 2.400 averageand three convincing victories, Cho Myung Woo delivered the clearest statement of intent as the race for the Ankara World Cup title enters its decisive phase.