PORTO - The former European junior champion Antonio Montes was the first ranking leader in the qualifiers at the Porto World Cup that started today. The Spaniard triumphed in his two group matches and finished 1.176, followed by the Portuguese players Fernando Cunha and Paulo Andrade and Korean Sang Ku Kang. Among the sixteen group winners were seven Spaniards, six Portuguese, a Frenchman, a Turk and a Korean.
Antonio Montes took the European junior title two years ago in the Netherlands ahead of Adrien Tachoire, Wesley van Apers and Berkay Karakurt.
The first skirmishes in the preliminaries didn't show remarkable averages. Only four players finished over one in their two games. The Frenchman Vincent Lelievre scored the only run over ten (11), the Portuguese routinier Paulo Andrade, who had an excellent start, and Gil Carlos Cortes both made a nine.
The Portuguese Ricardo Pinto, Manuel Rio and the organizer of this World Cup, Alipio Jorges, ended in the third part of the ranking as well as the known French referee Daniel Garonnat.
Two other young Spaniards enter the World Cup on the second day of the tournament. David Martinez and Juan David Zapata played the final of a Grand Prix tournament in Madrid last week, in which they outplayed Dani Sánchez and Javier Palazón in the semi-finals. David Martinez, the winner, will meet up with Jose Miguel Soares and Volkan Cetin in his group. Juan David Zapata plays against Juan Bouterin Bote and Herbert Thuer.
The Turk Omer Karakurt, also a former European champion, starts the tournament against Faraco Jaime Sanchez and Rafael Segura Soto. The young Frenchman Gregory le Deventec finds Raul Cuenca and Jung Wan Lim on his way
The first rounds starts at 11.00, Portuguese time today, Tuesday, and can be followed live on Kozoom.
The top sixteen on day one:
1 Antonio Montes (Sp) 4-1.176-6
2 Fernando Cunha (Por) 4-1.111-5
3 Paulo Andrade (Por) 4-1.034-9
4 Sang Ku Kang (Kor( 4-1.016-8
5 Vincent Lelievre (Fr) 4-0.967-11
6 Juan Bouterin Bote 4-0.909-6
7 Gil Carlos Cortes (Sp) 4-0.857-9
8 Raul Cuenca (Sp) 4-0.731-5
9 Jose Escudeiro (Por) 4-0.722-7
10 Segura Rafael Soto (Sp) 4-0.681-4
11 Jose Biscaia (Por) 3-0.821-5
12 Ismet Esen (Tur) 3-0.800-4
13 Vitor Pinto (Por) 3-0.483-3
14 Prieto Pedro Camarero (Sp) 2-0.907-6
15 Jose Miguel Soares (Por) 2-0.766-5
16 Jose Ramon Gonzales Calle (Sp) 2-0.719-6.
Paulo Andrade, the Portuguese routinier, had an excellent start
Alipio Jorge, the World Cup organizer, is out after his first performance at the table
Raul Cuenca, the classic player, survived the first day in Porto
Gil Carlos Cortes at the table
The Turkish player Ismet Esen
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