SHARM EL SHEIKH – The World Cup in Sharm El Sheikh will witness a unique battle between the four best Belgian billiards players tomorrow (Thursday). The draw for the final rounds of 32 players presented a nevers-seen scenario. Eddy Merckx, Frédéric Caudron, Peter Ceulemans and Roland Forthomme will face a Belgian four-way match on the Red Sea, where tensions will undoubtedly run high. Two of these Belgians advance to the knockout rounds with the top 16, the other two are eliminated. The first matches start at 9.00 Dutch/Belgian time: Merckx plays against Forthomme, Caudron against Ceulemans.
The battle for privileged spots in the world rankings was the focus of Wednesday's sessions. On the final day of qualifying for the Sharm El Sheikh World Cup, leading up to the draw of 32 finalists, Vietnamese Phuong Vinh Bao was once again a star, Peter Ceulemans lived up to his reputation, Torbjörn Blomdahl emerged victorious after a poor start, Haeng Jik Kim narrowly escaped to the main draw and Glenn Hofman suffered two painful losses.
At the end of the year, in this final World Cup, ranking points are precious. The highlights of the day were Phuong Vinh Bao's top match (40 in 11) and Ja In Kang's top run, which saved the day with a 17 and moves into the top 32. Maxime Panaia was one of the young talents who distinguished himself with a draw against Haeng Jik Kim and the top spot in the group. Nick Polychronopoulos led the day's rankings with 2,105, ahead of Phuong Vinh Bao (2,051), Peter Ceulemans (1,739), Sergio Jimenez (1,739), and Ruben Legazpi (1,600). Maxime Panaia qualified with three match points, Torbjörn Blomdahl and Roland Forthomme with two. The three best second-placed players who will advance to the final are Haeng Jik Kim, Ja In Kang, and Pierre Soumagne.
The groups for the group stage with 32 players:
Group A: Dick Jaspers, Phuong Vinh Bao, Pierre Soumagne, Pedro Piedrabuena
Group B: Myung Woo Cho, Ja In Kang, Nick Polychronopoulos, Mahmoud Ayman
Group C: Quyet Chien Tran, Haeng Jik Kim, Martin Horn, Riad Nady
Group D: Eddy Merckx, Roland Forthomme, Frédéric Caudron, Peter Ceulemans
Group E: Marco Zanetti, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Berkay Karakurt, Sergio Jimenez
Group F: Thanh Luc Tran, Tolgahan Kiraz, Ruben Legazpi, Maxime Panaia
Group G: Tayfun Tasdemir, Myeong Jong Cha, Jérémy Bury, Hong Chiem Thai
Group H: Jung Han Heo, Gökhan Salman, Birol Uymaz, Sameh Sidhom.
Wednesday's group overviews:
Group A:
The final battle in the three-way match is an exciting match. Haeng Jik Kim and Maxime Panaia battle for the top spot in the group with equal match points and a minimal average difference. Panaia launches a 15-9 lead, while Kim scored a 10 just before the crucial stage (32-30), setting the stage for a beautiful finale. Kim finished first with a 3, while Panaia equalized with a 2 (40-40 in 22). The average is narrowly in the Frenchman's favor, but Kim advances as well to the main draw with 3 match points.
Group A standings:
Maxime Panaia 3-1,666-13
Haeng Jik Kim 3-1,632-10
Serdar Bas 0-1,150-8
Group B:
The high class of former world champion Phuong Vinh Bao shines again in his final match against Amir Ibraimov. The young German is completely outclassed by the Vietnamese, who also had a spectacular outburst at the World Cup in Antwerp with a brilliant 25 and now makes runs of 14 and 12 in a single match. Bao wins 40-6 in 11 matches (3.636 average). The second German in this group, Tom Löwe, loses both his matches.
The standings in Group B:
Phuong Vinh Bao 4-2,051-14
Amir Ibraimov 2-0,958-9
Tom Löwe 0-1,123-11
Group C:
Peter Ceulemans watches when Pierre Soumagne first defeats Ahmet Alp (40-38) and then is the better of both opponents by a wide margin. The Belgian beat Alp 40-27 in 28 matches and Soumagne 40-29 in 18 innings, strong performances to start the main tournament.
Group C standings:
Peter Ceulemans 4-1,739-8
Pierre Soumagne 2-1,533-12
Ahmet Alp 0-1,181-8
Group D:
Vietnamese Hong Chiem Thai, a rising star in the world's top 20, comfortably outplays two opponents. Dimitrios Seleventas loses 40-25 in 25, while Japanese Kiyota loses 40-21 in 26, both with remarkably low averages.
Group D standings:
Hong Chiem Thai 4-1,568-6
Dimitrios Seleventas 2-0,985-5
Atsushi Kiyota 0-0,794-5
Group E:
The Dutch clash between Sam van Etten and Glenn Hofman is the unexpected start to the three-way match. The younger of the two Dutch players takes a 14-3 lead in 9, 24-7 in 14, and after short runs by Hofman (4, 4, and 5), and finishes by 8 in a decisive moment.
Hofman, who has just entered the top 14 of the world rankings, is also defeated by Birol Uymaz 40-37 in 30. Sam van Etten has a group win in sight, starts with 10 against the Turk, but is plagued by nerves in the final stages. With the score at 36-27, the Dutchman misses five chances, including at least three makeable shots, while Uymaz comes back with 5 and finishes as first. Van Etten can even draw at 40-37 for qualification, but misses the crucial third point.
Standings in Group E:
Birol Uymaz 4-1,355-11
Sam van Etten 2-1,519-10
Glenn Hofman 0-1,207-6
Group F:
The start is typical of this entire qualifying day. Jean Paul de Bruijn has a win within reach against Ja In Kang, but is dealt a blow when the Korean makes a fantastic comeback. The Korean, who once played competitively in the Netherlands, suddenly comes back to tie with 17 and, to his delight, is able to finish the match. Ruben Legazpi sees his chance, first wins against De Bruijn (40-37 in 31 innings) and then finishes it off against Kang with a 40-35 score in 19 innings.
Standings in Group F:
Ruben Legazpi 4-1,600-9
Ja In Kang 2-1,875-17
Jean Paul de Bruijn 0-1,442-12
Group G:
Nick Polychronopoulos is the superior winner, finishing with the highest average of all the group winners. The Greek defeats Vietnamese Long and Korean Seo in a display of his class: 40 in 15 and 40 in 23. "Poly" is almost certainly on his way to regaining his place in the top 20.
Standings in Group G:
Nick Polychronopoulos 4-2,105-10
Nguyen Chi Long 2-1,215-8
Chang Hoon Seo 0-1,232-11
Group H:
The old master fights with all his class and is rewarded. Torbjörn Blomdahl doesn't have the best start against Frenchman Mikaël Devogelaere, who wins 40-31 in 2. Because Devogelaere loses his first match to Orak (40-38 in 27 matches), Blomdahl has a chance to fight back. The Swede is cool-headed, strong on the offensive and clever on the defensive. He wins 40-24 in 16 and advances to the final draw from the group with the highest collective averages.
Standings in Group H:
Torbjörn Blomdahl 2-1,731-8
Mikaël Devogelaere 2-1,500-13
Turgay Orak 2-1,488-7
Group I:
Seymen Ozbas, the young Turk, and Myeong Jong Cha both defeat Portuguese veteran Rui Costa (40-30, 40-36), after which the match with these two is decisive. The Korean defeats his opponent, who has been impressive in this World Cup, 40-31 in 28 matches and becomes the group winner.
Standings in Group I:
Myeong Jong Cha 4-1,212-7
Seymen Ozbas 2-1,420-8
Rui Costa 0-1,100-6
Group J:
Roland Forthomme, with his famous ups and downs, is often a player of curious escapes. The Belgian is defeated by Arnim Kahofer in a thrilling match (40-39), sees Jeffrey Jorissen effortlessly defeat the Austrian (40-17), and now has to fight for the final match. Forthomme does so with flying colors, defeating Jorissen, who comes exactly 5 points short, 40-29 in 30.
Standings in Group J:
Roland Forthomme 2-1,362-7
Jeffrey Jorissen 2-1,277-10
Arnim Kahofer 2-1,096-7
Group K:
Gwendal Maréchal, one of the strong French players in the previous phase, is defeated by Gökhan Salman in the match for the group win. The Turk, who has been in excellent form for a few tournaments, makes a solid impression in the group with remarkably low runs, but defeats Hwang 40-32 in 31 matches and Maréchal 40-27 in 28.
The standings in Group K:
Gökhan Salman 4-1,428-5
Gwendal Maréchal 2-1,155-4
Bong Joo Hwang 0-1,067-5
Group L:
Sergio Jimenez is gradually becoming one of the Spanish top players. With his group win, thanks to victories over Jose Juan Garcia (40-26 in 30 matches) and Omer Karakurt (40-23 in 16), Jimenez joins the top 32 with a very acceptable average. Garcia starts with a 40-31 score in 21 against Karakurt, but lacks the average to join the top runners-up.
Group L standings:
Sergio Jimenez 4-1,739-8
Jose Juan Garcia 2-1,294-7
Omer Karakurt 0-1.459-7