Billiard ladies finally play for thousands of euros

BLOIS - The first shuffle has been made at the Women's World three cushion championship in the global field of 24 players. Therese Klompenhouwer, the five-time, Dutch champion on the world stage, had a traditional walk-over in the French city of Blois on the Loire. The two young Koreans got through the group stage unscathed. Jeong Hyun Park is the youngest in the World’s field (20) and the best on the first day of play. Her reputation had already put her among the contenders. Park won a Survival in Korea a fortnight ago and impressed on the World’s start day with a win over Denmark's Charlotte Sörensen, Europe's number 2: 25-7 in 16 (1.563 average).

The two best players with four match points were Jeong Hyun Park with 1.162 and Therese Klompenhouwer with 1.111. They will meet the last two runners-up from the ranking with the eight groups tomorrow. The World championship moves to the semi-finals and final on Thursday after the rounds with the best sixteen and eight8 on Wednesday.

The French organization in Blois has built a professional arena in a sports centre with four match tables just outside the city. The participants come from Europe, Asia and South America with Colombia the biggest supplier. That billiard country has never supplied a world champion in the 11 editions so far. The champions come from the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea. Most titled players have switched now to the unrecognized Korean PBA tour. Only Therese Klompenhouwer (41, also multiple European champion) always remained loyal to the UMB, the world federation, and will undoubtedly make another bid for the title in France.

Korean is the most heart language in the World champ’s arena, because Five and Six moves the cameras and directs for AfreecaTV. Everything else is French, the referees, the many volunteers, club members, catering and most of the spectators. Patrice Lalanne is the head of the organization, he is from the Academy Blesoises de Billard with 130 members and a strong team in the highest French league with Glenn Hofman, Sameh Sidhom, Tolgahan Kiraz, Maxime Panaia and Adrien Tachoire.

For the first time, the ladies can earn more money at the World championship than they have ever done before. The winner will be rewarded with 10,000 euros, the number two earns 6,000, the numbers three and four on the podium 4,000 euros. For the 16 players who survived the group stage, 2,000 euros has already been reserved. ‘’I have never won that in my life, I finally have to pay nothing myself,‘’ said Belgium's Daniëlle le Bruyn, who won one match and then lost to Klompenhouwer. For that Dutch/Belgian clash, the Belgian had no illusions beforehand. ’’I won once in my life against Therese when I finished with 11. For the rest, I only lost to her.‘’

The group winners will play Wednesday against the No 2 seed for the eight places in the quarter-finals.

The groupwinner:

1. Jeong Hyun Park 4-1.162
2. Therese Klompenhouwer 4-1.111
3. Heun Kim 4-0.781
4. Gülsen Degener 4-0.735
5. Kien Tuong Phung 4-0.724
6. Claudia Lalinde 4-0.632
7. Yuko Nishimoto 4-0.561
8. Helga Mitterböck 4-0.561

Matches last 16

Park-Le Bruyn

Mitterböck-Sörensen

Phung-Perez

Degener-Nguyem

Kim-Jetten

l`alinde-Cardoso

Nishimoto-Trám

Klompenhouwer-Declunder

All 24 players at the World championship in Blois before the start

Patrice Lalanne, head of the Blois organization with 130 members

Danielle le Bruyn, playing against Therese Klompenhouwer: never earned so much money at the World's