A dramatic comeback, several dominant performances and a tough day for the French players marked the Round of 16 at the 78th World Championship in Blois.
The World Championship in Blois has reached its final eight. The Round of 16 produced a mixture of high-quality billiards and dramatic comebacks, with all three remaining French players eliminated.
Frédéric Caudron, Myung Woo Cho, Eddy Merckx, Tayfun Taşdemir and Phuong Vinh Bao all moved through, while the biggest drama came in the match between Glenn Hofman and Quyet Chien Tran.
Sidhom ends Bury's run
Jérémy Bury faced Sameh Sidhom in the Round of 16 and put up a strong fight against the Egyptian star. The Frenchman stayed in contention for much of the match, but Sidhom eventually secured his place in the quarter-finals with a 50–44 victory in 23 innings.
Bury actually finished with the higher individual average, 1.913, compared with 2.173 for Sidhom, but it was the Egyptian who managed to reach the finish line first.
Devogelaere and Panaia also bow out
Mikaël Devogelaere faced Tom Löwe in a match that was much more difficult than the draw might initially have suggested. The game became a very tactical and defensive battle, with neither player able to produce a big scoring sequence.
Löwe eventually prevailed 50-43 in 36 innings, averaging 1.388 against Devogelaere's 1.228.
Maxime Panaia stayed close to Marco Zanetti during the first part of their encounter, but the Italian gradually established control. Zanetti won 50-32 in 27 innings, averaging 1.851.
With Bury, Devogelaere and Panaia all eliminated, there is no French player left in the World Championship.
Hofman survives an incredible Tran comeback
The most spectacular comeback of the round came in the match between Glenn Hofman and Quyet Chien Tran.
Hofman appeared to have the match completely under control at 48-22. But Tran refused to give up. The Vietnamese star suddenly produced an extraordinary sequence, making 11 and then 14 points in consecutive runs.
The huge comeback brought Tran all the way back into contention. Hofman eventually managed to score the final points, winning 50-47 in 32 innings. Tran's 14 was the highest run of the match.
Hofman now faces another major challenge in the quarter-finals: Sameh Sidhom.
Bao produces the biggest performance
Phuong Vinh Bao delivered one of the most impressive performances of the Round of 16.
The Vietnamese player defeated Roland Forthomme 50-25 in just 17 innings, averaging 2.941 with a run of 14.
It was comfortably one of the fastest matches of the round and sends Bao into the quarter-finals against Alexander Salazar.
Cho and Merckx continue
Myung Woo Cho also produced a strong performance, beating Huberney Catano 50-38 in 22 innings. Cho averaged 2.173 and recorded the highest run of the match, 16.
Eddy Merckx had a more comfortable passage against Mexico's Raymundo Munoz, winning 50-23 in 26 innings at 1.923.
The two now meet in one of the most attractive quarter-final encounters.
Jaspers and Karakurt eliminated
Two more established names also left the championship.
Dick Jaspers lost to Jung Han Heo 38-50 in 27 innings, while Berkay Karakurt was beaten by Alexander Salazar 36-50 in 23 innings.
Peter Ceulemans completed the last-eight line-up by defeating José Miguel Soares 50-35 in 42 innings.
Eight quarter-finalists remain
The official quarter-final field is now complete. Four Koreans remain in the competition — Ye Sung Jeong, Myung Woo Cho, Son Jun Hyuk and Jung Han Heo — alongside three Belgians, Caudron, Merckx and Ceulemans.
The quarter-finals are:
Frédéric Caudron – Ye Sung Jeong
Sameh Sidhom – Glenn Hofman
Myung Woo Cho – Eddy Merckx
Marco Zanetti – Son Jun Hyuk
Tayfun Taşdemir – Tom Löwe
Martin Horn – Ruben Legazpi
Phuong Vinh Bao – Alexander Salazar
Jung Han Heo – Peter Ceulemans
The UMB lists Blois as the 78th World Championship, running from September 23 to 27, with the knockout rounds played over 50 points.
The tournament is now down to eight, with a fascinating mix of former champions, established stars and players looking to make their breakthrough on the biggest stage.