BLANKENBERGE - The upcoming rupture within the billiard mecca has not affected Frédéric Caudron's unlimited qualities. The Belgian was in a hard fight with another figurehead, Semih Sayginer, at the World Cup in Blankenberge on Saturday afternoon and was very close to an early loss in the last sixteen. The Turk finished the match in the 17th inning and left his Belgian rival behind on twelve caroms from the end. But always beware with Caudron! Turkish Mister Magic offered him one last chance and under a serene silence in the stands, the last Belgian in the tournament put up a small miracle: he scored twelve times, including some wonderful caroms for a final score 40-40. And so forced the shoot-out. Semih Sayginer went to the break shot, made it and missed his second. Frédéric Caudron, still in trance after his super finish, kept his focus, made the break shot, the far-from-easy second and was rewarded by a loud and long applause as rarely shown in a billiard arena.
The second mission this day, in the match between Frédéric Caudron and Jung-Han Heo, could have finished even more curiously. Now, Caudron's opponent, the Korean also had a much better run-up than the Belgian. The scoreboard pointed 40-26 when Heo had finished. The crowded grandstands looked expectantly to the miracle man from the afternoon session. And it almost seemed to work out again: Caudron now even had to score 14 for the draw, started the almost impossible mission smoothly and had only four points to ago after having scored ten times. Then it went wrong ... even incredibly wrong, in a tiny corner where the toy cue ball just missed the point on millimetres. The deep sigh of sadness was audible far beyond the arena. Jung-Han Heo jumped relieved from his seat, the audience mourned for a long time after Caudron's elimination.
The World Cup starts its final day with Torbjörn Blomdahl, Javier Palazón, Jung-Han Heo and Martin Horn. The German summarized in the evening hours and noted: of the top 14 in the world, the privileged players in the world circuit, no one is qualified for the semi-finals. The averages remain unbeatably high, the World Cup seems on its way to an overall world record average in the main tournament. The only thing less exciting is that the home crowd has to deal with a final field without Belgians on Sunday at the Blankenberg casino.
The semi-finals:
12:00: Blomdahl-Palazón
2:00: Heo-Horn.
Jung-Han Heo is the last Asian in this field after his sensational victory over Caudron: 40-36 in 17 innings. Martin Horn has been demonstrating for two days the form with which he won the World Cup in La Baule last year. Even an excellent Marco Zanetti in his previous performances could not stop the German Bomber: 40-23 in 22.
Three Turks (Sayginer, Coklu and Cenet had to leave the stage in these first rounds of Saturday, as well as two Belgians (De Backer and Forthomme), as well as HaengJik Kim and Dani Sánchez. The most remarkable player in the last eight was the 38-year old Chang Hoon Seo, who makes his practice sessions every day in Dani Sánchez' club. ''He not only is a very strong player, also a great personality'', Sánchez said about the upcoming star. ''In the World Cups, Seo takes care for another player from my team club, Myung Woo Cho."
It was only in the last eight, in the evening sessions, that Seo encountered a reborn Torbjörn Blomdahl, who was the first to qualify for the semi-finals after a 40-34 win over the Korean. Javier Palazón confirmed his strong performance in this tournament and showed his class in the early evening against feared Korean, Sung-Won Choi, 40-36 in 25.
The foreplay with the best sixteen in this World Cup had more classic games on the menu after Caudron-Sayginer. What to think of Dick Jaspers against Torbjörn Blomdahl, two eternal rivals. The one (Jaspers) in the prime time of his career, the number one in the world and ruling world champion. The other, the Swedish whirlwind with his fantastic history and now in a long battle to return to the world top. The race went up and down all the way to a tie at 35-35, moments later at 38-38 and finally at 40-40- in 27 innings.
The decision had to come from the shoot-out: Blomdahl started with three and knew that he was vulnerable with that score. Jaspers came out of the break shot pretty unhappy and had to make a risky zig-zag for his second carom. The cue ball came too straight out of the third rail and missed the carom by millimetres. "I didn't hit the break shot very well," the Dutchman realized later. "I was lucky with my penultimate ball," Blomdahl commented after showing his joy.
The elimination of Dick Jaspers was not dramatic, because the world champion will not lose his number one position. "Still, it makes me think, because I didn't play well enough," said Jaspers. His Swedish opponent reacted: ''We both did not play our best. I am happy with the victory, because I need this for my confidence and my ranking. It is not just a matter of playing very well, I can do that on training and in free games. But I urgently need to win competitions again to regain my position."
In the afternoon, the elimination of two other Belgians signed off. Peter De Backer said goodbye to his triumphal march in which he past ten opponents. He certainly has written his name in golden words on the billiard tables of the Blankenberge arena this week. "Who should have predicted that when I walked in here on Monday," De Backer said in his retrospect. Marco Zanetti bothered him on Saturday afternoon in the final session on the way to the quarterfinals. The Italian maestro stunned him with a fast attack (19-9, 27-9) and waved the Belgian revelation goodbye at 40-21 in 19. Roland Forthomme also left from the main stage in his match against former Korean world champion Sung-Won Choi. The Belgian giant came back with seven in the 12th inning (30-27 behind), even led 36-34 a little later, but lost 40-37 in 20 in the final sprint.
The relatively unknown Korean Chang Hoon Seo, who entered the tournament one day later than Peter De Backer, continued his victory march until the quarters. HaengJik Kim, with his four junior world titles and two World Cup victories two years ago, was overrun after the break by his countryman Seo, who has only played World Cups for two years: 40- 30 in 19.
Jung-Han Heo outplayed Dani Sánchez in one of the quickest matches this after intermediate scores of 20-10 in 7 and 24-14 in 11 for a 40-20 in 14 innings. Martin Horn, who is in amazing form, as he showed on Friday, again excelled, now against Murat Naci Coklu with a match that, just like Heo's, was finished in 14 innings. The German ruled the entire race (23-5, 31-13) and finished comfortably at 40-18. Javier Palazón, unbeaten in his group on Friday, balanced with Lütfi Cenet until and closed the decisive gap at 40-33 in 34.
Jung-Han Heo, the Korean who outplayed Caudron after his sensational last run
Martin Horn, the German Bomber who is in the last four after he beat Marco Zanetti
Torbjörn Blomdahl is back in a World Cup top 4 after having knocked out Dick Jaspers and Korean Seo