ANTWERPEN – The world championship 3-cushion will start tomorrow (saturday) with two absolute top matches in the knock-out stage: Frédéric Caudron against Dani Sánchez and Eddy Merckx against Dick Jaspers. The ranking that was made up after the group stage was lead by Marco Zanetti, who will face Javier Teran.
Tayfun Tasdemir, second on that interim list after three days of preliminaries, will play the young Colombian talent Huberney Catano.
Zanetti, Choi and Horn are placed in the top half of the draw with Caudron and Jaspers, and they will play at 14.00. Nikos Polychronopoulos, Kasidokostas, Tasdemir, Jaspers and Merckx are in the bottom half, they will play at 16.00.
Greek Nikos Polychronopoulos, who celebrated his last success in 2006 in the St. Wendel WC, where he lost the final against Eddy Merckx) showed in the last session of the qualifications that the world title could certainly be won by an outsider this sunday.
The Greek, a steam train of the Caudron type when he has the feeling, the rhythm and his virtuoso stroke is working, needed exactly an hour for his match against Jae Ho Cho. He built up a quick lead of 21-4 (after 4 innings), 3, 4, 10 and 4, and finished with a six: 40 – 22 in 12 (3.333 average).
Filippos Kasidokostas got the better of O Takeshima, who tried to put up a fight but was beaten fair and square nevertheless: 40-20 in 30.
The meeting between the two Asians Kyung-Roul Kim and Ruuyji Umeda was an easy victory for the big Korean: 40-19.
Alexander Salazar sealed the fate of Dong Koong Kang, who could hold his head high in defeat, having played that phenomenal match (40 in 7). The Colombian did not get off the mark well in his second encounter, but he did beat Lütfi Cenet in the end: 40-32 in 28.
Huberney Catano was the second south American to advance, despite his loss against Murat Naci Coklu with a 40-28 in 28 score. Catano just edged both Leppens and Coklu. Sameh Sidhom had a 28-8 lead over Martin Horn at the halfway point, but he then lost his rhythm. The German made a magnificent comeback, scoring 5, 7, 5, 3 and 7: 27 consecutive points in five innings, which was enough to defeat the Egyptian 40-33 in 19.
Tayfun Tasdemir had a walk in the park against Korean Choong Bok Lee (40-15 in 18), and Roland Forthomme was nowhere near the player of the opening day. The Belgian, who looked forlorn, lost badly to Adnan Yüksel.
The sixteen players who advance are:
Eddy Merckx (4 pnt/1.600), Javier Teran (2 pts, 1.090), Frédéric Caudron (4 pnt/1.777), Jung Han Heo (4 pnt/1.428), Marco Zanetti (4 pnt/2.500), Daniel Sánchez (2 pnt/1.789), Dick Jaspers (4 pnt/1.739), Sung-Won Choi (4 pnt/1.632), Kyung-Roul Kim (2 pnt/1.451), Nikos Polychronopoulos (4 pnt/1.951), Filippos Kasidokostas (4 ptn/1.739), Alexander Salazar (4 pnt/1.633), Huberney Catano (2 pnt/1.360), Martin Horn (4 pnt/1.777), Tayfun Tasdemir (4 pnt/2.051), Adnan Yüksel (4 pnt/1.081).
The eighth finals tomorrow are at 14.00 and 16.00, the quarters (on two tables) at 20.00 and 22.00 uur.
14.00:
Zanetti-Teran
Salazar-Choi
Horn-Yüksel
Caudron-Sánchez
16.00:
Polychronopoulos-Kim
Kasidokostas-Heo
Jaspers-Merckx
Tasdemir-Catano.