3-Cushion
LIMA - Where there suddenly higher forces coming loose in Dick Jaspers, when he was 2-0 behind in his match against Frédéric Caudron and he seemed to lose his chances for a place in the semifinals of the World championship? And where did Dani Sánchez, who must have seen slip away his World title in his match against Jérémy Bury (also 2-0 behind), find the spirit for his formidable end rush to reach the finish as the winner of the match.
The last evening session at the Circulo Militar in Lima was not only brilliant in quality, there was a huge tension in the matches and a final outcom that nobody had expected. Dick Jaspers made it to the semifinals by switching off Frédéric Caudron. Dani Sánchez beat his opponent: he escaped from elimination against Jeremy Bury.
Marco Zanetti, playing in the upper part of the schedule, also lost his way for a while and needed a fifth set to suppress the opposition of Ryuuji Umeda. Javier Palazón was the only player of the four winners who apparently had a quiet evening: the Spaniard defeated Jae Ho Cho 3-0.
But what a sensation in the quarter-finals matches on the penultimate day of the tournament. Frédéric Caudron raged in his first two sets over Jaspers and seemed on his way to a marvellous victory again. Jérémy Bury proved that he was recovered from the exertion he made earlier in the day against Eddy Leppens and came uninhibited in the ring for his fight with Dani Sanchez.
Marco Zanetti controlled the game against Ryuuji Umeda, but saw the Japanese equal the sets two times and needed eventually a fifth set for the win and the qualification (15-7).
Javier Palazón could watch it all quiet and easy, because the Korean coming man Jae Ho Ch was not on his best. The match was decided in straight sets, Palazón won 15-14 (12), 15-12 (8), 15-11 (10).
Dick Jaspers lost his first set against Caudron without a real chance, he let escape his opponent in the second set (15-14), but then began to catch up, turning the match completely upside down. The number one of the world was suddenly the player who dominated, Caudron couldn't answer to the frequently score of his opponent and lost the last three sets 15-11, 15-6, 15-10 (Jaspers 2.129, Caudron 1.838).
Dani Sánchez stumbled in the first two sets over Bury. The reigning champion, never defeated before the last carom, found his rhythm back whith a 2=0 disadvantage on the scoreboard. In the last three sets, which he won in six, five and five innings, Sánchez rushed in his flawless style to the finish line. He seems to be on title track and had the highest average of the eight players in the quarterfinals (2.356).
Marco Zanetti had a tough final phase in his match against Ryuuji Umeda, because he forgot to clinch victory on matchpoint in the fourth set. That allowed the Japanese to delay his downfall. Zanetti, nevertheless, was the better player of the two, especially in the third set (15-3) and at the end again in the deciding fifth set (15-7).
The semifinals, at 10:30 am Peruvian time (GMT -5) are:
Sánchez-Jaspers
Palazón-Zanetti