HURGHADA - The World Cup in Hurghada, the last in 2018, is won bij Dick Jaspers. The Dutchman defeated his main rival Frédéric Caudron in the final (40-34 in 21) on the banks of the Red Sea. Jaspers is not only the 2018 world champion now, but also the number one on the UMB's world ranking. Thanks to this double success, Jaspers is on his way to one of the best years in his long career. He couldn't have chosen a better moment: 2018 was the year in which the world top was spoiled with big money tournaments. Dick Jaspers and Frédéric Caudron, the finalists in Hurghada, are the numbers one and two of the ranking, the Belgian won the overall World Cup cycle. Jaspers also won the World Cup in Blankenberge this year and set a new world record match, 40 in 4 innings.
The final days in this last tournament showed Jaspers' high class, spirit and power. ,,I could escape a few times really incredibly'', the Dutchman confessed. ,,I could have been out against HaengJik Kim, who missed four match balls. I won the shoot-out against Sidhom and I was a little lucky with my last ball in the final against Caudron. The reward is no less, I am very happy with it.'' In the final, Jaspers and Caudron went up to 12-12 in the fourth inning, then Jaspers took a 24-14 lead after ten innings. That margin remained on the score board, because the Dutchman also had the best finish. Caudron came back to 33-21 with a run of ten, but scored only three times in his last four innings. Jaspers won the match with a final run of three: 40-34.
,,It has been a few years since I was the number one on the rankings. That gives me a good feeling. But also that I finally could win in Hurgahda. I never managed to play a final in the first twelve years. Two years ago was my first and I lost to Heo, but now is my lucky day, I finally won. That makes my year even better. My best so far were 2008 and 2011, but now, this is also a fantastic year.''
The year will be closed by another, new challenge: the Ceulemans Continental Cup in Bordeaux this week. ,,We are the favourites with Europe'', is Jaspers forecast. ,,But we still have to play our best. This has been a tough year with many tournaments and a lot of traveling. I don't complain at all, I am grateful that we now have such a wonderful schedule of tournaments.''
The two semi-final matches were both filled with incredible tension. Dick Jaspers and Frédéric Caudron needed a kind of Houdini-act to repair a precarious position. Dick Jaspers was close to the knock-down playing HaengJik Kim, when the Korean raised the pressure after 24-21 in the second part and ran out to 36-28 and 39-34. The final phase was breathtaking for both players and splectators. HaengJik Kim missed on four match balls, Jaspers came back slowly and grabbed the win in a sensational final run of six in the 22th inning: 40-39.
Frédéric Caudron forced his way to the final by a fantastic end rush in his match against Semih Sayginer. The victory was near by for the Turk, who dominated the entire match and entered the second part after scores of 11-5, 17-6 and 25-15. The margin was even bigger in the 15th inning (38-24), but in the thrilling final sprint, the world champion showed his master class and enormous resilience. Caudron tapered off the score by a run of 9 (38-33). Then, after two ‘one-points' by both (39-34) and Semih's miss (a pretty easy looking round the table), the Belgian ran out with six (40-39 in 17). The fist already went up before the cue ball touched third, close to the long rail. And Semih, disillusioned on his chair, shook his head, knowing that his last shot was a fatal miss.
The Hurghada World Cup closed the year in which Caudron dominated the cycle with two victories and a well deserved overall win in the standings, followed by Jaspers and Sayginer, who definitely is back on top of the world in 2018, but didn't succeed to win a big tournament. Frédéric Caudron was the best in Antalya and Porto, Quyet Chien Tran in Ho Chi Minh, Dick Jaspers in Blankenberge, Martin Horn in La Baule, Eddy Merckx in Seoul and Jaspers in the last in Hurghada.
For next year, again seven World Cups are on the calendar: Turkey (February), Ho Chi Minh (May), Blankenberge (June), Porto (July), Veghel, the Netherlands (October), South Korea (November) and Hurghada (December). The first round of the main tournament, with 32 players, will be played according to the new rules with eight groups of four players: the numbers one and two advance to the last sixteen for the knockout stage.
The highlights in Hurghada'2018 were:
x The high runs by Myung-Woo Cho (22), Dani Sánchez (19) and Jérémy Bury (18).
x The miraculous 16 of the Egyptian outsider Mohsen Fouda in the match in which he eliminated Eddy Merckx.
x HaengJik Kim turned a hopeless score against Bury into a win by two runs of 11.
x The awesome escape that Caudron showed against Sayginer for a place in the final.
x Dick Jaspers who came out as the winner in the shoot-out against Sameh Sidhom.
x The unbelievably high level of the last two preliminary rounds: Dani Sánchez 2.857 of average, Myung-Woo Cho 2.500 and Filippos Kasidokostas 2.400.
The year of 2018 in three-cushion was unmistakably the year of two Belgians and one Dutchman. That would make it very interesting to hear the votes of the top fifty players in the world as at the former Super gala of Ludo Dielis: who was the Player of the Year: Frédéric Caudron, Dick Jaspers or Eddy Merckx. With this top three, Europe is by far the huge contender for the first Ceulemans Continental Cup against Asia, this week from Friday to Sunday in Bordeaux.
The final ranking in Hurghada's World Cup:
1 Dick Jaspers 10-2.040-11
2 Frédéric Caudron 8-2.086-11
3 HaengJik Kim 6-2.239-13
3 Semih Sayginer 6-2.038-12
5 Torbjörn Blomdahl 4-1.866-9
6 Jérémy Bury 4-1.815-18
7 Dion Nelin 4-1.730-10
8 Roland Forthomme 4-1.515-10
9 Murat Naci Coklu 2-1.975-11
10 Adnan Yüksel 2-1.777-9
11 Nguyen Quoc Nguyen 2-1.756-7
12 Marco Zanetti 2-1.725-11
13 Sameh Sidhom 2-1.666-8
14 Jae-Ho Cho 2-1.400-7
15 Mohsen Fouda 2-1.320-16
16 Huberney Cataño 2-1.228-7
17 Tayfun Tasdemir 0-1.947-15
18 Quyet Chien Tran 0-1.888-10
19 Nikos Polychronopoulos 1.857-6
20 Filippos Kasidokostas 0-1.722-14
The new world ranking:
1 Dick Jaspers 462 points
2 Frédéric Caudron 448
3 Eddy Merckx 332
4 Semih Sayginer 298
5 Marco Zanetti 294
6 Jae-Ho Cho 244
7 Quyet Chien Tran 236
8 Jérémy Bury 222
9 Nguyen Quoc Nguyen 221
10 Jung-Han Heo 6
11 Sameh Sidhom 214
12 Tayfun Tasdemir 206
13 Murat Naci Coklu 92
14 Sung-Won Choi 190.
The final World Cup ranking:
1 Frédéric Caudron 314 points
2 Dick Jasspers 248
3 Semih Sayginer 198
4 Eddy Merckx 194
5 Jae-Ho Cho 137
6 Marco Zanetti 134
7 Quyet Chien Tran 133
8 Tayfun Tasdemir 133
9 Murat Naci Coklu 126
10 Jung-Han Heo 118.
Frédéric Caudron showing his joy with a win over Semih Sayginer after a great final sprint.
Semih Sayginer is back, he is #4 in the world after a great 2018.
Frédéric Caudron, after a slow start, a fantastic finish against Semiy Sayginer.