ANTWERP - The World championship three cushion in Antwerp is close to the decisive phase in the qualification rounds. Doomsday is coming up, today, starting at 14.00. 32 of 48 players may go home tonight, sixteen will show up for the eighth-finals tomorrow (Saturday).
Tonight, around half past eleven, the schedules can be announced for the final rounds. On Saturday at 14.00 and 16.00, the eighth finals are played, followed by the quarters at 20.00 and 22.00.
Marco Zanetti is the player with the best average (2.857) in the flights, the other players over two average are Dong Koong Kang, 2.642, Roland Forthomme and Filippos Kasidokostas 2.500, Jae Ho Cho 2.105 and Lütfi Cenet 2.000.
Roland Forthomme made a blistering 16 to the finish, Dong Koong Kang played by far the best match: 40 in 7 innings.
Torbjörn Blomdahl has already calculated his situation: he must beat Egyptian Riad Nady in less than 33 innings to reach the final rounds. Dani Sánchez is in the same situation: he needs a victory against Japanese Kouji Funaki to continue the title run.
The situations in the sixteen groups are:
Group A:
Eddy Merckx and Ngo Dinh Nai both are on top with two match points (victories over Peter Ceulemans). Merckx can afford himself a draw with 1.176 average against Ngo (1.025).
Group B:
Javier Teran has finished his group stage, gathered two match points and 1.090 average. Torbjörn Blomdahl (0.964, no match points) faces Riad Nady (1.052, two match points). Blomdahl: ,,I have to win 40-33 and Nady may not have 38 points.’’
Group C:
Frédéric Caudron and Jérôme Barbeillon both have two match points from their matches against Andea Bitetti: Caudron has the better average 1.538 than Barbeillon (1.025) and is allowed to play a draw.
Group D:
Jung Han Heo won his duel with Michael Lohse, Jérémy Bury played a draw against the Dane. The Frenchman has to beat the Korean to continue.
Group E:
Marco Zanetti and Jef Philipoom play for the group win, both with two match points. The Italian with a much better average (2.857) than the Belgian (1.333).
Group F:
Kouji Funaki leads the group with a win over Arnim Kahofer, Dani Sánchez lost to the Austrian and must defeat the Japanese: the averages are almost similar: Funaki 1.290, Sánchez 1.217, Kahofer 1.203. Sánchez is in the same situation as Blomdahl: he has to make his 40 points at least in in 33 innings and Funaki should not have more than 37 points.
Group G:
Dick Jaspers has by far the best chances to advance in his match against Martin Bohac. The Czech said yesterday: ,,My only chance to beat Jaspers is when he breaks his leg.’’ Jean Paul de Bruijn is finished with two points and 1.263 average.
Group H:
Sung -Won Choi leads with two match points, Pedro Piedrabuena is off. The match between Choi and Christian Rudolph is decisive for qualification. Choi (1.600) has a better average than the German (1.379) and is advanced with a draw.
Group I:
Ryuuji Umeda won his first match against Sergio Jimenez, the Spaniard then defeated Kyung-Roul Kim. The heat is on in this group: Umeda meets Kim in the last match. The Japanese has the best average, 1.428, ahead of Jimenez 1.263 and Kim 1.172.
Group J:
Jae Ho Cho and Nikos Polychronopoulos, both with two match points, face each other for the group win. Cho has with 2.105 the best average.
Group K:
Filippos Kasidokostas had a perfect start with a victory over William Villanueva (40 in 16) and has to beat O Takeshima (40 in 32 against Villanueva) in the last match.
Group L:
The Colombian Alexander Salazar needs a victory over Lütfi Cenet to survive. That would be weird: Dong Koong Kang, winner in a world class match yesterday (40 in 7 innings) then is eliminated. The Turk Cenet has a minimal chance as well after the match he lost with 2.000 average. Kang averages 2.642 over two matches.
Group M:
Huberney Catano is the favorite in this group after his amazing performance against Eddy Leppens. 23 -year-old Colombian is playing against Murat Naci Coklu (1.818) and can afford even a defeat with a small points diference.
Group N:
Roland Forthomme-Adnan Yüksel is the match for the group win, with the Belgian (2.500 and a final run of sixteen in his first match) as favorite. Yüksel won his match against Michael Kang in 41 innings.
Group O:
Martin Horn and Sameh Sidhom both beat Portuguese veteran Mario Aranha and they meet for the group win. Horn has 1.538 Sidhom 1.052.
Group P:
Tayfun Tasdemir (win over Del Salto with 1.904) and Choong-Bok Lee (1.333 against Del Salto) cross swords for the first place in the group.
The matches today, Friday:
14.00: Ngo - Merckx, Blomdahl - Nadi, Caudron - Barbeillon, Bury - Heo
16:00 : Zanetti - Philipoom, Sánchez - Funaki, Bohac - Jaspers, Choi - Rudolph
19.30: Kim - Umeda, Cho - Polychronopoulos, Kasidokostas - Takeshima, Cenet - Salazar
21:30 : Coklu - Catano, Yüksel - Forthomme, Horn- Sidhom, Tasdemir - Lee.