GURI - The laugh looked extremely happy, Therese Klompenhouwer showed her smile and satisfaction after her top match. On the day that six of seven Dutchmen were thrown out far too quickly, that three Vietnamese players climbed the daily top three, one Dutch lady raced at full speed along one of the top Asians in the world's three-cushion circuit. Choong Bok Lee, former Asian champion, LGU Cup winner (60,000 euros), who finished in his first game of the day with 17(!), capitulated against the women's world champion. Therese Klompenhouwer gloriously returns to the field in the last qualifications on Thursday after a 30-20 win in twenty innings over Lee.
The top five position with four match points and 1,538 on average was a reward that she did not expect herself. ''I surely felt good of course, after that boost from the great match in the previous World Cup in Veghel with runs of 10 and 12. But beating Choong Bok Lee, after his top run of 17 to the end this morning, was almost a mission impossible. I started without too much tension, with a perfect focus, I saw that he was not on his best at the start, try to attack well, but also to defend strongly and felt more and more that it was a great match. Without big runs, but very regular and very solid. I am so happy with it. This is why I keep on playing in the World Cups, these kind of matches give me so much satisfaction."
That's what she showed all those fans who were cheering her from the stands in the Guri Gymnasium, there on a hill on the outskirts of the city, this Wednesday on the third day of play, with its many billiard companies selling and promoting their wares outside the sports centre. For thousands of viewers on kozoom, who are so following the best world's ladies player to continue her development in this World Cup. Tomorrow, on Thursday, a new mission is waiting to finally make it to the main tournament again. The draw for the last qualification rounds was not even unfavorable: with Dustin Jäschke and Dong Hoon Kim in a group of which the number one moves on.
Three Vietnamese in the top three and one Korean preceded Therese Klompenhouwer in the daily ranking where the Europeans also had three Turks, a Spaniard and a Frenchman. Antonio Montes and Jun-Tae Kim, two of the best players in the last World Cup in the Netherlands, competed in the lower winner parts. Dong Hoon Kim, three points 0.869, went on as first reserve to the main draw, Barry van Beers, 2 points and an excellent average 1,892, just missed it. The best run was scored by Choong Bok Lee, with 17, but the elimination afterwards fell like a cold shower on the Korean star player.
The last qualifications bring five Turkish top players at the start with Turgay Orak, Gökhan Salman and Ahmet Alp from the previous round, but also Lütfi Cenet, finalist in Veghel, and Can Capak. Dani Sánchez and Sung-Won Choi are two world champions who first have to play qualifying. Furthermore, three Colombians amongst others, the former junior champion Jose Juan Garcia, Carlos Campino and Mauricio Aguilar. Eighteen players out of 36 are from Asian, Therese Klompenhouwer is the only Dutch, Roland Forthomme the only Belgian, Nikos Polychronopoulos the only Greek, Dustin Jäschke the only German, Dion Nelin the only Dane, Arnim Kahofer the only Austrian, Gregory Le Deventec the only Frenchman, Riad Nady the only Egyptian on this penultimate day.
The day ranking on Wednesday:
1 Xuan Cuong Ma 4-1.714-9
2 Tran Thanh Tu Nguyen 4-1.714-5
3 Cong Thanh Nguyen 4-1.578-9
4 Myeong Jong Cha (4-1.578-7)
5 Therese Klompenhouwer 4-1.538-7
6 Duy Trung Nguyen 4-1.538-6
7 Atsushi Kiyota (4-1.395-8)
8 Turgay Orak 4-1.333-6
9 Carlos Campino 4-1.333-6
10 Gökhan Salman 4-1.276-4
11 Chang Hoon Seo 4-1.250-7
12 Mauricio Aguilar 4-1.200-5
13 Antonio Montes 4-1.034-7
14 Ahmet Alp 3-1.875-9
15 Gegory Le Deventec 3-1.200-11
16 Jun Tae Kim 2-1.526-10
The groups for Thursday:
Poule A: Antonio Montes, Mauricio Aguilar, Sung-Won Choi
Poule B: Dani Sánchez, Ahmet Alp, Chang Hoon Seo
Poule C: Gregory Le Deventec, Gökhan Salman, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen
Poule D: Jun-Tae Kim, Roland Forthomme, Carlos Campino
Poule E: Lütfi Cenet, Turgay Orak, Bong chul Kim
Poule F: Wan Young Choi, Atsushi Kiyota, Dion Nelin
Poule G: Dinh Nai Ngo, Chi Yeon Cho, Duy Trung Nguyen
Poule H: Therese Klompenhouwer, Dustin Jäschke, Dong Hoon Kim
Poule I: Jose Juan Garcia, Myeong Jong Cha, Nikos Polychronopoulos
Poule J: Arnim Kahofer, Cong Thanh Nguyen, Riad Nady
Poule K: Trung Hau Do Nguyen, Tran Thanh Tu Nguyen, Yusuke Mori
Poule L: Can Capak, Xuan Cuong Ma, Duc Anh Chien Nguyen.
Vietnamese Xuan Cuong Ma, the best on Wednesday
Antonio Montes, coming from his come-back in Veghel, on the run up again in Guri