SEOUL - The first ever final of the 3CC World Masters did not only have a Belgian winner, like the WC in Bolivia it had two Belgians in the final match. Eddy Merckx became the first winner in this format after his victory over Eddy Leppens: 57-19. The strongest billiard nation in the world was in the spotlight in Seoul. The best of all the Belgians, world champion Frédéric Caudron, looked on from a VIP seat and saw a final without any tension, but with a deserved winner. The tournament in the South Korean capital was played in this format for the first and the last time. In the second edition, the rules will be changed and the event will be played in sets to make it more spectacular.
Kozoom organizer Xavier Carrer:,, The new system must make sure there will be no matches without any tension, with a big gap between the players, as we saw today in the final. We are considering five sets and five innings per set. A decision will be made soon.''
The other major news on the final day of the 3CC World Masters was the breakthrough in the conflict between the UMB and the Korean federation, the KBF. Mr. Farouk EL Barki, UMB president, after hours of negotiations, signed a contract with KBF chairman Mr. Nam. It ended a period of conflict over media rights. Mr. Barki did not want to address the details. ,,The most important thing is that we have mutually decided to have a future without these problems. The Korean players are free to participate in all international events. The LG+ Cup will be put back on the calendar and there will also be a World Cup in Korea this season. I am relieved and happy that we were finally able to solve this.''
The 3CC World Masters in Seoul, the first in a cycle of three events in 2018, was considered a success by players, spectators and organizers. The start-up problems with the MyWebsport system were under control after the first day, which brought more tempo to the matches. The level went up, but exciting matches were not tob e seen on the final day. Eddy Merckx won both his semifinal against Vietnamese Quyet Chien Tran (26-13) and his final against Eddy Leppens (57-19) in a dominant manner from start to finish.
Eddy Merckx showing his joy after his final victory
Eddy Merckx: ,,I had to work hard in my quarterfinal against Marco Zanetti. Then, my opponents in the semi and the final did not play very well, but I have no control over that. I played a strong final with an average of almost three. I can't do more than that.'' Money-wise, this victory was the best Merckx ever had in his career. ,,It's an amazing feeling to become world champion, but if I went home and threw a party, the money from the title was gone. What I'm experiencing here is great. I am a professional player, and a few years ago we could only dream of prize money like this. I showed that I can handle the pressure, that I am mentally strong enough to play these finals. It makes me proud to have won this first 3CC World Masters.''
Eddy Leppens booked his place in the final with a victory over Tayfun Tasdemir, one of the best players in the early part of the week. On the rostrum, Merckx and Leppens were in the company of Tasdemir and Tran. There was a 40.000-dollar cheque for Merckx, 20.000 for Leppens, and 15.000 for Tran and Tasdemir. Marco Zanetti won 5.000 for the highest general average (2.437), Murat Naci Coklu won 5.000 dollar for the high run (16).
Eddy Merckx with the best reward in his carreer
Semifinals:
Eddy Leppens-Tayfun Tasdemir 52-46
The middle part of the match proved decisive in Leppens' advantage. ,,That when I played my best 3-cushion'', said the Belgian later. He got things going with a run of 11 in the third inning, and later ran 10, 7 and 8. Tasdemir never capitulated and stayed in pursuit with runs of 6,8 and 6 of his own. Leppens run of 8 brought the score to 48-33, with six innings still to play. ,,In the latter part of the match, I was too focused on my margin on the score board'', admitted Leppens later. He added only four points in six innings, but Tasdemir could not close the gap.
Eddy Merckx-Quyet Chien Tran 13-26
This was the match where, according to Merckx, the balls kept rolling awkwardly and the scoring was poor. Two runs by the Belgian, in the 10th and 11th inning, were the few highlights. ,,This was not a good match by any measure, but we were treated to difficult positions'', said Merckx. The computer was not the players friend. Shortly before the break and right after it, Merckx found some control over the balls. The latter was like the first. The Vietnamese World Cup winner of Ho Chi Minh was unrecognizable, and so were his scores: six in ten innings, ten in sixteen, thirteen in twenty. His short burst of production won Merckx the match, never in danger. The averages were far below what you would expect in a semifinal: 1.238/0.610.
All the players at the closing ceremony
The podium with the four finalists Eddy Merckx, Eddy Leppens, Quyet Chien Tran and Tayfun Tasdemir during the last speech of Mr. Farouk El Barki, the UMB president