SHARM EL SHEIKH - The cycle over the 2024 World Cups has already been won by Dick Jaspers, who finished on top with Quyet Chien Tran after his elimination in Sharm but was declared the winner. The final World Cup is gearing up for its climax on Saturday in Sharm El Sheikh. Anyway, the eventual winner has not been successful before this year. The run-up on Friday with the first knock-outs showed fascinating three-cushion. Torbjörn Blomdahl, in the hunt for precious ranking points, was one of the high-flyers with his victory over Korean Jun Tae Kim after a bad start 18-0 behind.
Dick Jaspers (two World Cup wins this year), Quyet Chien Tran (also twice), Jung Han Heo (once) and Duc Minh Tran (once) were eliminated in Sharm for the podium positions. The players heading to the final gala on Saturday will emerge from matches later today at 3pm (for Western Europe): Sameh Sidhom-Eddy Merckx and Myung Woo Cho-Hong Chiem Thai and for 17.30 scheduled Marco Zanetti-Frédéric Caudron and Torbjörn Blomdahl-Berkay Karakurt.
The Belgian super duo Caudron/Merckx are definitely back from long absence due to Caudron's long stay in Korea. The Belgians are the only country with two players left in the last eight: that is a striking fact with so many strong Koreans, Vietnamese and Turks in World Cups. They lost only Peter Ceulemans, who made one last attempt with 8 against Berkay Karakurt, but could not prevent the loss (50-46 in 31).
The level keeps rising in this World Cup on the Red Sea, the averages are swinging wildly. From the first session with eight on Friday, four winners came over 2 average: Myung Woo Cho against TL Tran with 2.500 (50-22 in 20/19), Sameh Sidhom against Quyet Chien Tran with 2.381 (50-27 in 21/20), Eddy Merckx with 2.273 against Tayfun Tasdemir (50-35 in 22) and Hong Chiem Thai with 2.174 against Jaspers (50-42 in 23/22) . In the second session, these scores were lower, only Blomdahl could score over 2 against Jun Tae Kim (2,083).
The Swede was a sensational winner in the match against Jun Tae Kim. He fell behind 18-0 and 23-2, but launched a magisterial chase with eventual runs of 8, 7, 7 and finally with 8 out for a score 50-39 in 24. Marco Zanetti, also engaged in splendid battles, escaped in the closing stages against his old Agipi teammate Jérémy Bury and ended the match at 48-45 behind with 5: 50-48 in 30. And speaking of Agipi glory: in the next round, he will meet one more in the last 8: Frédéric Caudron.
Apart from the two Belgians (Merckx, Caudron), the round of 8 on Friday night features only loners: an Egyptian (Sidhom), Korean (Myung Woo Cho), a Vietnamese (Hong Chiem Thai), an Italian (Zanetti), a Swede (Blomdahl) and a Turk (Karakurt).
Dick Jaspers won the World Cup cycle, but was eliminated by Vietnamese Thai in Sharm
Myung Woo Cho, great performance with 2.500
Peter Ceulemans left the World Cup after another good event