BERLICUM – The sixty-year-old generation of Dick Jaspers, Jean Paul de Bruijn, and Raimond Burgman at the Masters in Holland has compiled an impressive list of titles. The record holder by far is Dick Jaspers with 22 Master championships, the successor to the 60-year-old star player is gradually pointing towards young Dutch blood: 35-year-old Glenn Hofman. The Hague player, who made a foray into the Korean professional league just before his breakthrough, has never won the Masters. The international success in the World Cups put Hofman firmly in the spotlight last year, with a high and attractive ranking.

The question is: how will Hofman handle the growing pressure at this stage of his career? Two years ago, after his return to the Netherlands, Hofman was in the Masters final, which he lost to Jean Paul de Bruijn 40-21. In the current Masters, which will reach its climax this weekend, Glenn Hofman is seemingly the top contender for the title, following in the footsteps of Dick Jaspers, with whom he has now reached the top eight.

Before his departure for Korea, Hofman, who started playing at age ten and was quickly seen as a major talent, already appeared on the Masters podium four times. Twice as runner-up to Burgman and Jaspers, and twice as third, with Jaspers winning both times.

This Thursday evening, on the second day of the 2026 Masters, Hofman played the prestigious match against Raimond Burgman, a six-time Masters winner. The Hague born player honed his form with a flawless final sprint to excel in that match. The start was pretty difficult, with Burgman at 14 and Hofman at 10 in 10 innings. Six innings before the end, the match took a different turn. Hofman launched an irresistible attack with 11 and 7 to 32-22 and shortly after, finished with 2 and 4: 40-29 in 19 innings.

The overviews on Thursday at the Masters:

Group A:

The flat start was improved in the second session with a top match between Dick Jaspers and Sam van Etten. Three players remained in contention after two rounds, only Erwin Kivits was eliminated after two losses by Sam van Etten and Raymund Swertz. The crucial match is Friday at 6:30 PM between Swertz and Van Etten to determine the second player with 4 match points. Dick Jaspers is virtually untouchable on average with 1.666, Sam van Etten and Raymund Swertz are extremely close, but Van Etten can afford a draw.

The standings after two sessions in Pool A:

1. Dick Jaspers 4-1,666-8

2. Sam van Etten 2-1,163-7

3. Raymund Swertz 2-1,114-4

4. Erwin Kivits 0-0,926-0

The tension remained high until the final stage in Group B, where Kay de Zwart pulled off a stunning upset by defeating 50-year-old Barry van Beers 40-33 in 31 innings. That session secured Glenn Hofman the number one spot in this group, with the match against Van Beers still to play. Raimond Burgman and Kay de Zwart are playing for the second position in the quarter finals.

The final evening match in Group C got off to a somewhat dramatic start for Jean van Erp, the idol of the Brabant fans. In the tense match against Dave Christiani, Van Erp struggled with a long slump, falling behind 30-14 and continuing the fight for a long time. Dave Christiani ultimately secured victory 40-34 in 33. Because Huub Wilkowski and Harrie van de Ven drew 40-40 in 35 at the other table, only Christiani is now seeded, with the other three players vying for a spot, with Jean van Erp, who plays Harrie van de Ven, as the top contender.

Standings in Group B:

1 Glenn Hofman 4-1,739-11

2 Raimond Burgman 2-1,277-8

3 Kay de Zwart 2-1,137-7

4 Barry van Beers 0-1,075-7

Standings in Group C:

1 Dave Christiani

2 Jean van Erp 2-1,254-7

3 Huub Wilkowski 1-1,163-8

4 Harrie van de Ven 1-1,059-10

Group D:

Jorissen’s rhythm needed some time to gain confidence, but the leader decided his two matches in a strong final sprint. Jorissen won the match against Jean Paul de Bruijn with a wonderful 11, which came just in time and made it 40-34 in 23. Adrie Demming was the better starter in the match against Jorissen, who didn't get off to an encouraging start, but quickly returned to his strongest weapon. The attack reached 32-18 for Demming. With three times 4, one 9, and a final 3, the match went to 40-36 in 29. Jean Paul de Bruijn and Adrie Demming share second place in the quarterfinals.

The standings in Group D:

1 Jeffrey Jorissen 4-1,538-11

2 Jean Paul de Bruijn 2-1,396-5

3 Adrie Demming 2-1,381-10

4 John van der Stappen 0-0,750-4