ANTWERP – The golden race at the World championship three cushion in Antwerp has turned out into a match between Frédéric Caudron and Filippos Kasidokostas. Both protagonists in global billiards won the world title once before: the Belgian already in 1999 in Bogota, Colombia, the Greek in 2009 in Lausanne.
The crowd in the Antwerp arena was banking on a lowlands derby between Frédéric Caudron and Dick Jaspers. The Belgian favorite indeed won, inclusing a nine run in the 14th inning turn and a final chord of the twelve, his semifinal match against 35 -year-old Colombian Alexander Salazar: 40-12 in 22.
Dick Jaspers had a poor start again, like as in his previous parties at this WC, faced a hopeless disadvantage against Kasidokostas after eleven innings (31-14), but could not, like when he beat Eddy Merckx and Tayfun Tasdemir, catch up his opponent in this game.
The Greek, who played two World championship finals at 21 and 22 years of age (a loss against Semih Sayginer in Spain in 2003 and against Dick Jaspers in Rotterdam in 2004), ran out flawlessly with a strong start (two runs of seven), was leading 31-14, faltered for a while at the end, when the Dutch came back to 39-33.
When he scored his last carom, the Greek made a wild jump into the air, celebrating his fourth final place in a World championship. He grabbed his first gold in 2009 in Lausanne in the final against Eddy Merckx.
The 29 -year-old Kasidkostas (from November 14, 1983 in Athens) is a strange phenomenon in the top of three cushion. Dick Jaspers said after his lost game: ,,He's a real Greek warrior, who never gives up and always fights for every ball. And he shows that he’s also a very technical player. Filippos has developed tremendously, after he played his finals as a young talent.’’
The history of the two finalists is fairly balanced.
x Caudron won at the European championship for club teams this year 40-24 in 18 innings.
x Last year they met at the European championships in Istanbul: Kasidokostas won 40-35 in 17 (2.353 average).
x In 2011 Caudron and Kasidokostas met each other two times:
x In the Crystal Kelly tournament they played a draw (50-50 in 25 innings). Caudron made a run of 19 in that match.
x In the Trabzonspor World Cup, Kasidokostas won 3-1 in sets.
x The Greek won the 2010 World Cup final in Hurghada 3-1 in sets and 2.364 average.
The World championship final in Antwerp starts at 16.30.