ISTANBUL - The 27-year-old Güzin Müyde Karakasli is the winner of the first Grand Prix for women in Turkey in 2019 and the new number one on the Turkish rankings. She defeated Aysegül Fendi in the final match of the tournament that was played in the same hotel as the World Cup at the Starlight Resort Hotel, Manavgat, Antalya. The new Turkish leader on the ladies rankings is a lawyer, she lives in Istanbul and has her own office with her partner Kerem. It was the first of three Grand Prix tournaments for women, who must appoint the Turkish champion this year.

"I played in the semi-finals against Gülsen Degener, which I won 26-22 in 45 innings and in the final against Aysegül Fendi, 30-20 in 44 innings. Arzu Gök was the fourth player on the podium.''

Interview with Güzin Müjde Karakasli

Kozoom/Frits Bakker: How does your daily life look like as a lawyer at work and as a billiard player?
Güzin Müjde Karakasli: I work at my office every day, together with Kerem, who is a billiard fan as well thanks to me. We give legal consultancy also, if I don't go to court, we go to our client offices, but I'm almost 5 days at the office. Because of my job I can not practice a lot, still, I try 3-4 days per week for 4-5 hours. I don't have a billiard teacher. But I have friends like Birol Uymaz and Mehmet Yavas, and sometimes I ask them for help. I plan all my practice program by myself.

Kozoom/FB: When did you start playing billiards, in which billiard room? And where do you usually practice now?
GMK: When I was still a student at faculty of law, in 2011 when I was 19 years old. My billiard club was the Murat Tüzül Club, but it has been closed and merged with the Max Billiard Club. That is pretty far from my work and my house. My club is now Maltepe Arena in the Asian part of Istanbul.

Kozoom/FB: Was it your first victory in a Grand Prix in Turkey? And what are your best international results so far?
GMK: This was my second victory. I won my first Grand Prix in Istanbul in 2014. My best results were a third place in the European championship two in a row and I was sixth at the World championship in 2018.

Kozoom/FB: How is your name among friends, Güzin or Müjde?
GMK: My friends call me Müjde, but Güzin is more common among my billiard friends.

The final ranking at the Grand Prix in Antalya was:
1 Güzin Müjde Karakasli, 2 Aysegül Fendi, 3 Gülsen Degener and Arzu Gök.

The second Grand Prix will be held in Antalya in October, the last in Max Billiard Club in Istanbul in December. The Turkish federation has changed the system in men's category with first, 48 players separated to play a different tournament. At the end of the year, 16 players from the Turkish GP's play with 16 from the 48 separated group. It's quite complicated, but I couldn't sum up it.

The four ladies on stage with Güzin Müjde Karakasli as the nr. 1