ANTWERP – The ’Hell of Deurne’? Dick Jaspers, billiard player and winner in the match against the Belgian world champion Eddy Merckx, this afternoon at the World championship, had never heard of the name. But fanatical football supporters will remember it for sure: the many heroic battles the teams of Belgium and the Netherlands fought in the Antwerp hell in the years after the war.
Dick Jaspers did not know that history. The Dutchman, who won 40-33 in 20 innings, had not felt like he was in the hell, he said in front of the cameras. ,,But it really was a fantastic atmosphere’’, he said. And it was, for sure, the billiards area, it reminds of those wonderful football derby in the lowlands.
Jaspers and Merckx, teammates in the Netherlands (Partycentrume Osdorp), Belgium (BC Deurne) and even a few years ago in France (Clichy) balanced at the start, Merckx ran out to 26-16 with a run of eleven, Jaspers came back with little runs and eventually took the win 40-33.
Tayfun Tasdemir, opponent of Jaspers, dominated the entire match against Huberney Catano, who couldn’t reach the high level from his opening match against Leppens.
The two Greeks in the main tournament advance and show up against each other in the evening sessions. Filippos Kasidokostas thanks to are a hard-fought victory over Jung Han Heo: the Korean attacked with a 12, but Kasidokostas replied immediately with 9. He triumphed 40-38 (in 19), because Heo scored only once in the equalizing inning.
Kyung-Roul Kim finished as first against Nikos Polychronopoulos. The Greektied in the equalizer, and the penalty shots had to bring the decision.
Both players scored one time in the first inning, Kim did so in the second attempt, so that Polychronopoulos could win the game with two points from the break.
The matches tonight in the quarterfinals:
20.00: Zanetti-Salazar, Caudron-Horn
22.00: Kasidokostas-Polychronopoulos, Jaspers-Tasdemir.