HO CHI MINH CITY - Two of Europe's and the world's best players are out of the spotlights at the World Cup in Ho Chi Minh City. The best of the world ranking (Dick Jaspers) and the world champion (Dani Sánchez) are no longer part of the game and out of chance for the podium spots. The traditional battle between Europe and Asia, eight to eight for the final days, continues without the two huge stars, but still has a lot of big guns to look out for two exciting days.
The best winners on the first day? Eddy Merckx with a victory in 11, Sung-Won Choi in 13 and Marco Zanetti in 14 innings. The highlights? Sung-Won Choi's opening with 19 from the break, the 18 for Eddy Merckx and 16 that Tran showed against Sánchez and the sixteen to the finish from Blomdahl. The most heroic match, winner and loser: Murat Naci Coklu and Minh Cam Ma played 40-40 in 28 innings. The Turk starts the shoot-out with 7, the Vietnamese answers with 7 (!). In a breathtaking final, Coklu takes the second shoot-out with 2-0 when Ma missed dramatically from the break.
Frédéric Caudron didn't allow Vietnamese Xuan Cuong Ma another win after the starting match in La Baule in ten innings. Now it was a Belgian routine game: 40-22 in 23. Tayfun Tasdemir was not in the mood for a revenge from Eddy Leppens after the unbelievable 40-3 in Luxor. Dick Jaspers was unimpressive, by his standards, Dani Sánchez ran into a marvellous Tran and Sayginer couldn't match at the end with Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, the public hero in Ho Chi Minh.
Myung-Woo Cho, the current junior world champion, defeated his illustrious predecessor, Haeng-Jik Kim, who took four titles as a junior. The new generation stands up and is banging on the door to the world top. Marco Zanetti, newly crowned as the European champion, seems to enter a new erea in his already so impressive career. Eddy Merckx showed his brilliant best, but most of all realized that he should not drop out of the world top.
Frédéric Caudron can rise to number one position because of Jaspers' and Sánchez' losses. The Belgian has to reach the semi-finals in Ho Chi Minh. Torbjörn Blomdahl is, despite he dropped to number 7, absolutely determined to fight back. The world's top is in motion again, so we can conclude after one day in the Vietnamese stronghold.
This was the day of the high averages (Merckx 3.636, Choi 3.076, Zanetti 2.857 and Tran 2.352) and the high runs (Choi 19, Merckx 18, Blomdahl and Tran 16, Myung Woo Cho 15) and two close finishes : Jae-Guen Kim who beat Jung-Han Heo 40-39. Murat Naci Coklu and Minh Cam Ma who came to a draw (40-40 in 28), played a 7-7 in the first shootout and then a 2-0 for Coklu. And Can Capak who bested Jérémy Bury in an excellent match 40-38 in 18 innings.
The matches for Saturday in the eighth finals:
Dong Koon Kang-Myung-Woo Cho
Sung-Won Choi-Marco Zanetti
Nguyen Quoc Nguyen-Eddy Merckx
Chi Yeon Cho-Quyet Chien Tran
Torbjörn Blomdahl-Jae Guen Kim
Nikos Polychronopoulos-Tayfun Tasdemir
Can Capak-Murat Naci Coklu
Frédéric Caudron-Jae Ho Cho
Minh Cam Ma: a dramitcal finish in the shoot-outs with Murat Naci Coklu
Frédéric Caudron, a solid warm-up and an easy revenge against another Ma
Myung-Woo Cho, the always frolic young boy after his win over Haeng-Jik Kim
Jae-Ho Cho, first win and waiting for Caudron in the next match
Quyet Chien Tran bested the world champion Dani Sánchez
Dong-Koong Kang, the better of Dick Jaspers
Marco Zanetti, the European champion in a brilliant form
Nikos Polychronopoulos, among Europe's best on the final days
Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, happy after his win against Sayginer
Torbjörn Blomdahl, on his way back to the top of the ranking?
Tayfun Tasdemir, black beast again for Eddy Leppens