ANKARA - The men's tournament at the World three cushion championship in Ankara did not excel with high averages, the ladies' championship neither had a flashy start on the first day either. The highest in average was Therese Klompenhouwer, just under 1, but the reigning champion did start the tournament with a loss. The eight group winners finished with 4 match points, the highest in average was Shin Young Lee with 0.833.
According to the experts, the table conditions were good but variable, as had already been seen in the men's tournament. The Zeki Bilardo table was of a new model and, in the combination with the Class One cloth, had never been played on before at a World three cushion championship.
The best in average at the men's Worlds was Marco Zanetti with 1.685 ahead of Jérémy Bury with 1.684. Those averages were considerably lower than at the previous World championship in Donghae City (Tasdemir 2.244, Cho 2.273). Still, Zeki Bilardo match tables are known for quality and Class One cloths are reliable.
Strange and disappointing at the Women's Worlds on the first day were mainly the performances of three ladies with chances for podium spots. Charlotte Sörensen was eliminated with two losses and 0.409, Danielle le Bruyn with two losses and 0.472 and Güzin Müjde Karakasli with two losses and 0.520. Therefore, three well-known players, but also one of the Vietnamese ladies already disappeared from the World’s tournament without any chance.
Therese Klompenhouwer did not have a best start against Ha Eun Kim either, losing 25-22 in 28 innings, but in her next match against Colombian Jakeline Perez, the world champion recovered with 25-9 in 20 innings.
The eight group wins on the first day, with an unbeaten score, when 16 players went to the knockouts, were two Korean women, one Colombian, one Turkish, one Japanese, one French, one Czech, one Vietnamese
Pool A:
Ha Eun Kim 4-0.806-6
Therese Klompenhouwer 2-0.979-6
Jackeline Perez 0-0.462-3
Pool B:
Shin Young Lee 4-0.833-5
Mirjam Plum 2-0.661-6
Charlotte Sörensen 0-0.409-4
Pool C:
Yuko Nishimoto 4-0.806-5
Monique van Exter 2-0.565-4
Müjde Karakasli 0-0.520-4
Pool D:
Magali Declunder 4-0.666-7
Marianne Mortensen 2-0.563-6
Claudia Lalinde 0-0.400-4
Pool E:
Irena Michalkova 4-0.526-3
Estela Cardoso 2-0.516-4
Monika Steinberg 0-0.339-3
Pool F:
Johanna Sandoval 4-0.531-4
Noriko Fukao 2-0.662-4
Nhi Hoangyen 0-0.465-4
Pool G:
Gülsen Degener 4-0.694-5
Andrea Cardona 2-0.687-5
Danielle le Bruyn 0-0.472-5
Pool H:
Kien Tuong Phung 4-0.617-4
Soledad Gomez 2-0.500-4
Katja Titze 0-0.318-4
The format for the knockouts with 16:
Shin Young Lee-Soledad Gomez
Irena Michalkova-Therese Klompenhouwer
Magali Declunder, Mirjam Pruim
Gülsen Degener-Monique van Exter
Yuko Nishimoto-Marianne Mortensen
Kien Tuong Phung-Noriko Fukao
Johana Sandoval-Andrea Cardona
Ha Eun Kim-Estela Cardoso
Gülsen Degener with her new look
Korean Shin Young Lee
Vietnamese lady Kien Tuong Phung