ANKARA - The traditional top three in Turkish three-cushion billiards comes from the Turkish billiard stronghold of Istanbul. The new big rival and challenger for the three world class players is Lütfi Cenet from the capital Ankara. The 42-year-old, two-time World champion with the Turkish national team, is one of the standout players in the COVID era with victories in the UMB Challenges and recently the stunning victory in the Turkish Grand Prix with 1,500 players. Lütfi Cenet still falls just outside the UMB ranking top 12 due to the long stop, but already unmistakably belongs to the 'Big Four' in Turkey as the youngest of the other famous top guns: Semih Saygier (56), Murat Naci Coklu (46) and Tayfun Tasdemir (45).
He moved himself one time to Istanbul, because Cenet could play more Grand Prix tournaments there and supposed he could develop better. That was in the period between 2007 and 2012. ''But my father, Yasar, became ill, he got cancer, so I went back to Ankara. He was a big fan and often came to the billiards club where I played. He passed away in 2014. I was married in the meantime and did not return to Istanbul after that.''
The star of Lütfi Cenet, who spread his wings as a kind of 'Eagle from Ankara', then rose rapidly on the international stage. With his 15 Grand Prix victories, two World Cup finals and two titles with the Turkish national team, he stepped out of the shadow of the Turkish top three from Istanbul. ''We have great players in Ankara as well, such as Tolgahan Kiraz, Murat Celik, Muharrem Peker and Mehmet Aksoy, but the real billiard stronghold of our country is Istanbul with its many famous clubs, players and major tournaments.''
Kozoom had an interview with Lütfi Cenet after his victory in the Antalya Grand Prix (final win against Turgay Orak, overall average over 2), looking forward to the new season start.
Passport:
Name: Lütfi Cenet
Age: 42
Residence: Ankara
Birthplace: Ankara
Married to: Başak
Cue: Hanbat
Sponsor: Hanbat
Hobby outside billiards: Watch basketball
Main titles: World champion with Turkey in 2011 (with Tasdemir), 2019 (with Coklu)
Two times runner-up World Cup: Hurghada 2012, Veghel 2019
15 times winner Grand Prix in Turkey
Club: Yaman Academy Club
Kozoom/Frits Bakker: Your roots are in Ankara, the capital, what kind of family are you from? Which school, which education?
Lütfi Cenet: I come from a family with two sisters and one big brother. I grew up, went to school, later went to university (business) and started playing billiards around the age of 15. At first, I played free game billiards with a friend, during and after my studies, but three-cushion was very popular in many clubs, so I switched quite quickly.
Kozoom/FB: What were the first signs of talent, how were you discovered, so to speak?
Lütfi Cenet: I met some then already well-known players, later legends in Turkish billiards. They saw me when playing in the club, talked to me and said: you are talented to move on further. Then I started to participate in some tournaments. I became champion of my town for the first time in 2005 with 1,750 on average, a year later, I joined the national team.
Kozoom/FB: How did you develop as a professional player? Which trainers or coaches played a role in your development?
Lütfi Cenet: I started to practice more and more in the club of my friend Haci Arap Yaman, he was the world artistic champion. Avni Köksal, formerlijk a multiple Turkish champion, was one of my first trainers. And also important for me, mentally, was Mehmet Coskun Meric, who unfortunately passed away this year.
Kozoom/FB: How quickly did you achieve successes as the new star player in a country where three cushion is hugely popular?
Lütfi Cenet: I won my first Turkish title in 2007 and my first Grand Prix in the same era. Then I moved to Istanbul and for the first time I could participate in the European Team championship with Ismail Yasin, with whom we finished third in 2008. And a year later Tayfun Tasdemir and I won the world title. My first big success in a World Cup was when I played the final in Egypt in 2008. I lost to Frédéric Caudron. I was close to revenge when I made the final again in the World Cup in Veghel, two years ago. But I lost to HaengJik Kim.
Kozoom/FB: What are your main targets when the international competitions start again soon?
Lütfi Cenet: Billiards is my big love and my profession. I always want to become better, to grow further, have more success. We all long for the top tournaments again, I will play them all with the ambition to score on the highest stages.
Lütfi Cenet is one of the Turkish top guns on the international stage
Lütfi Cenet celebrates the World titel for Turkey with Murat Naci Coklu