BORDEAUX - This is the type of match that is a joy to play. It was said by Eddy Merckx, after his fifth-gear win over American Miguel Torres. The Belgian had made his 40 points when on the other tables, halftime had not even been reached. ,,That's because I was the only one playing'', said Merckx, who handed his opponent a 40-8 in 12 drubbing.
Tayfun Tasdemir and Dick Jaspers also had smooth sailing into the quarterfinals. Blomdahl had to work hard to get rid of Jae Ho Cho and book his place in the last eight.
Marco Zanetti had apparently given his all in the match against Ma, yesterday. His bout with Tayfun Tasdemir was basically over after ten innings, after the Turk had run 12 and taken a 22-8 lead. ,,I know that Marco is a comeback-king'', said Tasdemir later. He could not live up to his reputation this time: 40-21 in 18 innings.
It was the round of the high runs, because not only did Merckx make a 15, Blomdahl ran 8 and 9 in the second half of his match against Cho. The Korean also ran a 9 to take a 38-37 lead, but an expensive miss opened the door for Blomdahl: 40-38 in 40).
Dick Jaspers had a very poor start against Vietnamese Quyet Chien Tran, and after nine innings (12-3 behind) he had not had a decent position yet. When he finally mounted his challenge (16th inning, run of 9) Tran could not keep up the way he did in their epic battle in the Porto World Cup.
Jaspers won 40-26 in 21 and will face one of the rivals of his life in the next round: Torbjörn Blomdahl.