SEOUL – Two finalists, both 51 years young, one from Spain, the other from Turkey, competed for the first billiards gold in the new season in PBA, the Korean professional league. Murat Naci Coklu defeated Dani Sánchez 4-1 in sets after a superior final. For Coklu, it was his second victory in PBA after winning the final against Dong Koong Kang in 2024. ’’It feels fantastic to start the new year with a victory,’’ said Coklu after the exuberant celebration. ’’I celebrated the party with my sponsors and with Dani Sánchez, who is a good friend for many years.’
Murat Naci Coklu played a sublime final phase of this tournament, defeating Juan David Zapata, Duc Anh Chien Nguyen, Jung-ju Shin and Savas Bulut, among others. "The match against Jung-ju Shin, my team mate at Hanacarde team, was really difficult and I won 3-2, then I won twice 3-0, once 4-0 and in the final 4-1. So I only lost one more set in four matches. I felt strong, especially in the final against Dani. He is a better player than me, but I had a better feeling in the final." The set scores were 15-12, 15-11, 15-8, 6-15 and 15-4.
The Turkish winner defeated Kang-uk Lee, Savas Bulut, Jung-ju Shin, Duc Anh Chien Nguyen, Nam-soo Kim, Juan David Zapata and Dani Sánchez in succession. He played his best averages against Nam-soo Kim with 2.368 and Nguyen with 2.143. The first match against Kang-uk Lee was a real thriller. ’’I won the first two sets, then the Korean won 15-12 and 15-14 because I missed a bankshot in the fourth set and he was able to finish the set. Then came the penalty: one inning each. He started and made 4, I could win the match with 5. It was the start of my winning streak.’ In his race to the final, Dani Sánchez defeated SJ Lee (4-0, 2,500 average), Jae Guen Kim (3-2), JK Kim (3-0, 3,000 average) and TJ Oh (3-0, 2,813), among others.
The final of the first PBA tournament was between two seasoned Europeans. Murat Naci Coklu was runner-up once at a World Championship, won the European Championship in 2004 and won two World Cups in La Baule and Istanbul. Dani Sánchez was four times world champion, three times European champion, won the World Games and 12 World Cups.
Murat Naci Coklu was ready for an extensive interview with Kozoom after his victory.
Kozoom/Frits Bakker: We are used to see Emel, your wife, sharing in your happiness after victories. Where was she this time?
Murat: For once, she stayed in Turkey to take care of her mother, who has minor heart problems and needs to undergo tests at the hospital. Emel wanted to be there to take care of her. Of course, I missed her at the award ceremony.
Kozoom/FB: How did you manage to be so strong in this first PBA tournament and not give any of your opponents a chance in the final phase?
Murat: There are those games, like in the final, where everything goes well, you feel good and your confidence is at the peak. I had that feeling in the final and Dani much less so. We often train together a lot, we're very good friends, so I know Dani for a long time. He was a bit unrecognisable in the final, which I took advantage of. And in the other matches before the final, I was also able to beat my opponents by a large margin. I had a difficult start with those penalties, and I was lucky to win 5-4 after his 4. After that, everything just got better and better, it turned out to be my tournament, I enjoyed it immensely.
Kozoom/FB: You are 51 now, just like Dani Sánchez. How are you doing physically? How are you enjoying Korea? What are your days like between the tournaments?
Murat: I think Korea is a great country and I feel at my best here. The food is good, healthier than in my country, the atmosphere is good, I live in a nice apartment here and can train as much as I want. Close to my house is a club where I usually play matches and train. The Koreans play handicap matches every day, some have to score 30 points, or 40, I play to 50. I often train with Adnan Yüksel, Dani Sánchez and many others. Ga-young Kim, the Korean who wins all the women's tournaments, is my teammate. She has a private room with two match tables, and I often train with her too. Yes, life is good in Korea, I feel happy here and will be glad when Emel comes back soon.
Kozoom/FB: What is your next tournament?
Murat: We are starting the next individual tournament this weekend, followed by the team competition. I am playing with Hanapay again, with whom we became champions two years ago and finished third last year. We are playing with the same team, including Ga-young Kim, Jung-ju Shin, and Nguyen Quoc Nguyen.
Kozoom/FB: How is it possible that Ga-young Kim has now won eight tournaments in a row? What a phenomenon that must be in Korea!
Murat: I think she is the best player in the world. The women's tournament is very competitive, with many former UMB champions participating. Yet she has been winning everything for two years now. Ga-young is very popular in Korea, and I consider her the best player in the world. Therese Klompenhouwer is also world class, of course, and a fantastic player. I would love to see those two play each other to see who really is the best in the world.
Kozoom/FB: So everything is going great for Murat, he's in great shape, living well, in a winning mood, and enjoying a wonderful life outside of billiards. Is there anything else you would like to say to your European colleagues and friends?
Murat: I follow billiards in Europe closely, of course, and enjoy the tournaments. I did get a little angry about one thing. That young Greek player who told a story about the Turkish airport in Istanbul, that he wasn't allowed to take his cue on the plane. That’s a nonsense story, really, he knows very well that you're not allowed to take a cue on board in Turkish Airlines. That's also in Korea and many other countries. Maybe not in the Netherlands or Germany, but Turkish Airlines is definitely aware of this. You have to hand in your cue case at check-in for ’oversized’ luggage; we billiard players all know that. Everything else is fine, but I just wanted to respond to this story.
Thank you, Murat, for the interview.
