GURI - The highlights with high averages were uncommon at the first day of the World Cup in Guri, where Japanese Orie Hida, four-time women's world champion, had a false start, but still survived on 'ladies day'. Yuko Nishimoto, the other Japanese and twice silver winner at a World championship, was beaten in her two matches, like her compatriot Makiko Inoue and Vietnamese ladies Kien Tuong Phung and Bich Tram Nguyen. Three famous ladies from the circuit, Therese Klompenhouwer, Sruong Pheavy and Gülsen Degener, start in the following days. The first day winner was Korean Ja-In Kang playing 1,304 on average, ahead of four countrymen, Moon, Lee, Oh and Jung, all just over 1 average. The always unpredictable Luis Aveiga from Ecuador did not show up.
Orie Hida was the only one of six ladies on the first day to win a match. Therefore she took the qualification for the next day in a group with three 'two-point-players', of which Hida was the best on average with 0.776. Yuko Nishimoto finished 0.542 after two losses, Kien Tuong Phung 0.563 (lost 30-29 and 30-28), Bich Tram Nguyen 0.368 and Makiko Inoue 0.360. The competition for Klompenhouwer and Hida was therefore not yet in the picture in this field.
39-year-old Spanish classic player Raul Cuenca came to the start of one of his few World Cups and was eliminated with 0.888 on average after one win and one loss. The European champion 71/2 in 2017 lost his first match against Turk Engin Kurtulan (30-26 in 29) and won the second beating Le Dinh Dung 30-27.
Belgian Tim Gorrebeeck, 35 from Deurne, played his second World Cup after Hurghada long ago, in 2010. "I am gaining experience, but knew that I didn't have much chance to win a match," he commented after two losses, playing Spaniard Peña and Vietnamese Hoang Hai Tran, averaging just below 0.500. Tomorrow, on Tuesday, he will climb the stands to support his friend Wesley de Jaeger, who plays against Korean Park and Vietnamese Nguyen.
Yuko Nishimoto, twice silver at World championship, is out after two losses
Kien Tuong Phung, lost her matches 30-29 and 30-28
Vietnamese lady Bich Tram Nguyen didn't survive the first day
Raul Cuenca, the European 71/2 champion in 2017, could not show his best in Guri World Cup