HOOGLEDE – The Belgian Cup in the billiards country with its great champions, is a kind of prize of honor. Peter Ceulemans claimed another title this Sunday afternoon, even though there were no ranking points and only a small cash prize to be won. The victory, however, enhances the status of the billiards player who is eyeing the top of the world rankings during these glorious years of his career. With the Belgian Cup in his trophy cabinet, he departs for Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday for the World Cup. "I had to put myself up in the final after a bitter loss in the first set," he said later. "Then, I fell 2-0 behind as well, but I kept the confidence that I could come into my game. And that is exactly what happened. The match was exciting, but I managed to win beautifully."
Peter Ceulemans, who was also crowned with the European title this year, has kicked off a famous year. In Hooglede this Sunday, he also defeated Roland Forthomme after a magnificent battle in the cup final, winning 3-2. It really couldn't have been more exciting for the spectators at the Gulden Zonne, the stronghold where so many cup finals are played. Roland Forthomme shone in the first two sets, took a 2-0 lead, and saw Peter Ceulemans make a miraculous comeback to turn the score to a 3-2 victory.
The absence of Eddy Merckx, eliminated in the preliminary rounds, and Frédéric Caudron had barely diminished this cup battle. The build-up was admittedly more predictable and tailor-made for the two sole contenders. The final, with a match of high runs, made up for that.
The first blow came from Ceulemans, who led 9-0 in 4, but had to concede the first set to Forthomme after a final sprint, winning 15-14. The rest of the match belonged to Forthomme, who started 11 in the second set and finished with 4 in the second inning: 15-1 in 2 innings. The tone was set, but that was without reckoning with the tenacious fighter Peter Ceulemans. First it came to 15-6 in 7 for the comeback kid, then 15-7 in 8 after a run of 8 in the fourth set, and finally the final offered another glimpse of Peter Ceulemans' class. He started with 11 (11-1 in 1), pulled away to 13-3, and finished the match with two: 15-3 in 5.
Peter Ceulemans' track record has risen to great heights over the last three years. The Belgian title in 2024, after a final 40-25 in 32 against Roland Forthomme, was the start of a brilliant race. The European title made the Ceulemans offspring's breakthrough even more spectacular, and now the Belgian Cup has followed. "Things are going well on all fronts, because we won the cup in the Netherlands with our Eekhoorn team and w’re also still in the race for the championship."
This Sunday of the Belgian Cup, two semi-finals were played first. Peter Ceulemans defeated his younger brother Bart 3-0 in the semi-final, while Roland Forthomme beat 80-year-old Leslie Menheer 3-1. Peter Ceulemans scored about twice as many points as Bart (1.667 against 0.880) and won the sets 15-13 in 13, 15-7 in 7, and 15-2 in 7/6. Leslie Menheer seemed poised to cause an upset against Roland Forthomme with a first set win of 15-6. Forthomme's start was therefore quite mediocre, but he recovered quickly with three sublime sets: 15-4 in 7, 15-1 in 3, and 15-8 in 11 for a 3-1 final score of 1.457 and 0.823.
Ronny Rouffa was the winner of the cup at the small table after defeating Michael Parent.
The final standings on the match table:
1 Peter Ceulemans
2 Roland Forthomme
3 Bart Ceulemans
4 Leslie Menheer
5 Francis Forton
6 Andy de Bondt
7 Peter De Backer
8 Martin Spoormans
(Pictures Morgan Delame)
The Belgian cup podium in Hooglede