World ChampionshipAntwerpen (Belgium)

Sameh Sidhom shines with sublime start at Worlds

10/16/2025

Published by frits bakker

Sameh Sidhom showed his excellent form with a 50 in 11

LINT/ANTWERP – Big names were knocked off the podium on the first day in the knockouts for the finals at the World three-cushion championship. Sameh Sidhom closed the evening as a sublime winner in a match against Tom Löwe with runs of 14 and 13: 50 in 14, averaging 3.571. Dick Jaspers, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Tayfun Tasdemir, and Haeng Jik Kim are among the sixteen losers from this day's tournament. Sameh Sidhom made his two high runs of 14 and 13 in the first four innings and led 38-7 in 4. Dick Jaspers suffered a remarkable loss in the Dutch clash against Jean Paul de Bruijn, and Haeng Jik Kim was rudely disillusioned by Myung Woo Cho. The World championship in Lint, Belgium, went from 32 players to 16 in the first knockout stage. The sky-high averages didn’t show up, except in the matches of Sameh Sidhom, Frédéric Caudron (50 in 19), and Martin Horn (50 in 20). Torbjörn Blomdahl fought in vain against Eddy Merckx, the second Belgian to survive the day, in a match with some tension towards the end. Frédéric Caudron had put Roland Forthomme to the rack in a sovereign match. The revelation of the day was Arnim Kahofer, the Austrian all-rounder who has been chasing success for years and is finally taking a step into the upper echelons. The outsiders who made it to the final sixteen were Thomas Andersen, Arnim Kahofer, and Beom Yeol Lee.

Five former world champions will not return for the next round: Torbjörn Blomdahl, Dick Jaspers, Quyet Chien Tran, Tayfun Tasdemir and Ryuuji Umeda.

Any doubts about Frédéric Caudron's form have now been dispelled. The Belgian phenomenon's start in the first knockout round at the World Championship against his countryman Roland Forthomme received huge applause from the crowd. Caudron thundered magnificently over his opponent in the early afternoon on Thursday, delivering a riant 50-19 score in 19 innings, averaging 2.631. On the second day, during qualifying, Caudron was somewhat instable and was defeated by Korean Haeng Jik Kim. The Belgian clash against Forthomme revealed a completely different Caudron: technically prodigious, as in his better days, aggressive in his playing style, and superb in his finishing. The Belgian fans saw an absolute favorite for the podium in action.

The next opponent, on Friday, came from an unexpected quarter-final. Tayfun Tasdemir was the best player in the qualifying rounds, but the Turk was defeated by Thomas Andersen in his first knockout match. The blond Dane struggled to finish, just as he had the day before against Peter Ceulemans. The mental pressure briefly became too much, giving Tasdemir five more chances at 48-27 down. The Turk fought back with runs of 4, 8, and 5, suffered an unfortunate miscue, and missed within three caroms from the final. Then Andersen was able to win the match with 2: 50-47 in 27.

Another minor sensation also loomed in this round. Martin Horn, the World Cup winner on Sunday, seemed on his way to a knockout by the Turk Tolgahan Kiraz, who made a nice 12 to take a 29-14 lead. Kiraz came up 32-17, but then the German launched his attack. Martin Horn made runs of 9, 7, and finally 12 in his last inning to secure the final sprint: 50-40 in 20.

Jean Paul de Bruijn was a tormentor for Dick Jaspers in the Dutch battle. The World Championships quickly lost their world number one. Dick Jaspers stumbled over Jean Paul de Bruijn, as it often happens in the Netherlands, but rarely at World Championships and World Cups. On this Thursday of the World Championships, De Bruijn wasn't the dangerous outsider, but a stunning winner. It must be said: Dick Jaspers is searching for his best form for a few months now, especially in the competitions. The Dutch number one is playing with glasses for two weeks, because he feels they allow him to see more clearly. The World Championship qualifiers more or less proved him right. Jaspers won his group of three with a very acceptable average, but on Thursday against De Bruijn, he was again struggling to find form, rhythm, and high runs.

Jean Paul de Bruijn took the lead in the match with a run of 13 in the 14th inning and held on to it. The final score was 50-33 in 25 innings.

Another world-class player also had to retire from the tournament in this first round. Vietnamese Quyet Chien Tran, expected to face Jaspers in the next round, but lost to Korean Beom Yeol Lee 50-42 in 37.

Phuong Vinh Bao remains brave and with high expectations in the race with a 50-28 win over Yilmaz Özcan in 26. Thanh Luc Tran defeated Umeda 50-38 in 38. Arnim Kahofer won in the final sprint against Hong Chiem Thai, the Vietnamese coming man: 50-48 in 26/25. Jérémy Bury remains proudly in the tournament with a 50-28 victory over Jose Miguel Soares in 28/27. Marco Zanetti defeated Mikaël Devogelaere 50-28 in 23.

Frédéric Caudron cheered by Roland Forthomme