PORTO - The young Korean star Myung Woo Cho (17) and Turkish player Ilhan Úrkút topped the ranking after the second day of preliminaries at the World Cup in Porto. Both of them gathered the maximum match points and played 1.428 average. Myung Woo Cho, who won the silver medal at the last Junior World championships in Sluiskil, defeated two young Dutch players in his group matches: Michael Vink and Jim Anneveldt.
The Spaniards finished with six players in the top sixteen and David Martinez (1.250) and Carlos Crespo (1.224) in the top five. Raymon Groot took four match points and 1.333 (highest day run of eleven). He was the only Dutchman to remain for next round.
Three Koreans, two Turks, two Portuguese, one Belgian (Henk Blauwblomme) and one Japanese (Hiroshi Sasaki) were the other players in yesterday's kwalification.
The group with the two Turks, Semih Sayginer and Birol Uymaz and the young Spaniard Juan David Zapata is the group of death for today's round (Wednesday). The Turks, who met at the World Cup in Luxor (Uymaz winner), meet at 12.30 (Portuguese time).
The number one from the qualification, Myung Woo Cho, faces the Italian Emilio Sciacca and later Arnim Kahofer from Austria. Two other Turks, Ilhan Ürküt and Hakan Incekara play in Group B with Kostas Papakonstantinou. Raymon Groot finds the experienced Japanese Tatsuo Arai and Korean Jin Pyo Hong on his way.
Peter Ceulemans, who reached the semi-finals last year, where he was eliminated by Roland Forthomme, faces Ra Hee Kim and David Martinez. Tolgahan Kiraz enters the tournament against Carlos Crespo, Henk Blauwblomme against Gungor Bastunali and Dinh Nai Ngo.
Alfonso Legazpi will meet, after his strong finish on Tuesday, Khaled Salem and Ahmet Bayatli. Three Koreans cross swords in Group H: Hyung Kon Kim, Durk Hee Hwang and Oh Bok Cho.
Jae Guen Kim starts with a match against his compatriot Kwang Yeol Park, Savas Bulut is facing Konstantinos Bartsokas and Esteve Mata.
Two Turks, Ahmet Alp and Bülent Özdemir compete for the group win with the Japanese Sasaki. The Vietnamese veteran Vinh Ly The meets the Korean Ji Hun Ahn, who already survived two days in Porto.
Jef Philipoom and Jean Reverchon, two seasoned players, are in a group with the Turk Hakan Adiguzel.
Emrullah Basegmez, the coming man of Turkish billiards, finds Gokhan Salman as his most feared opponent. Tae Soo Lim is the main contender for victory in Group O. And in Group P Semih Sayginer, Birol Uymaz and Juan David Zapata battle for the group win.
The matches are played at eight tables, Kozoom will broadcast all matches live as of 11.00 Portuguese time.
The young Korean Myung Woo Cho was the day winner.