The Korean former world champion Sung-Won Choi has won the second session of the 4x10 Virtual Challenge after a strong final end rush. On the finish line, he beat the other Asian, Dinh Nai Ngo, by a two caroms margin: 75-73. Semih Sayginer, who started badly on the final day, made an incredibly wonderful attempt to come back. With his run of 20 in the final innings, at lightning speed, the Turkish ball wizard was only nine points down the leader. But finally, it wasn't enough for the victory: Choi was the winner, Ngo second, Sayginer third and Blomdahl the last.
The Asian supremacy with one Korean and one Vietnamese in the lead, followed by Sayginer and Blomdahl, only faltered in sight of the finish, because only then, Semih had one of his genius whims. He improved the record run of the Challenge in his impressive performance: after 20 caroms, the 21st attempt, a short-long-short renversé, just missed its goal. The Korean and the Vietnamese still were in danger facing Sayginer's last attack for two more innings.
That final phase started with Choi at 73 points, Ngo at 70 and Sayginer at 63, but ended in a bizarre way. The Turkish prince saw his two rivals under pressure only score twice (Ngo) and one time (Choi) in the last two innings but missed himself after a two and two in his penultimate innings, one time after an unlucky kiss. The end thus turned out into an anti-climax under high tension.
Two highlights marked this last day of the Challenge. Sung-Won Choi, the 2014 World champion in a final in his own country against Torbjörn Blomdahl, started a spectacular catch-up race at Ngo after the first day (46 against 34). He attacked at high speed with runs of 8, 13, 1, 7 and 5 in his first five innings. The result: Choi led after five innings 68-58 and two innings later even with a 15-points margin. Sayginer only scored ten times in the first five innings, but was sublime in the second part with 4, 4 and 20.
The Korean winner earned 1.000 euros for his victory, Dinh Nai Ngo 500 euros for his runner-up position and Semih Sayginer 500 euros for the best run in the tournament. Torbjörn Blomdahl could only shine with a run of nine in the final part, but could not interfere in the fight for the main prizes.
The final ranking over two days:
1 Sung-Won Choi 75 points (3,750)
2 Dinh Nai Ngo 73 (3,650)
3 Semih Sayginer 69 (3,450)
4 Torbjörn Blomdahl 59 (2,950).
Sung-Won Choi (the winner, right), Semih Sayginer (stunning finish): picture from Continental Cup