BLANKENBERGE – The gentle breeze at Blankenberge’s boulevard heralds the attractive final wake-up call in the Multi Championships in Belgium. The first titles are at stake this Friday: the first qualifying rounds and the knockouts in three-cushion. Patrick Niessen welcomes his first gold medal in this year, but his 53rd in total. Two known three-cushion players are already out, as Jef Philipoom failed to survive the preliminary rounds and Roland Forthomme was eliminated in the first knockouts by Peter De Backer. The title race in three-cushion is almost on par with the Netherlands, where the Masters are coming up. Just like in the Netherlands tonight (Friday), the Belgians have eight finalists left. The Belgians for the World Championships in Viersen have already been determined: Eddy Merckx and Ronny Brants. The Netherlands was still battling for spots this week, determined by the standings after four Grand Prix tournaments and the Masters. Dick Jaspers was already secured, and Glenn Hofman is now guaranteed second place. This is the first time Jaspers/Hofman have formed the Dutch team. Last year, Dick Jaspers and Jean Paul de Bruijn became world champions.

The title fight in Belgian three-cushion billiards will focus on Saturday and Sunday, after the top sixteen from the preliminary rounds compete in the knockouts on Friday. Defending champion Eddy Merckx emerged as the best winner from the preliminary rounds with 6 match points and an average of 1.875, ahead of Frédéric Caudron with 6 and 1.714, Roland Forthomme with 4 points and 1.597, Peter Ceulemans with 6 points and 1.558, and Stef van Hees with 6 points and 1.463. Jef Philipoom, the man who never misses the first knockouts, was now eliminated by Stef van Hees and Francis Forton. For comparison, after two days in the Netherlands: Glenn Hofman 1,739, Dick Jaspers 1,666, Jeffrey Jorissen 1,538, and Jean Paul de Bruijn 1,396 are the highest averages.

The knockout round in Belgium is today, Friday:

Merckx-Brants (the tandem for Viersen)

Van Havere-Kurt Ceulemans

Caudron-Broux

Bart Ceulemans-Van Acker

Forthomme-De Backer

Van Hees-Wuyts

De Bondt-Vandendriessche

Peter Ceulemans-Forton

All quarterfinals are on Saturday at 9:00 PM.

Patrick Niessen already won his first classics title on Friday morning. The championship winner, now with 53 titles, defeated his biggest rival, Maarten Janssen, 250-73 in the 47/2 final, in three innings. The other title contenders are Niessen (free game), Janssen and Niessen (47/1), Niessen and Ravestyn (71/2), De Backer and Niessen (one cushion billiards), Engelbosch and Debaes (5-pins), and Erik Vervliet, Bart Rossel, and Tim Janssens in artistic billiards.

Patrick Niessen, eerste titels van dit jaar

The 88-year old legend Raymund Ceulemans in the stands

Tom van Biesen, one of the referees for the marathon of matches