ANKARA - The fourth and final world championship in Ankara brings together the world's best artistic players in the battle for the world title. The men, women and juniors have finished their championships, while the artificers are concluding the cycle and will play the knock-out rounds today (Friday) and Saturday. Today starting the eighth finals and quarter-finals, Saturday the semi-finals at 11.000 and 13.30 Turkish time and the final at 17.30. Dutchman René Dericks led the rankings of 16 seeded players on Thursday evening. He had the best percentage of 71.40 with six match points ahead of Manfred Hekerle with 66.02, Michael Hammen with 65.86, Erik Vervliet with 65.32 and Eric Daelman with 64.31. Six of eight group winners finished with six match points, Haci Arap Yaman and Jop de Jong were group winners with four match points.
The 16 players face each other in the knockouts after those group rounds. Best-known players who did not make the final rounds were Sander Jonen and Jean Reverchon, two players with two world titles, and Sedar Gumus. Mexican David Gonzalez was the only non-European among those best 16. Among those 16 were three Spaniards, two Belgians, two French, three Turks, two Dutch, two Germans, one Mexican and one Austrian.
The matches for the first knockout round:
Jop de Jong-David Gonzalez
Rene Dericks-Marvin Heinrich
Eric Daelman-Thomas Ahrens
Erik Vervliet-Xavier Fonellosa
Kevin Tran-Hector Cuadrado
Michael Hammen-Sergio Sanchez
Haci Arap Yaman-Memet Sezer
Manfred Hekerle-Baric Cin
The seeded players from the group matches
Group A:
Kevin Tran 6-66.28
Hector Cuadrado 4-62.50
Group B:
Rene Dericks 6-71.40
Xavier Fonellosa 4-59.92
Group C:
Michael Hammen 6-65.86
Marvin Heinrich 4-51.57
(not qualified Sander Jonen) 2-53.26
Group D:
Erik Vervliet 6-65.32
Sergio Sanchez 4-57.41
Group E:
Jop de Jong 4-62.41
Thomas Ahrens 4-61.55
(not qualified Serdar Gumus) 4-57.54
Group F:
Manfred Hekerle 6-66.02
David Gonzalez 4-67.56
(not qualified Jean Reverchon) 2-63.41
Group G:
Eric Daelman 6-65.31
Baris Cin 4-55.12
Group H:
Haci Arap Yaman 4-66.99
Mehmet Sezer 4-65.33.