ANTWERP - The World championship three cushion in Antwerp certainly is getting very close. The tournament, which is held at the Lotto Arena, one of the city’s most famous sports temples, is part of the events in the context of Antwerp as European City of sports in 2013.
For two years, the organization has been working towards this World’s and during the press conferences, in recent weeks, they showed the world what players and spectators can expect in Antwerp. The championship, from 16 to 20 October, will be the perfect stage for high class sport and spectacle.
The latest news was the announcement of the trophy, the winner of the tournament will be rewarded with: an exceptional Molinari cue, decorated with 80 small diamonds.
Ludo Dielis with his great team of organizers is preparing for one of the biggest billiards events in history. The man, who in his years as a top player fought legendary battles with Raymond Ceulemans, his compatriot and greatest billiard player ever, has already proven his great organizational skills with the Supercup and the election of the Player of the Year. At the end of that cycle, the Antwerp is entirely dedicated to the organization of the World championship.
With only one week to go before the start, the question arises: who are the top guns, the big favorites and who are the dark horses, who will be competing for the world title?
Kozoom takes a look at the field and highlighted the potential world champions.
First of all, of course, Eddy Merckx, the reigning world champion, who can, with the renewal of his title, follow in Torbjörn Blomdahl’s footsteps. The Swede, who took the title in 1987 in Cairo and was honored a year later after a cycle of six World Cups as world champion, was the last who won two times in a row.
But of course, the greatest of all champions, Raymond Ceulemans, has a much more impressive record of achievements, including a continuous title race between 1975 (La Paz) and 1980 (Buenos Aires) and before from 1963 (Neuss) to 1973 (Cairo), with eleven titles in a row.
The main contenders for the World championship in Antwerp 2013 at a glance:
Torbjörn Blomdahl, Sweden, world champion in 1987, 1988, 1991 and 1997:
The player with the most experience in the entire field, a salty dog, who has been there done that and seen it all. The Swede, with his frivolous, casual style of playing is back on top and has grown to another, absolute peak in his career. There is a lot of respect for Blomdahl, especially among the young players. His intuition is breathtaking, his confidence, after the victory in the Greek World Cup with a fantastic world record, bigger than it ever was.
Frédéric Caudron, Belgium, world champion in 1999:
The player with the greatest skill and technique in all disciplines. Always dangerous, a man who can suddenly strike from a large backlog. He wins his most matches with his dreaded turbo start or a powerful end rush: 20, 25 caroms in a few innings are no exception. Winner of the Super prestige this year in Belgium already and in a brilliant form in the league competitions in recent weeks.
Eddy Merckx, Belgium, world champion in 2007 and 2012:
The reigning world champion faces a tough mission to defend his title, especially now that he’s playing for his home crowd. The pressure will be on, as never before. But still, Eddy Merckx is unpredictable and imperturbable in the big tournaments. Like no other, he can focus on a tournament in which he, like the World championship, is getting stronger towards the final round.
Dick Jaspers, Netherlands, world champion in 2000, 2004 and 2011:
The gloss seems a bit faded, but it will be no surprise as Jaspers suddenly grows to his highest level. His technical skill, accuracy and fighting spirit are great weapons. Jaspers never lost a World champion’s final match. He knows that only top form will not be enough. Only If he regains his confidence and with a little luck he take the world title again.
Marco Zanetti, Italy, world champion in 2002 and 2008:
The Italian was the player who dominated almost everywhere this year. He won the Lausanne Masters, the Agipi Masters, the European championship and the World Games. The end of tis series of victories was inevitable, of course. But now, exasperated and furious as Zanetti is, he may therefore be seen as one of the big favorites again. Zanetti has, according to the experts, the best feeling for the ball speed of all professional players. At the billiard, he is cold and calculating. He often needs to grow in the match with a wake-up call, but under pressure he is the best.
Daniel Sánchez, Spain, world champion in 1998, 2005 and 2010:
The little Spaniard, one of the 'Big Four' in winning titles, with Blomdahl, Jaspers and Caudron, had to accept his role of shadow favorite in recent years. His energy and powerful shots not directly in line with his quite fragile physical. However, Sánchez is known for his killer instinct. When he is on his best, he rarely fails in big tournaments.
Eddy Leppens, Belgium, vice world champion in 2010:
When asked if he is ready to win the world title, he answered resolutely: ,,Yes, for sure I am.’’ Eddy Leppens has gained experience in all disciplines, but still misses an international title on his honor roll. At this World championship, in Antwerp, he will can more dangerous than ever, with the support of the Belgian public.
Filippos Kasidokostas, Greece, world champion in 2009:
He was the vice world champion already at 19 years of age, in 2003. And one year later he repeated that again in Rotterdam, where Dick Jaspers won the title. In Lausanne, the young Greek was crowned world champion in 2009. Besides his great technical skills, Kasidokostas is the player with a lot of aggression and an indomitable will to win.
Sung-Won Choi, South Korea, vice world champion in 2012:
The winner of the Agipi Masters in 2011 is considered the player with the best match concentration. He is not the player on stage in most major tournaments, but he’s a great fighter. Add to that his calm, his dispassionate style of playing, with which he grows into a match and forces his opponents to make mistakes.
Kyung-Roul Kim, South Korea:
The big Korean never played so far, since his arrival on top, on his best at a World championship. His best performance was in 2010 when he finished on place nine. But still it is not excluded that the most famous of all Korean players makes a serious bid for the title. And therefore he would show how impressively Korea has grown to a famous billiard nation with many world-class players.
They are not the only favorites, of course: with some distance, there is a list of great players, dark horses for this World's, who certainly are able to surprise with a world title, like Jérémy Bury, Tayfun Tasdemir, Dong Koong Kang, Jae Ho Cho, Roland Forthomme, Murat Naci Coklu and who knows, one of the talented Vietnamese players.