BLANKENBERGE - The speaker in the billiards room announced that the new Belgian champion in three cushion will be a man named Eddy for the eighth time in history. That logic is solid as a rock: Eddy Merckx is playing in the final against Eddy Leppens. And Eddy Merckx was champion seven times before.
It would be Leppens' first title after five lost finals. He lost against Roland Forthomme last year, but got his revenge tonight, when he beat him in the semifinals 40-23 in 24 innings in match that came to life at the end.
Eddy Merckx had to redress another thing in the semifinal against Davy van Havere. Two years ago, the 31-year old man knocked down the two time world champion in the Belgian cup final. Merckx now took revenge in a one-way match: 40-15 in 23.
Was it a calm before the storm, those semi-finals, because there was hardly any tension in both matches and only two high runs in the final phase. Then, Eddy Leppens suddenly found his rhythm and closed the match with runs of ten and seven from 23-19 to 40-23.
The analysis of Leppens: ,,It was mainly a tactical match at the start. There was almost never a decent ball at the table and hardly never a solution. I have limited myself to playing defense and even more important: I could keep my patience. If I had lost my mind, I could never make ten and seven at the end.''
Tomorrow, Sunday, at 11.00 two matches in free game are played and two in one cushion, followed by the match for third place in three cushion and the junior final at 14.30.
The final between Merckx and Leppens is at 15.00.