PORTO – The suitcase and the billiard cue were in front of him, ready for the short trip by shuttle to the World Cup arena in Porto this morning. The Belgian billiard player Eddy Merckx heard all the stories about the intense heat and reacted in the way that only the imperturbable Merckx can. ‘I'm just going to play billiards, it's the same for everyone.’ What do you mean, just play billiards!!! The Belgian star got off to a phenomenal start against Spain's Legazpi, whom he knocked out with runs of 8, 9 and 14 in the first nine innings. The Portuguese youngster Soares was also easy prey in the late afternoon, and in the early evening Merckx exploded once again in inimitable fashion: against the Vietnamese Thai with a top eun of 19! Another wonderful response from the master: ‘It was a beautiful day, but tomorrow it all starts again.’
It wasn't just Merckx day on this first day at the actual start of the World Cup. Most of all, it was all about the match that is always fraught with tension. The Holland-Belgium billiards match, Dick Jaspers against Frédéric Caudron, two players who are often claimed to be the best in the world. The Dutch believe that Jaspers is the best, while the Belgians put their money on Caudron. They faced each other in the Portuguese arena on Thursday evening: Jaspers, five-time world champion, Caudron, three-time world champion, Jaspers, winner of 32 World Cups, Caudron, winner of 21.
The stakes of the match itself were not a real prize at this stage, but it was definitely a battle for prestige. The winner advances in the World Cup, the loser goes home. The heat did not play a role for a moment. Jaspers played to consolidate his lead in the world rankings, Caudron to return to the elite in three-cushion billiards.
How did it end? It was neck and neck for a long time, until the score was 35-34 in the decisive final phase. Jaspers missed a pretty easy three cushion shit, which miraculously went backwards, Caudron seized his chance and went out with six. The Belgian joined Korean Haeng Jik Kim in the knockout stages with the best 16. Dick Jaspers is eliminated in the city where he plays for FC Porto and where he is a crowd favorite.
On this day, eight players from the world's top 14 were eliminated:
Dick Jaspers, Quyet Chien Tran, Thanh Luc Tran, Tayfun Tasdemir, Sameh Sidhom, Jung Han Heo, Phuong Vinh Bao and Martin Horn.
The Belgians had a great day, as Peter Ceulemans also qualified, along with Merckx and Caudron, by staying ahead of two renowned Vietnamese players, Tran and Bao. Five players ended the day with 6 match points: Frédéric Caudron, Van Ly Dao, Eddy Merckx, Gökhan Salman and Nick Polychronopoulos.
The overviews of the eight groups:
Group A:
Three big names and a well-meaning amateur are playing for two valuable positions. It could be over for Dick Jaspers, who, after losing to Haeng Jik Kim, has to win his last match against a big rival: Frédéric Caudron. The Belgian has made the best start in the group with two wins, but remains vulnerable on average ahead of the final clash with Jaspers. Haeng Jik Kim, who wins the first match against Jaspers (40-33 in 17), can watch Jaspers and Caudron prepare for the tense Netherlands-Belgium derby in the sweep match against the Lebanese Kolfad. The winner is Caudron with 40-35 in 27.
The final standings in Group A:
1 Frédéric Caudron 6-1.428-9
2 Haeng Jik Kim 4-1.620-13
3 Dick Jaspers 2-1.521-2
4 Jihad Kolfad 0-0.635-7
Group B:
Myung Woo Cho immediately launches a super attack after the start. The Portuguese Rui Manuel Costa, one of the bosses in the organisation of the World Cup in Porto, is immediately thrown to the lions by the world champion. Cho starts with 8, 1 and 18 and leads 27-7 after three innings. The Korean then falls back briefly, but wins 40-23 in 15. That setback heralds a weaker second match, as Cho loses his second match to Van Ly Dao 40-32 in 22. The battle is wide open again. Dao takes the lead, Cho and Thon battle for second place. Van Ly Dao remains undefeated with 6 match points, Cho wins his last match against Thon, a top scorer on the previous day, 40-37.
The final standings in Group B:
1 Van Ly Dao 6-1.666-9
2 Myung Woo Cho 4-1.931-18
3 Viet Hoat Minh Thon 2-1.405-8
4 Rui Manuel Costa 0-1.231-7
Group C:
The best starter in the field is Eddy Merckx in a magnificent match against Ruben Legazpi, in which the Belgian scores 8, 9 and 14 in the first nine innings to reach 38 and then needs two more shots for the last 2 points. The Spaniard scores well, but falls short with an average of 2: 40-26 in 11. Jose Miguel Soares, also an FC Porto player, wins his first match against Hong Chiem Thai and then sees Merckx pass him with 40-33 in 32. Legazpi has an average of 1.937 with two losses, even more than Merckx. The Spaniard performs a minor miracle, beating Soares (40-31) and finishing top of three players with 2 match points.
The final standings in Group C:
1 Eddy Merckx 6-2.181-19
2 Ruben Legazpi 2-1.728-9
3 Hong Chiem Thai 2-1.206-7
4 Jose Miguel Soares 2-1,168-7
Group D:
The player with the super start is not Quyet Chien Tran or Phuong Vinh Bao, but the Greek Nick Polychronopoulos, who plays two formidable matches against Peter Ceulemans, his teammate in the Netherlands (40-34 in 20) and against Bao (40-19 in 18). Poly can no longer go wrong on average. Ceulemans, with 0 out of 2, has a better average than the two Vietnamese players with a nice 1.714. So there is still hope. The Belgian himself beats Bao, the former world champion, 40-23 in 23, while Polychronopoulos takes the maximum match points against Quyet Chien Tran: 40-27 in 17. What a sensation: Ceulemans is the third Belgian to make it to the top sixteen, with two renowned Vietnamese players out of the tournament.
The standings in Group D:
1 Nick Polichronopoulos 6-2.181-8
2 Peter Ceulemans 2-1.723-10
3 Quyet Chien Tran 2-1.500-12
4 Phuong Vinh Bao 2-1.242-8
Group E:
Jose Juan Garcia set the tone for the expected group victory with wins against Thanh Luc Tran and Jérémy Bury in 25 and 21 innings. The South American still has to secure the top position against Berkay Karakurt, but ultimately slipped to third place. Jérémy Bury plays his last match against the eliminated TL Tran. The Frenchman wins 40-21 in 19 and takes over the top position from Garcia. Berkay Karakurt sneaks into second place with a minimal difference in average over Garcia.
The standings in Group E:
1 Jérémy Bury 4-1.883-7
2 Berkay Karakurt 4-1.424-8
3 JJ Garcia 4-1.421-7
4 Thanh Luc Tran 0-1.194-7
Group F:
Gökhan Salman has been a rising star on the billiards scene for some time now. The Turkish outsider is climbing the rankings and leads the group with Cha, Horn and Tasdemir after two rounds. This is partly due to his victory against Tayfun Tasdemir, the Turkish star, who is defeated by Salman in the final sprint: 40-37 in 27 and later also loses to Horn. Myeong Jong Cha got off to a sensational start against Martin Horn with 40-9 in 19, but once again Salman, also against Cha, was strong in the final battle. The Turkish leader after two rounds defeats the Korean 40-39 in 20 and also remains on the maximum score in the last match of the day with a win against Horn: 40-33 in 26. Tayfun Tasdemir also loses his last match against Cha 40-29 in 23.
The standings in Group F:
1 Gökhan Salman 6-1.643-8
2 Myeong Jong Cha 4-1.919-7
3 Martin Horn 2-1.242-8
4 Tayfun Tasdemir 0-1,394-7
Group G:
Marco Zanetti is not afraid to make a show of protest: the Italian maestro plays with a black sweatband around his forehead to indicate what a sauna this World Cup is being played in. His qualities do not suffer as a result. Zanetti first defeats Glenn Hofman, the up-and-coming player from the Netherlands, 40-31 in 28, and in his second round, he defeats Omer Karakurt in a masterful match 40-21 in 15. Glenn Hofman, the never-say-die warrior, quickly claims second place, shining against Heo with 40-28 in 17. Hofman and Karakurt battle it out for the second ticket to the knockouts. The Dutchman wins the battle 40-35 in 29 and, after Jaspers' elimination, is the only Dutch in the top 16. Marco Zanetti only misses out on the win in his last match against Heo: 40-33 in 28.
The standings in Group G:
1 Marco Zanetti 4-1,591-8
2 Glenn Hofman 4-1,500-8
3 Omer Karakurt 2-1,411-7
4 Jung Han Heo 32-1,304-9
Group H:
Sergio Jimenez and Tolgahan Kiraz make the best impression in the first two rounds, with Jimenez winning twice with a total of 1,333. The averages are lower than in the other groups. Jimenez is assured of a ticket after two rounds, as Sameh Sidhom and Emrullah Basegmez draw 40-40 in 26. Jimenez wins the important match against Kiraz (40-31 in 34), while a fierce battle for second place is still to come. However, Kiraz also proves to be the better player than Sidhom (40-21 in 25). The Egyptian ends up in last place with 1 point, which is rather disappointing.
The standings in Group H:
1 Tolgahan Kiraz 4-1,247-6
2 Sergio Jimenez 4-1.145-9
3 Emrullah Basegmez 3-1.217-6
4 Sameh Sidhom 1-1,233-9
The schedule for the last 16 this Friday, Portuguese time:
12.00:
Eddy Merckx-Peter Ceulemans
Tolgahan Kiraz-Myung Woo Cho
Frédéric Caudron-Glenn Hofman
Gökhan Salman-Berkay Karakurt
14.30:
Van Ly Dao-Sergio Jimenez
Jérémy Bury-Haeng Jik Kim
Marco Zanetti-Myeong Jong Cha
Nick Polychronopoulos-Ruben Legazpi
Quarter finals, 17.00 en 19.30.