PORTO – The big names are on their way and the heat is still gripping the World Cup in Porto. Will things improve tomorrow after two days of qualifiers and lots of complaining from the players? This Monday, a car with two wind blowers stopped at the arena. ’’That’s something we need so much,’ said Roland Forthomme, who has not yet been in action but was supporting Karina Jetten, his girlfriend. The World Cup has been underway for two days. The Dutchified Belgian billiards fan Koen Pöpsel, with billiards blood in his veins, sighed: ’’I wonder what will happen when Marco Zanetti arrives here. He surely’s not going to accept this terrible heat.’’
The averages have already risen somewhat. French player Adrien Tachoire, former world junior champion, was the best winner on the second day of play with 4 match points and 1.666 ahead of Tom Löwe, Alexander Salazar, Marcos Morales and Jef Philipoom. The Dutchman Adrie Demming closed the line of winners, while the two Ibraimov brothers, Amir and Ali, shone with high runs of ten. Luca Philipoom missed out on following in the footsteps of his father Jef Philipoom, who faced Alfonso Legazpi in his second match, because Ramon Rodriguez didn’t show up without any cancellation. The Germans had four group winners, the Belgians three. Carlos Crespo, who made a great start to this World Cup, continued on the second day with two much weaker matches.
The third day of qualifying will be launched on Tuesday with interesting groups. Jose Juan Garcia from Colombia enters the event in a group with Ronny Lindemann and Adrie Demming. Maxime Panaia faces another Frenchman, Olivier Jacquemond, and the Austrian Arnim Kahofer. Portuguese Luis Pinto faces the Turks Emrullah Basegmez and Ahmet Alp.
Huberney Cataño is a feared outsider and faces Ali Ibraimov, among others. Dimitrios Seleventas, who performed strongly in the previous World Cup, will face Tangui Duriez and Joey de Kok. Jef Philipoom meets Birol Uymaz, among others, while Jean Paul de Bruijn will take on Vietnamese player Van Ly Dao and young Spaniard Marcos Morales. Adrien Tachoire, Monday's winner, faces two Turkish players, Muammer Rahmet and Serdal Bas.
Swedish player David Pennör, suffering the heat at the World Cup in Porto
The World Cup venue in Porto
The rankings with the sixteen group winners on Monday:
- Adrien Tachoire 4-1.666-11
- Tom Löwe 4-1.463-9
- Alexander Salazar 4-1.250-7
- Marcos Morales 4-1.224-5
- Jef Philipoom 4-1.200-6
- Nguyen Chi Long 4-1,176-6
- Viet Hoang Minh Thon 4-1,132-9
- Tangui Duriez 4-0,952-5
- Ali Ibraimov 4-0,845-10
- Luis Pinto 4-0,779-4
- Herbert Szivacz 4-0,759-7
- Tobias Bouerdick 3-1.250-5
- Olivier Jacquemond 3-0.967-7
- Amir Ibraimov 2-1.232-10
- David Pennör 2-0.919-7
- Adrie Demming 2-0.797-6.