BOGOTÁ – The best of all is Dick Jaspers, but two of the highest players in the ranking, Myung Woo Cho and Marco Zanetti and the world champion Phuong Vinh Bao have missed the final stage at the World Cup in Bogotá. The 16-player knock-outs will be played this Saturday with nine different countries. Dick Jaspers, ranked Number 1 in the alternative rankings, tops the first rounds of the main tournament with 6 match points and 2.790 average. The only South American born is Robinson Morales. The Koreans are with 4, the Turks with 3 left from the shifts in the round with 32 players. The Netherlands and Vietnam have 2 players in the next round of play.The standout winners are Dick Jaspers, Jun Tae Kim and Quyet Chien Tran, the players with the maximum 6 match points are Jaspers, Salman, Tran and Jun Tae Kim. Jaspers and Haeng Jik Kim shine with the best runs (14).
The overview of the eight groups with four players:
Group A:
The sovereign Dick Jaspers wins his three matches with remarkable ease. Berkay Karakurt is beaten 40-22 in 18, Pedro Piedrabuena 40-31 in 15 and Bong Joo Hwang in Friday's top match 40-13 in 10 (4,000 average). Bong Joo Hwang goes on to the top 16 as he is the best of the three players with 2 match points by minimal difference. The Korean has 1,508, Piedrabuena 1,468, Karakurt 1,403.
Ranking in Group A:
1 Dick Jaspers 6-2,790-14
2 Bong Joo Hwang 2-1,508-9
3 Pedro Piedrabuena 2-1,468-12
4 Berkay Karakurt 2-1,403-8
Group B:
Eddy Merckx and Jeffrey Jorissen open the mission with a draw in 33 innings, Robinson Morales beats Colombian champion Gonzalez 40-11 in 25. Merckx then wins in a close finish against Morales 40-38, Jorissen wins his match with Gonzalez 40-35. The decision is made in the final round: Merckx wins by 1 carom vs Gonzalez, Jorissen is beaten by Morales 40-32. Therefore the Dutchman misses his place in the final field.
Ranking in Group B:
1 Eddy Merckx 5-1,428-8
2 Robinson Morales 4-1,456-14
3 Jeffrey Jorissen 3-1,272-10
4 Pedro Gonzalez 0-1,133-7
Eddy Merckx
Group C:
The standout winner is called Myeong Jong Cha, who leads the top three by match points due to his higher average. It is the least group of the eight as Cha has 1.352, Torbjörn Blomdahl is the runner-up with 1.340. Daniel Morales and Hong Chiem Thai, a revelation from previous World Cups, do not exceed 1.161 and 1.171. Myeong Jong Cha owes the win mainly to his fine last fight with Thai: 40-29 in 15.
Ranking in Group C:
1 Myeong Jong Cha 4-1,352-9
2 Torbjörn Blomdahl 4-1.340-10
3 Daniel Morales 4-1,161-7
4 Hong Chiem Thai 0-1,171-7
Group D:
The clash of three Koreans with Glenn Hofman from Holland ends with a remarkable winner. Not Jung Han Heo or Myung Woo Cho move up to the knock-outs, but Chang Hoon Seo and Glenn Hofman. Two of the Korean champions have to return home before the World Cup really starts. Myung Woo Cho, the world number one, disappoints badly with three losses and 1.184 on average. Jung Han Heo eventually misses qualification in the first game. There, he is miles ahead against Glenn Hofman, but the Dutchman, in blistering form, fights back strongly and wins 40-39 in 28 innings. The remainder of the group is glorious for Chang Hoon Seo, who wins all his matches, and dramatic for Cho, who loses all his matches.
Ranking in Group D:
1 Chang Hoon Seo 6-1,481-9
2 Glenn Hofman 4-1,554-9
3 Jung Han Heo 2-1,395-10
4 Myung Woo Cho 0-1,184-6
Group E:
Two Turks, not even their country's biggest names, put an end to the illusions of Jérémy Bury and Marco Zanetti. Gökhan Salman is the surprising winner with a winning run: 6 match points. Tolgahan Kiraz also beats Bury and Zanetti. The Frenchman only can defeat Zanetti 40-36 in the opening round, the Italian fails to win a match. That must be a rarity in World Cups in recent years.
Ranking in Group E:
1 Gökhan Salman 6-1,411-9
2 Tolgahan Kiraz 4-1,469-6
3 Jérémy Bury 2-1,097-7
4 Marco Zanetti 0-1,351-8
Group F:
Quyet Chien Tran, not a brother of the other Vietnamese in the finals, Thanh Luc Tran, tops Sameh Sidhom and two South Americans. The match between them is won by Tran in a beauty contest: he beats Sidhom 40-17 in 15, providing him with the group win. The Egyptian beat Luis Aveiga and Daniel Moreno to finish as number two. The South Americans are left without any chances
Ranking in Group F:
1 Quyet Chien Tran 6-1,791-11
2 Sameh Sidhom 4-1,672-9
3 Luis Aveiga 2-1.203-9
4 Daniel Moreno 0-1,172-8
Quyet Chien Tran
Group G:
Jun Tae Kim is proving to be the most regular Korean in the last World Cups and is hardly in danger in this preliminary round. First of all he beats world champion Bao 40-16 in 15 and Polychronopoulos 40-26 in 24. The Greek is the best of three players with 2 match points. He remains ahead of world champion Bao and Colombian Jose Juan Garcia with 1,458.
Ranking in Group G:
1 Jun Tae Kim 6-1,791-12
2 Nikos Polychronopoulos 2-1,458-9
3 Phuong Vinh Bao 2-1,322-7
4 Jose Juan Garcia 2-1,204-7
Group H:
Former world champion Tayfun Tasdemir does not have the best start against Tom Löwe (losing 40-27, but in a really great of 17 innings). Thanh Luc Tran remains unbeaten, having drawn in his last game against Tasdemir in 17 innings. Haeng Jik plays the second-best game against Tom Löwe, 40-16 in 12, but it is not enough to qualify. Tran and Tasdemir move up to the knockouts, Tasdemir the only one (after Jaspers) over 2 average.
Ranking in Group H:
1 Thanh Luc Tran 5-1,538-10
2 Tayfun Tasdemir 3-2.018-10
3 Haeng Jik Kim 2-1.508-14
4 Tom Löwe 2-1,419-11
Matches for Saturday in knockouts with 16:
Colombian time 11.00:
Dick Jaspers-Nikos Polychronopoulos
Myeong Jong Cha-Sameh Sidhom
Gökhan Salman-Robinson Morales
Chang Hoon Seo-Torbjörn Blomdahl
13.30:
Quyet Chien Tran-Tayfun Tasdemir
Thanh Luc Tran-Tolgahan Kiraz
Eddy Merckx-Glenn Hofman
Jun Tae Kim-Bong Joo Hwang