The Lier World Cup 3-Cushion got underway on Monday in Belgium with the Pre-Pre-Pre-Qualification (PPPQ) round, featuring 48 players divided into 16 groups of three. The day produced a clear standout performance, as Korea’s Ye Sung Yeong dominated the field with an extraordinary 2.500 general average.
Ye Sung Yeong in a class of his own
Ye Sung Yeong was quite simply the player of the day.
Playing in Group J, the Korean won both of his matches in just 12 innings, scoring 30 points each time. He therefore finished with 60 points in 24 innings for a 2.500 G.A., by far the best performance of the PPPQ round.
His two matches also produced the highest runs of the day: 12 and 11.
Behind him, fellow Korean Park Su Yeong also impressed, winning Group C with a 1.333 average, while Greece’s Kostantinos Kokkoris finished third overall at 1.304. Belgium’s Peter de Backer completed the top four with 1.200.
Sixteen unbeaten group winners
The PPPQ round saw a particularly clean outcome: all 16 group winners won both of their matches. There was not a single draw among the 32 matches played.
The strongest performances came from a mixture of Korean, Greek, Belgian, Turkish, French and German players. Among the notable group winners were Marco Janssen (1.132), Paul Wallerand (1.132), Dany Boutet (1.034), Therese Klompenhouwer (1.034), Ataberk Cerkez (1.016) and Jean Haby (1.000).
The Belgians were particularly prominent, with the home country supplying several of the players who advanced from this opening round.
Two French players through
France will have Tangui Duriez and Jean Haby in the next round.
Duriez won Group B with 60 points in 70 innings (0.857 G.A.), including runs of 7 and 6.
Haby produced an even more convincing statistical line, winning Group P with 60 points in 60 innings for a 1.000 average.
Among the other players to advance were Peter de Backer, Marco Janssen, Paul Wallerand, Dany Boutet, Therese Klompenhouwer, Davy van Havere, Bajram Ibraimov and Konstantinos Prassas.
The PPPQ round also saw several experienced names eliminated, including Barry van Beers, Henk Blauwblomme, Francis Forton, Dirk Weeremans and Kees Wittens.
The road to the main draw continues
The competition now moves into the Pre-Pre-Qualification (PPQ) round, with the successful PPPQ players joining a new field. The Lier World Cup runs from 31 August to 6 September, with the final stages scheduled for the weekend.
After one day, however, one name stands clearly above the rest: Ye Sung Yeong — 2.500 average, 24 innings, two wins. A flying start in Lier.