SHARM EL SHEIKH - He was the star of the home crowd for two days, the absolute top player at the World Cup in Sharm El Sheikh, the big favorite for final victory. The name: Sameh Sidhom! With only wins and averages far over 2, unlikely to be in top form. But then suddenly he meets Eddy Merckx, the timid, oh-so-dangerous Belgian. The match starts, is just seven innings on its way and the scoreboard shows: 34-4! For Sidhom? What do you say..., no, for Merckx. The spectators are dazed, the room is upside down. Has the match already been decided? Well, surely not. Sameh Sidhom fights back, shows his high class, makes an 11 first and does not give up. The match goes to a great finale, with Sidhom slightly in his rhythm, coming back to 41-25 and on a score of 49 for Merckx four more chances to attack. The Egyptian comes to 47 with 8 and 4, but then Merckx finally puts an end to it at 50-47.
What a fantastic fight, but it is not all, far from that. Because first on the other table in the playing room, the world champion, Myung Woo Cho, faces a still rather unknown Vietnamese: Hong Chiem Thai. The favorite is, of course, called Cho, but again things go completely differently. Thai is leading 17-13 after 10 innings and after a barren period by Cho, Thai comes to 33-18. What’s happening here? Another big surprise? Another top favorite failing? Yes indeed, as Hong Chiem Thai makes another 8, misses a couple of times and then goes out by 4 at 50-28 in 31, a drag of a game from the world champion.
Finally, where does it all end up? Which four players remain for the World Cup finals? Three top European players, Marco Zanetti, the indomitable lion from Bolzano, 62, as well as Torbjörn Blomdahl, also 62 and Eddy Merckx, 54, the last of the Belgians. The three Europeans are paired with the very young Vietnamese Hong Chiem Thai of 25. So, many eyes are especially also on that young Vietnamese, nota bene the conqueror first of Dick Jaspers, the world No 1 this Friday and a few hours later of Myung Woo Cho, the reigning world champion.
Can he stunt again tomorrow, Saturday, against the European force of Blomdahl, Zanetti and Merckx? It is almost unlikely. Marco Zanetti beat his century-old rival Frédéric Caudron late on Friday night in a gruelling 50-48 battle, in a final sprint in which the two former Agipi teammates were at the end of their strengths. It is a match with a rich history: once the two played an unforgettable match at the European Championship in Brandenburg in 2013 with Caudron's top run of 28 and Marco Zanetti's win nonetheless.
For Zanetti it was a challenge, playing again Caudron, after he had given it all an hour before against Bury, the other Agipi player. The lion was drawn, taunted, but fought his way to two incredible wins, against Caudron good for a place in the semi-finals.
Torbjörn Blomdahl surely is getting dangerous, this Saturday, the Swede has his brilliant capriciousness back, the fantastic scoring drive, which he demonstrated at the end of the match against Jun Tae Kim and with which he now also reigned supreme against Berkay Karakurt. The end came with a run of 13 for the master at the time when Karakurt was still on a paltry score of 9: 50-9 in 21. So Blomdahl, like Zanetti, is on a podium once again, but first they face each other.
The semi-finals for Saturday:
9.00 Western Europe: Eddy Merckx-Hong Chiem Thai
11.30: Marco Zanetti-Torbjörn Blomdahl.
Final at 15.00.
Torbjörn Blomdahl in all his brilliance, ready for the fight with Zanetti
Eddy Merckx, the victory over Sidhom, the local hero, after a superb start
Marco Zanetti, the maestro, shining with two fantastic sprints against Bury and Caudron
Sameh Sidhom, farewell after the best he ever showed in a World Cup