HO CHI MINH - The young Dutchman Sam van Etten, who won a 30-points match in only ten innings, has already left the World Cup in Ho Chi Minh. The Korean Myeong Jong Cha and the Spaniard Jose Maria Mas, who triumphed in 14 innings, are also out of the game after the third day of qualifications, in which the Asians still had the upper hand. The system was ruthless for strong winners, who played games over two average, but did not reach the final qualifying round on Thursday. Then, on the way to the main draw, the first world top guys enter the arena, such as Myung Woo Cho, Sung Won Choi, Lütfi Cenet, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, Nikos Polychronopoulos, Roland Forthomme, Michael Nilsson and Dion Nelin.
Bong Joo Hwang, not even a famous Korean, proved to be the best on the third day (4 points, 2,000), Hong Chiem Thai showed an excellent 14 run and Dutchman Jeffrey Jorissen fought his way back from an awkward position with one of the better matches. In the long run-up to the ultimate qualifying day, there was still a collective performance of Asians, of whom two Koreans finished on top ahead of two Vietnamese. Two Austrians, Gerhard Kostistansky and Herbert Szivacz, finished remarkably high. Ngoc Tri Nguyen slipped in as first reserve, Jose Maria Mas just missed out as second runner-up.
For many well-known players, this was the last day as well, like Turgay Orak, Ahmet Alp, Xuan Cuong Ma, Tatsuo Arai and Japanese Takeshima O, who once shone at a World Championship in Matosinhos, but now finished at the bottom of the day's ranking with a 0.777 and 0.318 on average.
Joey de Kok (2.000 and 0.687 average) played one wonderful match and was no shadow of that fast starter in his second. Barry van Beers first lost to his fellow countryman De Kok (30-20), recovered well, but he was outplayed with a difference of one inning, trumped by the Dutch tormentor: Van Ly Dao first threw Sam van Etten and then Barry van Beers and Joey de Kok out of the World Cup.
Young players like Nikolaus Kogelbauer (2, 0.979), Tom Löwe (0 points, 0.913) and Dong Hoon Kim (2 points, 0.945) can go home as well, for Gülsen Degener (0 points, 0.673) the World Cup also ended after two appearances and the only Belgian on this match day, Francis Forton, finished his job after one win and one loss (2, 1.205).
The top sixteen on the third day:
1 Bong Joo Hwang 4-2,000-9
2 Beom Yeol Lee 4-1,714-8
3 Quang Hao Truong 4-1,395-6
4 Nuyen Chi Long 4-1,304-9
5 Ji Hun Ahn 4-1,250-6
6 Gerhard Kostistansky 4-1,250-5
7 Sung Kyu Oh 4-1,132-7
8 Herbert Szivacz 4-1,111-8
9 Jung Sub Kim 4-0,952-5
10 Yooh Wan Kim3-1,500-7
11 Tolgahan Kiraz 3-1,428-7
12 Van Tai Nguyen 2-1,735-9
13 Hong Chiem Thai 2-1,555-14
14 Jeffrey Jorissen 2-1,470-5
15 Van Ly Dao 2-1,444-9
16 Ja In Kang 2-1,085-7
The last qualification day, on which 12 group winners and the top three runners-up qualify for the best 32 in the main tournament, shows a nice draw.
Groups for the final qualification on Thursday:
Group A: Hong Chiem Thai, Van Tai Nguyen, Sung Won Choi
Group B: Jeffrey Jorissen, Tolgahan Kiraz, Jun Tae Kim
Group C: Myung Woo Cho, Yooh Wan Kim, Van Ly Dao
Group D: Ja In Kang, Jung Sub Kim, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen
Group E: Jacob Haack Sörensen, Lütfi Cenet, Herbert Szivacz
Group F: Arnim Kahofer, Sung Kyu Oh, Nikos Polychronopoulos
Group G: Ronny Lindemann, Gerhard Kostistansky, Dion Nelin
Group H: Can Capak, Ji Hun Ahn, Gökhan Salman
Group I: Ngoc Tri Nguyen, Michael Nilsson, Nguyen Chi Long
Group J: Mashhour Abu Tayeh, Quang Hao Truong, Chang Hoon Heo
Group K: Wan Young Choi, Boom Yeol Lee, Choong Bok Lee
Group L: Roland Forthomme, Bong Joo Hwang, Trung Hau Do Nguyen.
Jeffrey Jorissen had an excellent come-back after his poor start
Korean player Ji Hun Ahn in top five, one of the feared World Cup Koreans
Gerhard Kostistansky, one of two Austrians in top 10 today
Vietnamese Xuan Cuong Ma, a feared World Cup player, not even in the last qualification
Barry van Beers lost his place in the last qualification by one inning