BLOIS – How could things go so wrong for Berkay Karakurt after his stunning victory in the last World Cup in Sharm El Sheikh? The Turkish player, without a single win this time, was one of the eliminations in the preliminary rounds at the Doozy Challenge in Blois, where thousands of euros can be won in the coming days. Sameh Sidhom, however, maintained his form and is playing better than he ever did since Sharm. The averages in the Challenge are impressive. Sameh Sidhom, Frédéric Caudron, and Thanh Luc Tran are the ones who finished as the starplayers with the maximum match points in the pre-selection for the four groups of six.
Sixteen players advance to the knockout stage. Torbjörn Blomdahl, Phuong Vinh Bao, Martin Horn, Jérémy Bury, and Berkay Karakurt are the notable players who did not make it through the qualifying rounds. Myung Woo Cho excelled in the best match over two days (40 out of 10 against Haeng Jik Kim). Other top matches included Caudron vs. Merckx (40-38), Legazpi vs. Karakurt (40-30 in 12), Zanetti vs. Merckx (40-26 in 13), Hofman vs. Horn (40-13 in 13), Garcia vs. Hofman (40-24 in 14), Devogelaere vs. Tasdemir (40-20 in 13), Cho vs. Devogelaere (40-16 in 13), and Cho vs. Bury (40-21 in 14).
Mikaël Devogelaere and Jose Juan Garcia are the two players who made it with wildcards into this top group.
The knock-outs will start among others with two Holland-Belgium matches. Dick Jaspers meets Peter Ceulemans, Frédéric Caudron plays against Glenn Hofman, both matches at 13.00.
The matches in the last sixteen on Saturday:
10.30:
Sameh Sidhom-Jung Han Heo
Quyet Chien Tran-Marco Zanetti
Haeng Jik Kim-Jose Juan Garcia
Myung Woo Cho-Eddy Merckx
13.00 uur:
Thanh Luc Tran-Mikaël Devogelaere
Dick Jaspers-Peter Ceulemans
Ruben Legazpi-Tayfun Tasdemir
Frédéric Caudron-Glenn Hofman.
The overviews and standings in the four groups:
Group A:
The tension is highest in the final round of Group A, where Sameh Sidhom (10 match points (2,173) is the unassailable winner, with Dick Jaspers (8 match points, 2,076) following in his shadow. Four players are still vying for two places in the knockout round of 16. The match between Phuong Vinh Bao and Peter Ceulemans is the deciding factor. The Belgian has a fantastic finish with 10 and 7, winning 40-33 in 28. Sidhom wins his five matches in 15, 16, 23, 19, and 19 innings. The Egyptian continues the peak of form he achieved in the World Cup on home soil and is the glorious group winner ahead of Jaspers, Ceulemans and Heo, who, in his final match, makes a nice 15 by an already hopeless margin. Jaspers shines with solid, often high-quality matches, losing only to Sidhom. Former world champion Phuong Vinh Bao is eliminated. Maxime Panaia gains valuable experience, but doesn't reach the level required to advance.
The final standings in Group A:
1. Sameh Sidhom 10-2,173-12
2. Dick Jaspers 8-2,076-14
3. Peter Ceulemans 6-1,346-10
4. Jung Han Heo 4-1,379-15
5. Phuong Vinh Bao 2-1,620-13
6. Maxime Panaia 0-0,923-7
Group B:
Myung Woo Cho is demonstrating superb form with flawless victories. The best one comes in the very first round against Haeng Jik Kim with a 40-13 victory in 10 innings, by far the highest score in two days. The Korean continues this high rhythm, beating Bury in 14 innings, Thai in 23, and Devogelaere in 13. Haeng Jik Kim follows in his compatriot's footsteps and smoothly progresses to the knockouts. The Frenchman Mikaël Devogelaere overshadows his compatriot Jérémy Bury, whom he defeats 40-20 in 20 in the head-to-head match, but even more impressive is Devogelaere's victory over Tasdemir, 40-20 in 13 innings. Tayfun is slightly shaken, but recovers with a win against Myung Woo Cho in the final round: 40-37 in 24 innings. Myung Woo Cho finishes with 8 match points and 2,345, ahead of Haeng Jik Kim with 8 and 2,109. Tasdemir climbs to third place with his victory over Cho. Mikaël Devogelaere crowns his magnificent performance with a fourth-place finish. Jérémy Bury and Hong Chiem Thai are eliminated with 2 match points.
Standings in Group B:
1. Myung Woo Cho 8-2,345-10
2. Haeng Jik Kim 8-2,109-8
3. Tayfun Tasdemir 6-1,627-11
4. Mikaël Devogelaere 4-1,880-12
5. Jérémy Bury 2-1,273-7
6. Hong Chiem Thai 2-1,128-10
Group C:
Vietnamese Thanh Luc Tran is the best player in Group D with the maximum score, as he also beat Glenn Hofman in his final match. The tension continues to mount in the final phase, as Jose Juan Garcia, Glenn Hofman, and Quyet Chien Tran enter the final session with 4 match points. Quyet Chien Tran and Jose Juan Garcia face each other in the final match. The most famous of the Tran players wins 40-18 in 17. It turns out into a Vietnamese battle for the top spots. Thanh Luc Tran remains at the top of the rankings, followed by Quyet Chien Tran. Jose Juan Garcia finishes third, just ahead of Hofman on average. The Dutchman wins his first two matches with high scores, but loses the next three matches. Tolgahan Kiraz still beats Martin Horn, but that's a battle between the two players who miss the finals.
The standings in Group C:
1. Thanh Luc Tran 10-1,785-10
2. Quyet Chien Tran 6-1,606-11
3. Jose Juan Garcia 4-1,909-9
4. Glenn Hofman 4-1,707-13
5. Tolgahan Kiraz 4-1,679-9
6. Martin Horn 2-1,247-6
Group D:
Frédéric Caudron's mastery in this group of six is once again evident with his final victory against Ruben Legazpi (40-28 in 18). The battle for second place continues to a close finish with the losses of Eddy Merckx (to Torbjörn Blomdahl) and Ruben Legazpi, allowing Marco Zanetti (who beat Karakurt) to join the top-tier battle. This Group D finishes remarkably with four highest runs of 12. Caudron starts the Belgian clash with a win against Merckx (40-38 in 15). Ruben Legazpi wins in 12 against Berkay Karakurt, the last World Cup winner who ultimately loses his five matches, despite reasonable averages. Marco Zanetti excels against Merckx with a 40-26 win in 13. Torbjörn Blomdahl is already eliminated when he wins his last match against Merckx with a 40-35 win in 20.
The standings in Group D:
- Frédéric Caudron 10-2,083-9
- Ruben Legazpi 6-1,907-12
- Marco Zanetti 6-1,784-12
- Eddy Merckx 4-1,988-12
- Torbjörn Blomdahl 4-1,526-8
- Berkay Karakurt 0-1,611-12.