GOYANG - The HanaPay and Direct teams are showing up for the title in the PBA team league playoffs in Goyang these days. HanaPay's team with Murat Naci Coklu, Ga-young Kim and Ayako Sakai has the lead with two match wins against 1 for Direct, the team with Dong Koong Kang, Eddy Leppens and Orie Hida. The final race is over best of 7, the winner is getting 100 million Korean won, 70,000 euro.
Today, Thursday, the third and fourth games are to be contested. HanaPay won the first game 4-2 on Wednesday, Direct retaliated with the same score (4-2) and in the first game on Thursday, HanaPay won 4-3.
In that match, Eddy Leppens and Dong Koong Kang won the men double against Nguyen Quoc Nguyen/Byeong-hu Kim 11-6. Jieun Kang and Orie Hida increased the lead by winning against Ga-young Kim and Ayako Sakai 9-6. The next two games went to HanaPay: Murat Naci Coklu beat Eddy Leppens 15-10, Coklu and Sakay won the mixed doubles 9-6. Dong Koong Kang beat Jung-ju Shin 11-5, making Direct leading 3-2, but in the last two games Ga-young Kim and Nguyen Quoc Ngo won against Jieun Kang and Dinh Nai Ngo: 4-3 final score.
In the first two games on Wednesday, Eddy Leppens won twice against Murat Naci Coklu 15-14 and 15-5. Jieun Kang beat Ga-young Kim 9-5, the other game was the other way round, Ga-young Kim beat Jieun Kang 9-8. In the interesting women's match, Ga-young Kim and Ayako Sakai won 9-6 over Jieun Kang and Orie Hida.
The play-offs final continues today (Thursday) with the fourth match. Matches can be followed on PBA's YouTube.
Eddy Leppens and Dong Koong Kang discuss at the table in a Direct match
HanaPay ladies Ga-young Kim and Ayako Sakai
Eddy Leppens scored for Direct and is cheered by his teamplayers