PORTO - The final day of qualifiers gets underway at the World Cup in Porto. For most of the players in the sub-top, just below the favored top 14, another important mission is coming up. Ruben Legazpi, Myeong Jong Cha, Dion Nelin, Roland Forthomme, Michael Nilsson and Jose Juan Garcia, just to name some high-ranked players, are hunting for more ranking points. The top positions in that sub-top move up three, four and five positions due to thedeparture of Sánchez, Sayginer, Lee, Nguyen and Coklu to PBA.
Turks Gökhan Salman and Omer Karakurt, Dutchman Sam van Etten, Korean Jaein Jung and Colombian Huberney Cataño finished in top five of 12 winners who reached the final day of qualifications to the main draw. Gökhan Salman with a superb average 2,400. Sam van Etten, Burak Hashas and Lukas Stamm were the young players who could count themselves among those winners. Most known players who missed qualification were Jose Maria Mas, Sergio Jimenez, Takao Miyashita, Jean Paul de Bruijn and Jeffrey Jorissen. For Jorissen, the elimination was dramatic: the Dutchman lost two games on one carom. Against Pierre Soumagne, Jorissen had to score 6 in the equalizer, he missed after 5. By winning against Alexander Salazar, Jorissen could still qualify, but a poor finish (6 in the last 12 innings) gave the Colombian the chance to play out with 5. Jorissen missed the equalizer at 30-29 in 26.
Of the highly ranked players among the top 14, Ruben Legazpi needs to make it to the main tournament in a group with Lukas Stamm and Kevin Vasseur to further close the gap to the top list. The difference with Martin Horn (172 vs 147) is 25 points, Myeong Jong Cha (131), Dion Nelin (124) and Roland Forthomme (123) are little further away. Berkay Karakurt, Gwendal Maréchal, and Peter Ceulemans, who are in action today in the final round, are even slightly further. Two Dutchmen, ex-PBA players, missed out on the chance of qualification on Wednesday. Glenn Hofman lost to Volkan Cetin, his compatriot, Jean Paul de Bruijn was beaten by Jae In Jung.
Gökhan Salman won his two matches with ease (60 in 25 innings) and towered over the other winners in average. The Turks were with four players in the winners' field, the Dutch with three of seven who started on Wednesday. The most appealing Dutch match was between Volkan Cetin and Glenn Hofman: Cetin won 30-24 in 20.
The top match winners on day three were Gökhan Salman (30-7 in 8 against Jose Maria Mas with a series of 15), Omer Karakurt (30-16 against Arnim Kahofer in 11), Robinson Morales (30-15 in 13 against Rui Edgar), Glenn Hofman (30-11 in 16 against Regay Henry), Sam van Etten (30 in 18 against Turgay Orak), Pierre Soumagne (30-29 against Jeffrey Jorissen in 18).
The ranking on Wednesday:
- Gökhan Salman 4-2,400-15
- Omer Karakurt 4-1,818-9
- Sam van Etten 4-1,463-10
- Jaein Jung 4-1,428-6
- Huberney Cataño 4-1,395-5
- Volkan Cetin 4-1,333-6
- Javier Vera 4-1,333-5
- Alexander Salazar 4-1,250-6
- Burak Hashas 4-1,224-7
- Muammer Rahmet 4-1,153-7
- Huub Wilkowski 4-1,111-5
- Kevin Vasseur 4-1,034-8
- Lukas Stamm 4-0.983-6
- Robinson Morales 3-1,714-8
- Thomas Andersen 3-1,153-9
- Sung Il Jeong 2-1,217-8
`The thrilling and strongest triples on the final qualifying day on Thursday include:
Group B: Robinson Morales, Huub Wilkowski, Roland Forthomme.
Group D: Sung Il Jeong, Burak Hashas, Dion Nelin
Group E: Tolgahan Kiraz, Alexander Salazar, Michael Nilsson
Group G: Gwendal Maréchal, Volkan Cetin, Jose Juan Garcia
Group I: Bong Joo Hwang, Jaein Jung, Peter Ceulemans
Group J: Hyuk Son Jun, Sam van Etten, Berkay Karakurt
Group K: Riad Nady, Omer Karakurt, Jacob Sörensen
Group L: Hong Chiem Thai, Phuong Vinh Bao, Gökhan Salman.
Matches start one hour earlier in Porto today, Thursday (10am Portuguese time, 11am in Western Europe). Twelve winners will advance to the main tournament and three best numbers two.
Omer Karakurt
Gökhan Salman