CAP FERRET - The smile on Eddy Merckx's face was telling stories. ''I have been rewarded for my two victories with a beer and a day off'', the Belgian said after his win against the young Frenchman Gwendal Maréchal 4-2, after a strong final sprint an average over two (2,115). Tonight, Friday, the Belgian can enjoy the cocktail party that the organizers are offering players and guests. Tomorrow, Saturday, Merckx is allowed to relax on his day off, because he already assured of a well-deserved place in the semi-finals on Sunday. ''I can finally have a good beer tonight'', Merckx smiled before leaving for the party.
The second day of the Kozoom Challenge Cup was, on this Friday in Lège-Cap-Ferret, devoted to three of the four matches of the 2nd round in the double knockout. The fourth match will be played on Saturday morning between Spaniard Ruben Legazpi and Dane Dion Nelin, two winners of the first round.
The president of the CEB, Diane Wild, travelled from Switzerland for this European confederation sanctioned match, the well-known Dutch organizer Harry Matthijssen (World Cup in Veghel, Duke Challenge and other well-known tournaments) was also present on Friday.
The matches between the losers of the first round started with a Belgian clash between Roland Forthomme and Peter De Backer. The 10 points sets often look like a kind of ping-pong between the players who start the set, like in tennis, where the advantage of the starting point is considerable. Forthomme won the first set 10-7, De Backer the second 10-6, Forthomme 'kept his serve' in the third set 10-2, De Backer came back 10-8. That put the two players at 'two sets all' after four sets.
The tempo was raised with 10-4 for Forthomme in 2/1 innings (run 6 and 4 for Roland), then De Backer answered with 6 and 4 to come back to 3-3 in sets: 10-0 in 2/1 innings. For the fourth consecutive time since the start of the tournament, it was all decided in the 7th set, which gave Forthomme passage to the next round.
The second loss pitted world number 1 Dick Jaspers against world number 2 Marco Zanetti, who is struggling with his bandaged forearm due to tendonitis. The Dutchman started the first set strongly: 10-1 in 3/2. The Italian answered in the second set 10-5 in 3/2 innings. Jaspers won the 3rd set 10-2 in 5/4, then broke in the 4th set 10-6 in 9 innings. The Dutchman led 3 sets to 1 and also triumphed in the next set 10-6 in 6/5, a victory for Jaspers with 4-1, averages 1,800 against 1,087.
Eddy Merckx against Gwendal Maréchal was the first match of two first round winners. The winner has already qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament, the loser will play Dick Jaspers.
Gwendal Maréchal won the draw and took the first set 10-7 in 6/5 innings. Merckx started the second and won 10-2 in 4/3. The third set, before the break, went to the Frenchman 10-8 in 9/8, but it was his last chance. The ironclad Merckx went into overdrive from then on and from trailing 2-1 the Belgian went straight to winning 10-0, started the next with a run of 9 (prolonged 15 points) and won the fifth 10-2 in 2. He finished the match 10-5 in 4/3, good for 4-2 and an average of 2,115, against Gwendal 1,160.
Saturday's time schedule:
14.00: Ruben Legazpi - Dion Nelin
16.30: Dick Jaspers - Gwendal Maréchal
19.00: Roland Forthomme - loser of Legazpi-Nelin.
