CARTAGENA – The Spanish city of Cartagena in the region of Murcia is hosting two world championships in three-cushion billiards this week. The ladies will start their tournament this Tuesday (September 23), it will last three days, followed by the juniors who compete for the world title. The venue is the Palacio de Deportes in Cartagena. The field consists in the ladies of eight groups of three players, with the top two from each group advancing to the top sixteen for the knockout rounds. Charlotte Sörensen defends the world title that she won in Blois, France. Spain's Estela Cardoso plays in her hometown. Mr. Jose Carrasco, well known as a youth coach in Spain, is the tournament director.
Charlotte Sörensen starts in the preliminary rounds in a group with two Asian players: Korea's Bo mi Choi and Japan's Noriko Fukao. Therese Klompenhouwer, the main challenger, faces Belgium's Jaimie Buelens and Czech Republic's Veronika Krausova. Charlotte Sörensen won her first world title last year and became European champion as well. Therese Klompenhouwer is the most renowned player in the field with five world titles to her name: the first in Sinop, Turkey, in 2014, following in Guri, Korea in 2014, in Izmir, Turkey in 2018, in Valencia, Spain in 2019, and in Heerhugowaarde, the Netherlands, in 2022.
Karina Jetten and Nana Petersen, the number 2 players in their country, have been grouped with France's Magali Declunder, a group of three dangerous outsiders. The Greek Litsa Mavridoglou is playing with two Colombians, Johana Sandoval and Gisell Monroy. Another strong group is the one with the Korean Ha Eun Kim, a young talent from the Asian billiards stronghold who is predicted to have a bright future. She is playing with Yuko Nishimoto, who was in the final rounds last year, and Ana Juarez, the Spanish wild card.
Estela Cardoso is the Spanish champion, paired with Vietnamese Thi Lien Nguyen and Colombian Claudia Lalinde. Cardoso is the routined player of the two Spanish players, having played in a total of seven World Championships and finishing fifth once. Her best result in a European Championship was a lost final against Klompenhouwer. Estela Cardoso currently lives in Madrid and Valencia. “I work in Madrid and my partner lives in Valencia. The plan is to move to Valencia soon.” Cardoso is 40 years old and works as a data analyst. The tournament in Cartagena is three hours away from where she lives in Valencia. “But Cartagena is where I lived until ten years ago and where my family lives.”
For Cardoso, who plays billiards since she was 15, feels playing in a World Championship in her own country very special. “I feel a lot of support from other players, family, and friends, but it's also wonderful to play in my own city. To be honest, I feel more nervous about performing well. My goal is to play well and make it to the top eight.” Estela Cardoso is a 13-time Spanish champion. Her favorite for the championship? “Therese Klompenhouwer.”
The tournament starts on Tuesday (September 23) at 11:00 a.m. with the matches Bo mi Choi-Noriko Fukao, Jaimie Buelens-Veronika Krausova, Magali Declunder-Nana Petersen, and Guzin Mujde Karakasli-Claudia Chacon. The top favorites Klompenhouwer and Sörensen will play their first match at 3:00 p.m.
The quarter finals are on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., with the semifinals and final on Thursday.
The group formats:
Group A:
Charlotte Sörensen (Denmark), Bo mi Choi (Korea), Noriko Fukao (Japan)
Group B:
Therese Klompenhouwer (Netherlands), Jaimie Buelens (Belgium), Veronika Krausova (Czech Republic)
Group C:
Karina Jetten (Netherlands), Magali Declunder (France), Nana Petersen (Denmark)
Group D:
Jackeline Perez (Peru), Guzin Mujde Karakasli (Turkey), Claudia Chacon (Colombia)
Group E:
Johana Sandoval (Colombia), Litsa Mavridoglou (Greece), Gisell Monroy (Colombia)
Group F:
Yuko Nishimoto (Japan), Ha Eun Kim (Korea), Ana Juarez (Spain)
Group G:
Claudia Lalinde (Colombia), Estela Cardoso (Spain), Thi Lien Nguyen (Vietnam)
Group H:
Steffi Tram (Germany), Ayaka Miyashita (Japan), Gülsen Degener (Turkey).
Estela Cardoso, the home town favorite