GOYANG-SI - The Korean PBA professional competition with 128 billiard players is dominated by six European players this year. Belgian Frédéric Caudron won the fourth tournament of this season in Goyang-si this Tuesday in a final against Spaniard David Zapata, 4-1 in sets (1,750/1,371). It was the third European victory in four tournaments: Korean Dong Koong Kang won the first event, then David Martinez, Eddy Leppens and now Frédéric Caudron. And to give it even more European glamour: Filippos Kasidokostas, David Zapata and Javier Palazón won the last three tournaments of last season.
Frédéric Caudron won his third tournament since the start of the PBA circuit, over two years ago. That makes him the most successful player in Korea. In the ladies, where almost only Asian players are in the field, 22-year-young Ye-eun Kim won, it was her second PBA victory.
The Koreans are not among the best when it comes to the highest prices. This year, Caudron, Leppens, Kasidokostas (who has since retired from Korea) and Martinez each collected a premium of 75,000 euros with one tournament win. Spaniard David Zapata, who won the final tournament, was even rewarded with 220,000 euro. For the Korean professional players there was only one winner: Dong Koong Kang, also a well-known former UMB player.
The Spaniards are the most notable players in the PBA circuit. David Zapata was not only the best earner with the win in the final tournament, also David Martinez, Javier Palazón and in this last tournament young Carlos Anguita regularly came to the final stages of a tournament.
Ten of the 17 PBA tournaments have been won by European players since the start of the circuit. Caudron won three times, Kasidokostas and Martinez twice, Zapata, Palazón and Leppens once. Among the Koreans, only Dong Koong Kang won two tournaments.
The overall winner Caudron triumphed against Ji-hun Sun (3-1, 1,583 average), Sung-won Seo (3-1, 1,929), Eddy Leppens (3-1, 1,786), Carlos Anguita (3-1, 2,208) among others, before beating Dong Koong Kang 4-1 (2,179) in the semifinals and David Zapata 4-1, 1,750 in the finals. The set scores were 15-4, 15-5, 3-15, 15-11 and 15-13. In this final, Caudron made 20 bankshots, which yield double points, against Zapata 8.
Among the other Europeans, Zapata reached the final for the Spaniards, Martinez, Palazón and Anguita the last 8. For Anguita, it was his first success in the PBA: he was only eliminated by Caudron. Adnan Yüksel and Eddy Leppens reached the last 16, Glenn Hofman the last 32, Bulut and Uymaz left the tournament at the last 64. The best match was for Vietnamese Minh Cam Ma, that yielded 4 million, or 3,000 euro.
In the ladies, Ye-eun Kim, the later winner, triumphed in the semi-final overt Sruong Pheavy, 3-2. Kyung-nam Yoon won against Ji-eun Lee 3-2. In the final match, Ye-eun Kim won 4-1, her average was 0,857 against Kyung-nam Yoon 0,672. Ye-eun Kim earned 20 million with her victory, that means 15,000 euros. Sruong Pheavy got 2 million, 1,500 euros, for the best martch average.
The prizes for the top 8:
1 Frédéric Caudron 75,000 euro
2 David Zapata 37.500
3 Dong Koong Kang 7.500
3 SYoung seob Kim 7.500
4 tm 8: David Martinez, Carlos Anguita, Jae-ho Cho, Javier Palazón: 3.750 euro
The ladies winner Ye-eun Kim