ANKARA - The best year in Tayfun Tasdemir's career so far ends this week with the start of a new world championship. With 11-year-older Dutchman Dick Jaspers, the Turk, who captured his first world title in Donghae City 10 months ago, is among the top favorites in the battle for the 75th World three cushion championship. Jaspers (58) and Tasdemir (47) are realistic on the eve of the championship to be played with 48 players in Ankara, Turkey. At least 20 players from the top of the rankings are contenders or outsiders.
Dick Jaspers arrived in Ankara on Sunday night, Tayfun Tasdemir made the trip by car from Bursa, about 420 kilometer, on the day before the start of the World Cup. The Dutchman is top fit and is going full out for a podium finish. ''The World championship can start for me, I am ready for it.'' Tayfun Tasdemir had a slightly lesser preparation. ’’We returned from the tournament in Korea, but I was able to train very little due to an infection. I was in hospital for two days and took medication for another 4, 5 days. That's certainly not the ideal run-up, but I feel capable to defend my world title.''
Dick Jaspers said shortly before his departure in an interview with his Dutch federation: ''My form is reasonably good, but I hardly give any value to that. Form can go with peaks and troughs, it can be gone like that and back again like that. That's also how I look at a World championship: it can be wonderful, but also quickly over.''
The Dutchman goes down the list of contenders and observes: ’’We have grown closer and closer at the top. The Turks, the Asians, young Vietnamese and Koreans who train a lot and are very motivated. And talent is not the only thing, a strong competitive mentality, but with that I am not the only one. Look also at Zanetti, Blomdahl, Merckx and players in the PBA like Sánchez, Caudron and Sayginer, also players who never give up.''
Tayfun Tasdemir obviously feels the pressure of playing at home. ''I am playing a World championship in my own country for the first time. We expect a lot of spectators, a lot of people behind us. I am one of the four Turks, with Berkay and Omer Karakurt and Tolgahan Kiraz as well. We are very motivated and want to shine at this Worlds.''
The Turkish outgoing champion says he looks back at a wonderful year. ''Ten months ago I won my first world title, a few months later I became world national team champion with Semih Sayginer. The reactions were huge: lots of interviews in newspapers, magazines and a lot of interest on social media. I sincerely enjoyed it, now we get a new chance. With many great players as opponents.''
The biggest contenders with Dick Jaspers and Tayfun Tasdemir:
Marco Zanetti, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Myung Woo Cho, Eddy Merckx, Quyet Chien Tran, Sameh Sidhom, Haeng Jik Kim, Jung Han Heo, Jérémy Bury, Jung Han Heo, Jun Tae Kim, Berkay Karakurt, Nikos Polychronopoulos.
The outsiders:
Pedro Piedrabuena, Phuong Vinh Bao, Martin Horn, Ruben Legazpi, Myeong Jong Cha.
Dick Jaspers starts the championship on Wednesday (6th of September) against his compatriot, Jean Paul de Bruijn, with whom he played many great battles in the past. In this group, Ji Hun Ahn is the third player, two of the three advancing to the tournament's best 32. The Jaspers-De Bruijn match is played at 11:00 Turkish time, 10:00 in Western Europe. The winner of that match will play Korean Ahn on Wednesday evening at 19.00 (18.00 in the Netherlands). The loser will play Thursday at 2pm (1pm in the Netherlands) against Ahn.
Tayfun Tasdemir will start Wednesday night at 19.00 in Turkey against the winner of the match between Mexican Javier Vera and Spanish Colombian Robinson Morales.
The world championship in Ankara finish the preliminary rounds on Thursday evening. It then moves to the 16-match first knockout phase with 32 players starting at 12.00pm Turkish time on Friday. The top 16 will play Saturday from 12.00pm, with the quarter-finals at 4.00pm and 6.30pm (Turkish time).
On Sunday the semi-finals are at 10am and 12.30pm, with the final at 4pm (3pm Western Europe time).
All matches can be watched live on Afreeca TV's YouTube.
Dick Jaspers, one of the main contenders at the World Championship