ANDERNOS - The margin that Eddy Merckx has put on the scoreboard after one day shows his role as the main favourite to win. The third session in the Kozoom Challenge Cup was launched this Wednesday with five wins by the Belgian maestro against two for Dave Christiani and one for Maxime Panaia. The scores after the opening day:
Merckx 5 set wins, 1.610
Christiani 2, 0.975
Panaia 1, 0.927
Eddy Merckx's performances were most convincing in the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 7th set. He left no doubt about who was the best starter. In the fifth set, Maxime Panaia had his first chance to win a set, but he just missed the finish, 10-8. The young Frenchman then left his two opponents behind in the next set with 10 against 9 (Merckx) and 4 (Christiani).
Eddy Merckx recently started playing with a Longoni carbon shaft on his cue (brand Pro Emme 5). The black Luna Nera top, with which also Therese Klompenhouwer and Martin Horn are playing, is the universal carbon shaft for all Longoni models. ''I have played two matches with it in Denmark and two in Spain. So, I still have to get used to it, but in practice I have a good feeling: the top is stiffer and gives more speed and English to the ball. But before, with the wooden top, we also changed a lot: Pro 69, S2, S20, it's always evolving.''
Dave Christiani was too unstable on this first day at the Kozoom Cup to keep pace with Merckx. The Dutchman performed wonderfully in the second set, finishing with a run of 7, leaving Merckx on 2 and Panaia on 1. In the last, Christiani was able to slightly reduce the wide margin on the leader with his second set win after a hick-up in the middle section of the match.
The set results:The set results:
1e set:
Merckx 10 (1.667), Christiani 4, Panaia1
2e set: Christiani (3.333) 10, Merckx 3, Panaia 2
3e set:
Merckx 10 (1.667), Panaia 4, Christiani 4
4e set:
Merckx 10 (2.500), Panaia 4, Christiani 2
5e set:
Merkx 10 (1.000), Panaia 8, Christiani 0
6e set:
Panaia 10 (1.667), Merckx 9, Christiani 4
7e set:
Merckx 10 (3.333), Panaia 5, Christiani 4
8e set:
Christiani 10 (2.000), Panaia 5, Merckx 4.
Ranking 1st day:
1 Eddy Merckx 5-66-41-1.610-5
2 Dave Christiani 2-39-4--0.975-7
3 Maxime Panaia 1-38-41-0.927-4
Eddy Merckx, comfortable lead after one day