SAMSUN - The 39-year-old Sander Jonen, owner of a great billiard center in Osdorp, is again the big favorite for the world title artistic billiards. The tournament will be played from 12 to 16 september in Samsun (Turkey), where Jonen defends the title that's already twice on his honor roll.
The Dutchman gradually has become a phenomenon in the discipline of cue-artists. He started his carreer as artistic player when he was eighteenth, is a modest three-cushion player as well know and especially is focussed on the international championships. Jonen won his first world title in 2006. He then triumphed at the European champion in 2009 and last year was again the world's best in Florange. He defeated the German Bernd Singer in the finals. Nobuyaso Sakai and Walter Bax won bronze.
Eight players are seeded for the World championship in Samsun, sixteen players are in the qualifying rounds divided in four flights of four. The tournament hall is in the Yasar Dogu Sports Center, tournament director Semih Murat Ergun.
Sander Jonen leads the seeded players group before the Japanese Hajime Wanabe, followed by Xavier Fonellosa (Spain), Erik Vijverberg (Netherlands), Jean Reverchon (France), Haci Arap Yaman (Turkey), Eric Daelman (Belgium) and Baris Cin (Turkey) .
The Turk Yaman's is one of the challengers in his own country: he won the last CEB Grand Prix in Doetinchem in the final against Jean Reverchon.
Big name players like Walter Bax, Rob Scholtes, Bernd Singer and Thomas Arens have been referred to the preliminaries in this World championship. The seeded players are the reigning world champion, three CEB players, one player from Asia and three wildcards: one CEB, one UMB and one from the organization.
Both in qualifying and in the final round will be played in four groups of four, with the top two qualifying for next round. Eight players meet in the quarter-finals in the knock out system.
The winner of the tournament will receive 3.000 euros, the second 1.500, the numbers three and four 1.000.