ANKARA – The world champion Tayfun Tasdemir is still in the race for a new title in his home country, fighting for world gold with three Asian players on the final day. All other top European players have been eliminated. Tayfun Tasdemir faces Quyet Chien Tran on Sunday morning 10.00 Turkish time, Korean Myung Woo Cho plays for the other final spot against Phuong Vinh Bao at 12.30. Two Vietnamese, one Korean and the Turkish world champion go to the apotheosis in the billiard arena in Turkish capital Ankara. Dick Jaspers, the world number one, was eliminated by Eddy Merckx this Saturday and loses his position. The Dutchman drops to fourth or fifth place for the first time in years, depending on the results on the final day.
Phuong Vinh Bao, a fast-rising star of the Vietnamese, is the biggest surprise in the final field of four. Tayfun Tasdemir eliminated Eddy Merckx in the quarter-finals 50-31 in 35/34. Myung Woo Cho played American Hugo Patino out of the event with 50-29 in 41/40. Quyet Chien Tran won the clash with Marco Zanetti 50-34 in 25. The other American still in the running, Pedro Piedrabuena, went to a match ball to give Phuong Vinh Bao the knockout, but in all the tension, he hit his cue ball too softly to make the point. Bao, the coming man in the current world top, struck with two caroms and couldn’t contain his happiness after the winning point.
The climax at this World championship comes in sight after many major champions have fallen on the way to the final day. Quyet Chien Tran was the best winner in the quarter-finals in his match against Marco Zanetti, which he decided by a run of 11 in the 12th inning.
Myung Woo Cho needed a remarkably long run-up against Hugo Patino and Eddy Merckx had lost his grip on the game in that round playing against Tayfun Tasdemiri (0.912 for the Belgian). That was remarkable, because in the previous round Merckx had been so stoic in the match against Dick Jaspers, distancing himself from the Dutchman with a run of 14 at 18-16. It turned out to be a wonderful finale, as Jaspers came back with little runs of 3, 5, 4, 4 and 7 to 43-43. The Dutchman even got to match point, but missed twice, after which Merckx played out with 2.
The round with the best 16 was also the finishing point for Roland Forthomme (losing against Myung Woo Cho with 50-25 in 22), Gwendal Maréchal (against Bao, 50-45 in 24), Haeng Jik Kim (against Piedrabuena, 50-33 in 26) and Mexican Javier Vera against Quyet Chien Tran (50-34 in 30).
The most strange matches were seen in the games between Jérémy Bury and Pedro Piedrabuena. The Frenchman crushed the American in the first rounds in a group with three players sensational with 40-3 in 13 innings, but was eliminated in the round of 32 by the same Piedrabuena with a two points margin: 50-48 in 36.
Tayfun Tasdemir, chasing another title as the last of the Europeans in the final four
The Vietnamese Phuong Vinh Bao is the new star among the Asians