IZMIR - The Dutch flag was already waving at the edge of the arena, when Therese Klompenhouwer still had to make the winning point. The championship ball in the final against Japanese Orie Hida caused a wave of joy, not only on the winner's face, also in the orange crowd in the stands. The world title is back to Therese Klompenhouwer, the third in her marvelous career. It took blood, sweat and tears in the Turkish arena after she was first embraced by her girl friend Chantal and later by other fans and players. The 35-year-old world's number one six-time European champion in women's billiards was back on top of the podium with Orie Hida, Sruong Pheavy and Gülsen Degener only one step lower.
The Dutch national anthem affected the champion, who didn't play her best tournament, but dethroned the other favourite, Orie Hida, at the decisive moment. ,,I have been so hungry to win this title'', Klompenhouwer said after the final in the midst of her fans. ,,This makes me super happy, because I won it with my willpower and spirit. When I made my last point, I looked up to the scoreboard and thought: I've done it, incredible. The emotion afterwards was enormous, I really had given it all. And I also had a lot of support from my Dutch fans, who dragged me through my bad moments.''
She was, in the cosy cauldron, the shining center of those orange fans and followers, who celebrated her victory. ,,I was in trouble, now and then, because the tension was so high'', she confessed later. ,,My tactic was to play from match to match, for the first time in such a big tournament. I was not on my very best. The only thing that counted, was to win, I didn't care about my averages and my opponents.''
The final against her perpetual rival Orie Hida, who now has only one world title more than Therese, was levelling before the break: 9-9 after 7 innings, 14-14 after sixteen. The 42-year-old Japanese had a short revival after the stop (16-14), but had to hand over the initiative in the final part. Therese grabbed her to the throat with small runs, the Japanese, hounded by too many kissing balls, lacked the strength and conviction to hit back. The last carom, to 30-24 in 30 innings (1.000 average against 0.800) felt as a relief. The title is back to Terrie from Nijkerk, the figurehead of global ladies billiards.
The history actually spoke in favour of the European champion. Therese won four of the five matches she played against Hida in the last five years. But the stars were not with Holland's hope in the run-up to this years final. Therese, who came to the World's with lots of ambition and fit as a fiddle, had a ponderously start, without her feared highlights. 'Terrie' was not unlucky that the the opposition could not impress, with two players in the pre-rounds who did not reach half an average. That also applied to Aysegul Fendi, the opponent in the quarterfinals, but Klompenhouwer showed signs of recovery on that second last day,closed with a 30-in-30 victory.
Orie Hida showed an uphill pathway in her matches on the first days. The start with a loss to Sruong Pheavy inspired the Japanese to a boost, when she played the the best match of the tournament (30 in 19) and after three matches with the best average. Young Korean Kim was the next victim in the quarters, however in a tough finish.
The final four with Orie Hida, Therese Klompenhouwer, Sruong Pheavy and Gülsen Degener
That all led to the first skirmishes in the semi-finals:
Orie Hida-Sruong Pheavy 30-10 in 17
The champion takes a masterly run-up to the final: Orie Hida leaves her potential successor in the waiting room for at least one year. Sruong Pheavy misses the break and is immediately punished by a run of six of the Japanese in the second inning. It has to be said: Hida couldn't complain about some luck, but that is not the reason for the big difference in the score. The reigning champion is cold-blooded, a paragon of concentration and efficient towards the challenger uncertain, strained, uncomfortable and unable to start a come-back. Hida is leading 21-6 in 10 innings after a 7-run, can focus to her attack and runs to a glorious finish. The lucky shots in between should be forgiven.
Orie Hida (right) defeated her Asian opponent Sruong Pheavy
Therese Klompenhouwer-Gülsen Degener 30-22 in 38
The flashy start of the Dutch, with 16-6 in ten innings and 20-6 in 14 gets a poor follow-up. From the 14th turn, Therese Klompenhouwer falls prey to a long slump with a lot of misses (12 in 14 innings, with in between two 'ones'). Gülsen Degener, who rarely won Klompenhouwer in her career, suddenly gets chances. She comes back under applause from the home crowd to 22-22 (in 28), but then Therese is back in class just in time. With a 'three' that is good for 25-22 and helped by ten misses of Degener in her last ten innings, Klompenhouwer takes the final with more than twice as many innings as Orie Hida (17 against 38).
Terry (right) and Gülsen at the start of their semin-final match
But in the battle for gold, it all changed, when Therese showed her fighting spirit. She grabbed her chances with both hands, the relief after the gain was moving. The world title is back in the Netherlands, the country that is the organizer of three World championships in a row after Valencia (2019). It will surely inspire Therese Klompenhouwer even more to expand her record of world titles.
The final score of the World Cup for women:
1 Therese Klompenhouwer (The Netherlands) 12-0.887-7
2 Orie Hida (Japan) 8-1.082-7
3 Sruong Pheavy (Cambodia) 8-0.884-5
4 Gülsen Degener (Turkey) 7-0.729-5
5 Bo Mi Kim (South Korea) 4-813-7
6 Guzin Mujde Karakasli (Turkey) 4-0.738-8
7 Aysegul Fendi (Turkey) 4-0.449-4
8 Claudia Lalinde (Colombia) 3-0.615-4.
Therese Klompenhouwer in the middle of her Dutch fanclub
The new world champion in tears after her winning point