VALENCIA - The Predator three cushion Grand Prix for ladies in Valencia got underway with Denmark's Charlotte Sörensen's best game this Friday. Therese Klompenhouwer's main challenger won her match against Dutch Pauline Beersma playing exactly 1 on average. Therese herself met an undersized opponent and made an uninspired impression for her starting match. The Predator Grand Prix is the first for the European ladies, who will be offered another such tournament later this summer in Bottrop, Germany.
The start was scheduled for 24 players, but Turkey's Arzu Gök, herself a Predator player, did not come to the start. As a result, the tournament management had to experiment with one of six groups of four players.
The top European players are well represented with Therese Klompenhouwer, Charlotte Sörensen, Karina Jetten, Guzin Müjde Karakasli, Steffi Träm and Karina Jetten. They accepted the generous offer from the European federation and Predator as the main sponsor to play the Grand Prix as an enrichment to the calendar. There are attractive prizes to be won for women's billiards: 1,500 euros for the winner, 750 for the runner-up, 500 and 250 for the losing finalists. Therese Klompenhouwer showed her joy in the run-up and even scrapped World Cups and national appearances from her calendar to play these tournaments.
The intention of the organizers was to get the maximum line-up. Swedish CEB board member Eva Viding Bussell said ahead of the Grand Prix: ''It is great that there is so much interest in our tournament, we even had to refuse participants.'' However, the addition to a maximum field of 24, including more than the seeded Dutch and Spanish players, has not been a resounding success. The Spanish player from the home country, Marina Mezecka, appeared to the billiard table against Therese Klompenhouwer like a new kid and made 3 caroms in 40 innings (25-3), an average 0.075. That was almost an insult to the world champion.
Other players, including Susana Riera, Spain (0.209), Yeimi Mancipe, Spain (0.260), Monique van Exter, Netherlands (0.290) and Jetty Beersma (0.208), Netherlands, also fell far short of the level that should be required for an international Grand Prix. The supervisor, Viding Bussell, therefore assured after the first day of play: ''I will certainly discuss with the board whether we should look at an average-limit for next season.''
The traditional top women's had a respectable start to the Grand Prix. Denmark's number two from the last European Championships, Charlotte Sörensen, felt no stage fright at this podium and in her first group match beat the Netherlands' Pauline Beersema 25-12 in 25 innings. Karina Jetten (Netherlands), Guzin Müjde Karakasli (Turkey) and Danielle Le Bruyn (Belgium) were not far behind with 25 in 31, 31 and 35 innings.
Only Therese Klompenhouwer had a remarkably poor start. The weak performance of Spain's Marina Mezecka was undoubtedly a reason why the world champion did not show a flashy start. Therese plays in a group in which Marianne Mortensen and Helga Mitterböck, two old acquaintances also play. These two rivals did not make it to the end in their mutual match: 22-15 in 50.
The second part already showed better performances. Mirjam Pruim won her second match in Group E after first beating Daisy Werdekker 25-21 in 45. In her second, the Dutch defeated Spain's Ana Juarez 25-31 in 31. Karina Jetten, with two wins in Group F, is also almost secured of a place in the next round. Jetten won against Eckel (25-10 in 31) and in the evening session against Riera 25-8 in 38. There is still tension in Group E with Daisy Werdekker's win against Danielle Le Bruyn (20-17 in 50). Katja Titze won in Group F against Sylvia Eckel 25-14 in 50.
Turkish player Güzin Mujde Karakasli started with a good win