ANKARA - The champion has been dethroned, the road to new glory lies open for four finalists at the Women's World three cushion championship in Ankara. Therese Klompenhouwer (40), five-time title holder including four in a row, must relinquish her title after the lost match against Shin Young Lee on Wednesday afternoon in the quarter-finals. What should have been an Orange day for three Dutch ladies, ended in a minor deception. Therese lost the hegemony for a while. Three Asians and another Dutch, Mirjam Plum (48) will compete for the global title tomorrow, Thursday. ''I had a feeling that it could happen some day,'' Therese Klompenhouwer was realistic. That moment has arrived.
The champion herself expects a fight between the two Koreans still in the race: 40-year-old Young Shin Lee and only 18-year-old Ha Eun Kim. Japan's Yuko Nishimoto, who has been on the podium once before, is a very dangerous outsider and the Dutch are hoping for a sensation with Mirjam Plum.
The semi-finals are Thursday:
Shin Young Lee-Mirjam Pruim (11.00, 10.00 West Europe)
Yuko Nishimoto-Ha Eun Kim (13.00, 12.00 Western Europe).
The final is at 16.00 Turkish time.
Therese Klompenhouwer was in full spotlight despite being eliminated by Lee (a no-chance score 30-14 in 23/22), as the Dutch has been superior on the highest stage for so long. She confessed after the match: ’’I missed the fire at times, it just wasn't my tournament, but the tables were also very difficult. I had to deal with it, especially because in that match against Lee I got incredibly difficult positions. I defended well back and was waiting for a ball on which I could strike. But it didn't come. And that made me uncertain, because Lee was playing well and smart. She was already on 17 in eight innings and I couldn't connect.''
Therese also confessed: ''I was not playing at my best for the last month. We all have a down period sometimes. I'm having that right now. But that will turn around, I'm sure. I will definitely come back.''
Among the top eight, Yuko Nishimoto was a strong and clever winner against Vietnamese Phung (30-18 in 23), Shin Young Lee won comfortably against Therese Klompenhouwer and Mirjam Plum made it into the top four by winning against the last Turkish idol in the field: Gülsen Degener, who started with six zero’s, scored once in 11 innings and did not bunch back into the match. The Dutch made one four at halfway (22-6 in 23), continued with a series of misses, but recovered in time to play out at 30-12 in 40 (0.750/0.308).
The youthful Korean Ha Eun Kim was against Colombia's Andrea Cardona inhibited by tension, had a long period of 26 innings with ones and zeros and could eventually finish 30-23 in 46 innings.
Young Korean player Ha Eun Kim (19) in final four
Mirjam Pruim is the Dutch favorite after Therese left the World stage