SEOUL - The Korean ex-military Myung Woo Cho is back in billiards, but the army man is still looking for his best form. The young, former and triple world junior champion started the World Cup in Seoul on the last qualification day with a remarkably poor loss against Japanese Tatsuo Arai (40-37 in 36), but recovered miraculously against Gökhan Salman. The Turk, who beat the Japanese (40-33 in 28), was outclassed by Myung Woo Cho in the deciding match, was able to come back with a 5-run at 40-15, but eventually beaten by the Korean for the group win on average.
Myung Woo Cho saved his World Cup, as the last of the group winners, while Frenchman Gwendal Maréchal almost lost his World Cup against Vietnamese Duc Anh Chien Nguyen, the number 2 of the penultimate World Championship in Randers. The Frenchman had a flawless start in his group against Ja In Kang, one of the dangerous Koreans (40-16 in 19). Duc Ahn Chien Nguyen surprisingly lost to the same Kang
40-29 in 27. The Vietnamese then dominated the match against Gwendal Maréchal, which had an exciting ending. The World Cup in Seoul therefore went to a curious climax of the qualifications.
Duc Ahn Chien Nguyen won 40-17 in 19, raised his average and ended like Maréchal and Kang with two match points. The averages had to decide, but they turned out to be exactly equal: both Nguyen and Maréchal finished 1,500. The highest runs had to decide and bizarrely the fourth highest run was the decider. The Vietnamese had 7-6-5-5, the Frenchman 7-6-5-4. The Vietnamese, who had already resigned himself to elimination, could not believe his luck. Gwendal Maréchal fortunately could smile after all, because he is the third man from the 'loser's bracket' to go to the main draw.
The draw for the main tournament at the World Cup in Seoul:
Group A: Dick Jaspers, Gwendal Maréchal, Choong Bok Lee, Luis Martinez
Group B: Dani Sánchez, Bung Joo Hwang, Jun Tae Kim, Chang Hoon Seo
Group C: Marco Zanetti, Jung Han Heo, Dong Ryong Kim, Quang Hao Truong
Group D: Quyet Chien Tran, Nikos Polychronopoulos, Haeng Jik Kim, Myung Woo Cho
Group E: Sameh Sidhom, Murat Naci Coklu, Ji Hun Ahn, Myeong Jong Cha
Group F: Eddy Merckx, Jun Hyuk Son, Semih Sayginer, Lütfi Cenet
Group G: Tayfun Tasdemir, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Phuong Vinh Bao, Duc Anh Chien Nguyen
Group H: Jérémy Bury, Martin Horn, Wan Young Choi, Min Suk Kim.
Friday first round at 10.00 (3.00 in Western Europe):
Further rounds at 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00 and 20.00.
Jun Tae Kim is with 4 match points and 2.051 the best of this last qualification day, where the averages are certainly not extremely high and the players strangely enough now have the choice between playing with or without a mouth mask. Nikos Polychronopoulos played two strong matches, especially the last one against Vietnamese Xuan Cuong Ma. Colombians Jose Juan Garcia, Pedro Gonzalez and Arley Castrillon show moderate forms and may take the long journey back. The two Belgians Roland Forthomme and Peter Ceulemans miss the main tournament, just like the Turks Gökhan Salman, Turgay Orak and Berkay Karakurt. Korean Sung Won Choi is the best known player to drop out of the main draw. And Dutchman Jeffrey Jorissen left the arena very disappointed, after he had a 21-2 lead in 11 innings against Pedro Gonzalez and lost everything in the second part. Jorissen had an unimaginable setback, the Colombian smelled opportunities, started to score and eventually took the win after that 21-2 deficit: 40-33 in 32 innings.
Jun Tae Kim leads the day ranking with 4 points and 2.051ahead of Choong Bok Lee with 4 and 1.860, shared with Nikos Polychronopoulos 4, 1.860, followed by Ji Hun Ahn, Jun Hyuk Son and Phuong Vinh Bao, the revelation from the preliminaries and now even qualified for the main tournament.
The overview of the groups on Thursday:
Group A:
The start is bizarre in this group with three Koreans, of whom Sung Won Choi is the only Korean ex-world champion. The first two matches are won by Min Suk Kim and Sung Won Choi in 53 and 48 innings for 40 points. With those wretched averages, Sung Won Choi and Min Suk Kim are playing for the group win. That third match is better in quality, but Sung Won Choi disappears from the World Cup by losing 40-36 in 22.
Group B:
Jun Tae Kim, one of the better Koreans, puts his candidacy for the main tournament by a victory over Bong Joo Hwang 40-25 in 18 and after Hwang wins by the smallest margin against Hong Chiem Thai (40-39 in 20), it is a cool trick for Jun Tae Kim: he wins his second match as well, beats Thai 40-25 in 21 innings and finishes with 2.051 on average.
Groupl C:
Gwendal Maréchal beats a seasoned Korean warrior, Ja In Kang, in the first game 40-16 in 19 innings. That gives the Frenchman the flawless start that he wanted, especially after Kang beats former vice-world champion Duc An Chien Nguyen in the next match (40-29 in 27). The showdown, however, leads to an exciting conclusion. Duc Ahn Chien is much stronger than the Frenchman in the third game and eventually pulls out the group win on average (both 1,500) and thanks to a fourth highest run!!
Group D:
Xuan Cuong Ma and Nikos Polychronopoulos aim for a battle in the third match. The Vietnamese and Greek beat Colombian Arley Castrillon in 27 and 28 innings, the Colombian ends disappointingly at 0 points, 1.054, but a run of 11. Nikos excels in the last match against Ma and wins convincingly 40-22 and a fine 1.860 over two games.
Group E:
What a surprise in the first rounds of this group. Myung Woo Cho, the main Korean talent, who after his stop due to military service had not yet found back the flair and class he showed before. He starts with a loss against Japanese Tatsuo Arai (40-37 in 36 innings). The Japanese himself loses to Gökhan Salman (40-33 in 28), so that the Turk can start the match against Myung Woo Cho optimistically. The final sprint however is gratifying for Cho, disappointing for Salman, because the Turk gives up his chances by losing 40-20 in 23 innings. Myung Woo Cho may enter the main tournament as the number 1 from his group.
Group F:
The Turkish clash between Lütfi Cenet and Berkay Karakurt results in a win for the veteran: Cenet wins 40-29 in 22, after which Karakurt is the best in his match against Arnim Kahofer 40-28 in 32. Cenet has to finish the job against Kahofer. The Austrian, however, surpasses himself and beats Cenet 40-32 (31), so that three players end up with 2 match points. Cenet, because of his better match against Karakurt, is still the winner with 1,358.
Group G:
Jeffrey Jorissen can count his blessings after his first match against Myeong Jong Cha and after seeing the Korean beat Pedro Gonzalez, the Colombian World Cup contender in Viersen, failing in his first match in Seoul with a 0.583 average against Cha. The Dutchman has one leg in the main draw and faces a tame opponent for the finishing touch, as it seems after the start. The Colombian Gonzalez, three times Pan American champion, delivers a miserable performance in the first part of the match. Jeffrey leads 21-2 in 11 at the break and has the match in his fingers. The Dutchman, however, is no shadow of the player he was in the starting part, misses chances time and again, defends, but not well enough and is punished for that in the end. To his own surprise, the Colombian crosses the finishing line as the winner, Myeong Jong Cha is the group winner with 2-1,326 ahead of Jorissen 2-1,216.
Group H:
The Vietnamese Nguyen, that goes through the billiard circuit as TTT (Tran Thanh Tu), recovers after a losing start against Son with a win against JJ (Jose Juan) Garcia: 40-29 in 26. That makes the group still exciting, with admittedly Jun Hyuk Son in the favorites role for the third session. The Korean sends JJ Garcia home without mercy (40-34 in 29), the Colombians, so strong at home, cannot look back on a good World Cup performance.
Group I:
Vietnamese Quang Hao Truong and Korean Choong Bok Lee send Ronny Lindemann back home without any chance in the first two games. Truong beats the German 40-19 in 19, Lee wins 40-30 in 20 innings. The battle for the group win between Lee and Truong goes to a nice finish. Lee, who started with 7 and 3 and led 21-9 later in the match, is struggling in the end. The Vietnamese fights back with two 4's and a 5, even leading 36-35, but then Lee grabs the win with 1-2-2 in his last three innings: 40-37 in 23.
Group J:
Wan Young Choi is a World Cup star in full growth. He shows that with a win over Turgay Orak (40-22 in 33). The Turk recovers against Jordanian Mashhour Abu Tayeh 40-21 in 23, but Choi can finish it off easily against Abu Tayeh and does so confidently with 40-32 in 24. Turgay Orak, with 2 points and 1,107, cannot count on a place among the best runners up.
Group K:
Ji Hun Ahn opens with a win against Vietnamese Do Nguyen (40-38 in 24) and Roland Forthomme plays a draw against Nguyen in the next match: 40-40 in 24. Therefore, it remains exciting until the end, in which the Belgian eventually finishes with 2 and the Vietnamese equalises with 1. Roland Forthomme has the chances in his own hand against Ji Hun Ahn. The Belgian keeps up for a long time and only see his Korean opponent sprint away in the closing stages, in which Ahn takes a 35-21 lead with 6 and eventually wins 40-24 in 21. Forthomme finishes third and last with 1 point and 1.422 after Ahn (4, 1.777) and Do Nguyen (1-1.625).
Group L:
Phuong Vinh Bao, the revelation for Vietnam from the previous days, continues his series of triumphs against Peter Ceulemans, whom he beats 40-37 in 30 innings. The Belgian is fighting for his last chance against Riad Nady, Egypt's second player behind Sidhom. The African runs at the end of the match with a 6 to 38-32, Ceulemans comes back with 4, but Nady finishes with 4. Ceulemans, who looks better than in his first game, closes with 2 and plays a draw: 40-40 in 22. It does mean the elimination of Ceulemans. Bao and Nady battle for the ticket to the main draw. The Vietnamese again takes victory and can count himself from now among the famous players in his country. Peter Ceulemans finishes third with 1 match point and 1.327.
The final ranking on the last qualification day:
1 Jun Tae Kim 4-2.051-14
2 Choong Bok Lee 4-1,860-13
3 Nikos Polychronopoulos 4-1,860-10
4 Ji Hun Ahn 4-1,777-7
5 Jun Hyuk Son 4-1,509-7
6 Phuong Vinh Bao 4-1,454-7
7 Wan Young Choi 4-1,403-9
8 Min Suk Kim 4-1,066-6
9 Duc Anh Chien Nguyen 2-1,500-7
10 Lütfi Cenet 2-1,358-11
11 Myeong Jong Cha 2-1,326-8
12 Myung Woo Cho 2-1,305-7.
Runners up for the main draw:
1 Quang Hao Truong 2-1,833-11
2 Bong Jo Hwang 2-1,710-8
3 Gwendal Maréchal 2-1,500-7.
Myung Woo Cho is back in the World Cups, not in his best form, but good enough to join the main draw
Duc Anh Chien Nguyen, moving up to the main draw with the minimal margin, together with Gwendal Maréchal, one of the best runners up