PORTO - The 19-year young Frenchman Gwendal Marechal was one of the main winners and survivors on the opening day of the World Cup in Porto. The nearly 70-year-old German Hans-Joachim Roestel, with two losses, may return home after his start on the world's stage. Young talents and old soldiers bumped in the arena for the opening of the fourth World Cup this year. The best of 48 players was a Korean (Chang Hoon Seo) with 1.500 of average.
Gwendal Marechal, three years ago the European junior champion, is one of the young talents from the French school. He was one of three French to survive the first day. The 62-year old Portuguese Paulo Andrade had a promising start, another, Alipio Jorge, president of the organization, started with only 10 points on the score list against Fernando Maia, was much better against the Spaniard Antonio Montes, but will not return in his role as player after two losses.
Gwendal Marechal finished with four match points and 1.395 as second on the day's ranking, led by the Korean Chang Hoon Seo, followed by the Dane Jacop Sörensen, the French balk-line player Mikaël Devogelaere and the second Korean, Sam Il Seo. The first Portuguese was Paulo Andrade, on of the most known players in Porgugese three cushion.
Tomorrow, on the second day, well-known players like Carlos Crespo, Glenn Hofman, Dave Christiani, Jose Maria Mas, Savas Bulut, Barry van Beers and Murat Celik enter the tournament.
The top sixteen on the first day:
1 Chang Hoon Seo (Korea) 4-1.500-7
2 Gwendal Marechal 4-1.395-6
3 Jacop Sörensen 4-1.304-6
4 Mikaël Devogelaere 4-1.304-6
5 Sam Il Seo 4-1.304-4
6 Paulo Andrade 4-1.200-7
7 Jun Hyuk Cho 4-1.176-8
8 Antonio Montes 4-1.153-8
9 Keon Hwi Cho 4-1.153-8
10 Alan Keigh 4-0.821-5
11 Francesco Orlando 4-0.789-5
12 Fernando Cunha 4-0.779-7
13 Fernando RomA 4-0.750-6
14 Patrice Pinard 4-0.674-6
15 Stefano Malacrita 4-0.545-4
16 Jose Miguel Soares 2-0.927-7.
Paulo Andrade, the best Portugese player on the opening day
One of the young markers on the World Cup stage in Porto
The nearly 70-year old German Hans-Joachim Roestel may return home after two losses