1-Cushion
CERVERA - The reigning champion had just missed his last carom and showed his deep disappointment walking to his chair. The German Wolfgang Zenkner knew that it was a capital mistake, in this phase of the match, missing a bankshot that didn't seem so difficult.
Bernard Baudoin quietly stepped down from his chair to look at the the position on the table, made his carom with a little shot over two cushions, scored another one and then received the applause from the crowd for the matchbal.
The Frenchman escaped to victory and defeated the champion, moreover he seeded himself for the last eight of the championship. It was not a match on a very high level (150-149 in 28 innings), but in the final phase, in which Zenkner couldn't control his emotions, only the triumph was important, not the quality of the match.
The eight quarter finalists are known now: Joan Espinasa, the Spaniard, played the best average in the eighth finals (8 innings, 18.75), a match in which he defeated Gregory Le Deventec (150-86).
Another Frenchman, Laurent Guenet, surprised the Swiss Xavier Gretillat, who was one of the starts in the qualifications. Guenet won 150-71 in 24.
Xavier Le Roy equaled the high average of Espinasa. He also won in eight innings in a match against Arnim Kahofer, who shone with a run of 79 but saw his French opponent finish with 150-127.
Jean Paul de Bruijn is undoubtedly one of the major title favorites with his strong and technically game power. The Dutchman defeated Esteve Mata, who didn't show his best form in Cervera, 150-87 in ten innings. Frédéric Caudron needed one inning more in his duel with José Albert Tornero (150-99 in 11).
In the eight quarter finalists are five Frenchmen. The eight players are: Xavier Le Roy, Frédéric Caudron, Jean Paul de Bruijn, Joan Espinasa, Alain Remond, Bernard Baudoin, Bernard Villiers and Laurent Guenet.
The matches (19.00): Caudron-Remond, De Bruijn-Villiers, Baudoin-Le Roy, Espinasa-Guenet.