3-Cushion
SLUISKIL - Twofold world champion Daniel Sánchez this year made a drop in the world ranking from a place in the top three to twelfth place. The Korean Sung Won Choi, the Greek Nikos Polychronopoulos and Belgian Eddy Leppens gradually are a threat for that privileged position. But the Spaniard, winner of the world title in 2005 in his home country, wants to fight back.
He started the World championship this afternoon with a good match and comfortable win against the Vietnamese Anh Vu Duong and plays tomorrow against Jae Hyung Cho for a place in the last sixteen. Sanchez declared: ,,I have no explanation for my fall, but I'm a player of ups and downs. If I feel good, I can beat the best players in the world. But I'm not a player with the regularity of Dick Jaspers or Frederic Caudron.''
Danny Sánchez, one of the most amiabel players in the circuit, defeated his opponent Duong with large numbers: 3-0, sets 15-11, 15-9 and 15-7 with an average of 1,800. That made him one of the only three favorites that survived the second day.
Marco Zanetti did it also in the third session, not with a great average (1058), but winning the match was very important against Colombia's Carlos Villegas, who lost 3-0 on Wednesday against Murat Naci Coklu.
Jérémy Bury seemed in a rush in his game against Javier Teran from Ecuador. "I need to pick up my girlfriend in Gent after the game, but I only think about it after the match'', he said before the start. It took him four sets to defeat Teran 3-1 and an average of 1,421 against 1,351 for Teran.
Jef Philipoom was one of the top ten players who also could not save his first game. The Belgian lost, with many supporters in the gallery, his match againt the imperturbable Vietnamese Ly The Vinh, who lost the day before 3-2 to Raimond Burgman. The battle between Philipoom and Burgman will be crucial to continue to the last sixteen.