3-Cushion
ANTALYA - The Koreans got the balls rolling again and could celebrate another small party. Two of the Asian top players signed up for the elimination of the current world champion and the world's best of 2009 in the first round of the day. Dick Jaspers was beaten by Sung-Won Choi (3-1), Filipos Kasidokostas lost against Dong Koong Kang with the same score.
The elimination of Jaspers means that he has lost his first place in the world ranking now. The Dutchman is passed by Frédéric Caudron, the Belgian who qualified for the quarterfinals with a victory against Lütfi Cenet (3-1).
Dick Jaspers obviously feels in the World Cups the doom of the world championship, as it happened for years in cycling with riders who wore the rainbow jersey. The Dutchman played one of his most successful years in 2011 with the World title and the European title, but couldn't win a World Cup tournament.
The new year started with a new Dutch title, but again he didn't shine in the first World Cup. After a glorious start in the match with Raimond Burgman, yesterday, he missed the form and the confidence to battle with the strong Korean Sung-Won Choi.
The reigning champion of the Agipi Masters won the first, third and fourth set 15-9 (8), 15-7 (11) and 15.9 (9). Jaspers could once strike back in the second, that he won 15-7 in 4 innings.
Filipos Kasidokostas, the Greek who's also worrying with his form for some time, was treated to a sensitive Korean lesson. Kasidokostas triumphed only in the first set (15-10), Dong Koong Kang took the next three sets 15-6, 15-12, 15-3.
Dani Sánchez smashed one Korean dream to pieces. The Spaniard was strong, stable, and showed the power top players not to be surprised by outsiders in these kind of tournaments. Jae Ho Cho is such a dangerous and feared opponent, but Sanchez gave him not any chance to come in the match: 15-10 (9), 15-10 (14), 15.6 (3).
Frédéric Caudron was making a clean sweep so far: he could celebrate the win against the Turkish billiard celebrity Lütfi Cenet. The Belgian took a kind of revenge for the curious defeat his countryman Roland Forthomme suffered last night against Cenet.
In front of the cameras of the Turkish television, the new world's number one scored coldblooded and won 15-7 (9), 15-7 (3), 9-15 (4), 15-10 (5). He was the only player in this session who finished far over two average (2.571).
Jaspers is on 434 points now in the world ranking, because he lost eighty points of his victory in the Suwon's World Cup 2010. Caudron is already on 439 points after his win today. He's still in the tournament to lift his number of points.