3-Cushion
VIERSEN - Two of the big favorites for the world title in Viersen have started the tournament with a loss and a draw. The Netherlands with Dick Jaspers and Jean van Erp lost against Japan, Sweden with Torbjörn Blomdahl and Michael Nilsson tied against Austria.
The Dutch team already is outplayed for the first rank in the group, because Japan after two matches gathered three match points. Dick Jaspers and Jean van Erp need an escape now with a place in the losers round. They play against Switzerland tomorrow and should definitely win to be second. Sweden plays his second match in the group against Portugal, that lost its first match to Austria.
Dick Jaspers lost despite a high average (2.222) 2-1 to the Japanese O Takeshima. And because Jean van Erp couldn't shine at the other table against Ryuuji Umeda (2-0), the Netherlands was surprisingly beaten.
Torbjörn Blomdahl also started with a loss: 2-1 against the Austrian Andreas Efler, who gave his opponent not even a chance in the deciding set (15-3). Efler was hugly impressive (1.440), Blomdahl was stabbing at an average.
One of the most interesting matches on the first day was the duel between Turkey B and France, the two countries that played the final of the European championship for teams. Adnan Yüksel again defeated Jérémy Bury, the Frenchman of whom he took the final win in the World Cup in Hurghada.
The Turk won 2-1 (Yüksel 1.900, Bury 1.450). Jérôme Barbeillon levelled the match by beating Murat Naci Coklu 2-0, averaging 1.87