3-Cushion
LAUSANNE - The numbers one to five of the new world ranking in three cushion are on their way almost directly from the World championship in Bolivia to Lausanne. This Friday, in the Casino Montbenon, the Lausanne Billard Masters will start with nine top players and three Swiss guest players. The field was carefully chosen by Diane Wild, the organizer of the tournament. Dani Sánchez is the defending champion, also in the arena are the new number one, Frédéric Caudron, Dick Jaspers, Torbjörn Blomdahl and Marco Zanetti.
The gunpowder vents have been pulled up after the spectacular World championship in Bolivia and already now a part of the world top is on the scene. Eight of the nine top ranked players in Lausanne performed at the World championship. Caudron and Zanetti finished on the podium. Two Belgians competed for the world title, Caudron defeated Eddy Merckx, who's not among the participants in Lausanne.
Dani Sánchez said farewell to his title after a year in which he celebrated many huge successes. The Lausanne Billard Masters was one of them in a final against Frédéric Caudron, shortly after he claimed the world title in Bordeaux. Marco Zanetti (twice) and Dick Jaspers were the other winners in Lausanne.
The Swiss, French speaking city, with about 150.000 inhabitants, is the capital of the Canton Vaud, located on the shores of Lake Geneva, opposite the French town Évian les Bains. In the northwest, Lausanne borders the Jura Mountains. It is the city were the Olympic Games are headquartered. The Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the International Olympic Committee and is considered the great brain behind the modern Olympics, lived in Lausanne during a part of his life.
The Casino Montbenon is the location where the Masters are played. Diane Wild is the leading lady in the three days of the tournament, in charge of the organization. The new president of the European Billiard Federation (CEB), with one of the main goals to introduce billiards in 2024 in Paris as an Olympic sport, has just made a few changes to the successful formula of the fifth Lausanne Masters. The players field is extended to twelve, divided into three flights of four players.
The group layout:
Group A:
Dani Sánchez (Spain)
Nikos Polychronopoulos (Greece)
Jérémy Bury (France)
Michel Boulaz (Switzerland)
Group B:
Dick Jaspers (Netherlands)
Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden)
Jae-Ho Cho (South Korea)
Fernando Couto (Switzerland)
Group C:
Marco Zanetti (Italy)
Frédéric Caudron (Belgium)
Dong-Koong Kang (South Korea).
Tien Duy Ma (Switzerland).
The total prize money is 34.850 Swiss francs of which 2000 for the winner and 1500 for the number two. In addition, there are bonuses for high series, matches under 20 innings and a general average over two.
Together with the Merck Foundation, the Lausanne Masters gathers money for 'Sport for MS', for people with multiple sclerosis. For every carom made, Merck pays five Swiss francs to the Swiss MS association.
The tournament begins Friday November 17th at 12.15. It is played on two billiards and all matches for the bases are fixed in advance. All parties will be broadcast live on Kozoom.
The program in the preliminary rounds:
Friday November 17th:
12.15: Sánchez-Boulaz and Polychronopoulos-Bury
14.15: Jaspers-Couto and Blomdahl-Cho
16.00: presentation of the players
17.00: Zanetti-Ma and Caudron-Kang
19.15: Sánchez-Bury and Polychronopoulos-Boulaz
21.15: Jaspers-Cho and Blomdahl-Couto
Saturday 18 November:
10.00: Zanetti-Kang and Caudron-Ma
12.15: Bury-Boulaz and Sánchez-Polychronopoulos
14.30: Cho-Couto and Jaspers-Blomdahl
16.45: Kang-Ma and Zanetti-Caudron
19:00 and 21:00: quarter finals
Sunday, November 19th:
10.00: semi-final
12.0: semi-final
14.30: final.
Dani Sänchez, the last winner of the Lausanne Billard Masters