Carom
EEKLO - How is it possible that Eddy Leppens won three tournaments in a row in his own country with famous competitors as Frédéric Caudron and Eddy Merckx. And that the one time Belgian champion is not even in the world's top 25. The 46-year-old Eddy Leppens defeated in a BTS tournament in Eeklo both Caudron (in the semis) and Merckx (in the finals) this weekend. That was his third consecutive overall victory this year in Belgium: the BTS tournament in Brussels, the Belgian championship in Blankenberge and now the tournament in Eeklo.
The winner thereby strengthens his position in the rankings in his own country with three victories and 1.800 overall average. ,,It's a great feeling to beat Caudron and Merckx on one day'', Leppens responded after his win in the final 40-38 in 31 innings. In the semifinals, he defeated Caudron 40-31 in 20. The other semifinal was won by Merckx, who beat Kenny Miatton 40-18 in 14. Leppens' start in the final was furious with a 22-4 lead in eight innings. ,,Then my score faltered for a while and it turned out into a defending match'', Leppens analysed. He finished at 40-30, Merckx scored eight in the equalizer (40-38).
,,I am very happy with my victory, but also feel very sorry what happened to Eddy Merckx'', Leppens said later, speaking about the burglary at Merckx' home on the day of the final. ,,I hope everything will be solved well, because this is very sad for Eddy and his family.''
Eddy Leppens reached the semi-finals in Eeklo by victories over Mathy Monnissen (40-26 in 20) and Wesley de Jaeger (40-29 in 15). Eddy Merckx defeated Henk Blauwblomme (40-14 in 19) and Davy van Havere (40-24 in 23) in the preliminary stages. Frédéric Caudron came to the last four with victories over Danny Wuyts (40-20 in 19) and Martin Spoormans (40-24 in 23).
With the new success in his luggage, Leppens is takes off for the Luxor World Cup these days. He plays among others against the strong Vietnamese Xuan Cuong Ma in the final qualifying round.