3-Cushion
SAMSUN - In the week before the World Cup in Istanbul, Lütfi Cenet has won a Grand Prix in his own country. The 35-year-old Turkish player finished on top in Samsun, where he defeated Adnan Yüksel in the final and Murat Naci Coklu in the semi-finals. Cenet showed with his overall average (1.790) that he is ready for the World Cup, which kicks off with the preliminaries on Monday.
,,My tournament starts on Thursday in the final qualifying (October 15th), when I play against the Vietnamese Anh Vu Duong and a player from the qualifications.''
The Grand Prix in Samsun, four hundred kilometers from Ankara, organized by Suat Boztepe and played in Billard place Samsun Platin, started with 96 players. On the final day four contenders for the victory remained: Lütfi Cenet, Adnan Yüksel, Murat Naci Coklu and Tolgahan Kiraz.
In the semi-finals, Cenet got the better of Coklu 40-37 in 17 innings. The final match was also decided in an thrilling last part. Just before the finish line, Cenet outsprinted Yüksel 40-38 in 29.
On Cenet's palmares are already many Turkish Grand Prix victories: ,,I think around sixty'', he said after his victory in Samsun. Lutfi's major international wins include the victory with the Turkish team at World championships in Viersen in 2011, where he and Tayfun Tasdemir beat the Belgians, who won the title in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Cenet also twice was a double European Cup winner with the Bahcelievler team in which he played with Tayfun Tasdemir, Murat Naci Coklu and Adnan Yüksel.
The final ranking in Samsun:
1 Lütfi Cenet 1.790
2 Adnan Yüksel 1.600
3 Murat Naci Coklu 1.815
4 Tolgahan Kiraz 1.615.
The ceremony at the end of the Grand Prix in Samsun