3-Cushion
SLUISKIL - The 50-year-old Mexican champion Luis Avila already feels at home in Sluiskil, where he starts tomorrow in the World championship in the group with Christian Rudolph and Tayfun Tasdemir. This morning he looked in amazement at the latest work on the arena. "It's wonderful, it is so beautiful'', he said as he walked around with his camera.
Luis Avila is this year for the twelfth time champion of Mexico after a victorious final against Javier Vera. He played in five World championships. His best tournament was in Luxembourg in 2001, where he beat Torbjorn Blomdahl in the quarter finals and lost in the semi finals to Marco Zanetti. The Italian then lost the final against Raymond Ceulemans.
Luis Avila is in Mexico one of about 100.000 billiards players. He lives in Mexico City, is the father of three girls and plays in the new billiard Billar Santo Domingo. He usually trains on his own. Avila is a professional billiard player, giving a lot of demonstrations and playing many tournaments in Mexico.
At the Pan-American championship, won by Julian Morales, he reached to the semifinals. Morales, also player in Sluiskil, he does not see as a contender to come far in the tournament. "He's a young player who was a little lucky in the Pan American finals.''
From the South American players he expects a lot from Jae Hyung Cho, the Korean American, Alexander Salazar, Piedro Piedrabuena and Aveiga.
Frédéric Caudron is his favorite. "He is the master of the three-cushion and a good friend of mine.''