3-Cushion
GURI - The evening sun set in Guri, the scorching heat of the past week has changed into a more pleasant warmth. The climb to the tournament room is not as sweaty as it was, and outside the building players, referees, organizers, spectators and sponsors gather. The World Cup neared the end of its second day. Many matches had already reached or approached the level of 2 average, and it looks like the excellent Hollywood tables will again enable a high quality tournament. It was no accident that last year, Dani Sanchez equaled Torbjörn Blomdahl world record in Guri. Six o'clock Korean time, the last session about to be played. Before he started his match, Filipos Kasidokostas did the rounds of the many stands with billiard related articles. Kimchi, JBS, Molinari, DS, just to name a few, try to get the attention of the spectatators. They are in Guri to promote their products.
Two young Spaniards, Juan David Zapata and David Martinez, are in a good position after the first round, and hope to qualify for the next. Many of the top players (Frédéric Caudron, Dani Sánchez, Semih Sayginer, Roland Forthomme, Jérémy Bury, Huberney Catano, Dong Koong Kang, Quoc Nguyen Nguyen) have come to the room to get the feel of it.
What is their way of preparing for the Guri World Cup?
Frédéric Caudron, Eddy Leppens and Jérémy Bury practice in the Kimchi billiard club in nearby Gangnam. Dani Sánchez, Semih Sayginer, Choong Bok Lee, Ruben Legazpi and Carlos Crespo had left this morning for Dani Sanchez' new club. Roland Forthomme, already here for a week because his girlfriend Karina Jetten played in the world championship for ladies, says the opportunities are many. ,,I have seen so many clubs here, even across from the hotel. I can get in all the practice hours I want.''
The system is the same everywhere: a free drink (coffee, water or coke), ten euro for an hour on one of the match tables in excellent condition, loser pays. Ten thousand billiard rooms in the greater Seoul area (open from 10.00 to 04.00) manage to have a profitable business on that formula.
Most talked about amongst the top players is the new system for world ranking points (the last eight tournaments now count instead of the last six). Also the WC in Viersen, where all matches will now have the Scotch Double, and the uncertainty about invitational tournaments in general.
The good news from the World Cup cycle: inscription for the next World Cup in La Baule had produced a record within half an hour. The field had been filled, and the waiting list had 35 names within a day, among those many Turks.
As for the second day of Guri: Sung Yoon Jung and Sang Dag Lee (12 innings for 30 points), Filipos Kasidokoastas (13 innings), Juan David Zapata and Sung Uk Oh (14) took care of the first top performances. Colombian Carlos Campiño, recently the winner of a major tournament in his home country, had a hard fight with Dong-Ryong Kim, but he could not finish the job in the equalizing inning, missing the second of his two required points.
Sang Dae Lee was the best player of the day, just ahead of Filipos Kasidokostas with 2.000. In the top sixteen there are twelve Koreans, a Greek, a Vietnamese (Duc Anh Chien Nguyen with 1.132) and two Spaniards, Juan David Zapata (1.395) and David Martinez (1.017).
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the penultimate day of qualifications, and we'll see Javier Palazón, Carlos Crespo, Jean Paul de Bruijn, Luis Aveiga, Murat Tüzül, Ruben Legazpi, Can Capak, Myung Woo Cho, Therese Klompenhouwer, Tolgahan Kiraz, Ahmet Alp, Hakan Incekara, Birol Uymaz and Dinh Nai Ngo come to the tables. Robinson Morales has cancelled.
The top five on Tuesday:
1 Sang Dae Lee 4-2.142-9
2 Filipos Kasidokostas 4-2.000-9
3 Woo Chal Gil 4-1.875-7
4 Seung Jin Lee 4-1.764-8
5 In Su Kang 4-1.500-6.
Filippos Kasidokostas, back on tour with a 2.000 average start
The Vietnamese Duc Anh Chien Nguyen played also in New York
The Turkish player Lütfi Cenet watching the matches from the stands
Savas Bulut during his last match in the group stage