3-Cushion
NEW YORK - Torbjörn Blomdahl and Frédéric Caudron were the two unbeaten players in nine matches and are on top of the ranking for the main tournament with sixteen in the Open Verhoeven. Eddy Merckx made some fumbles and was the last of sixteen in the final rounds. Ten Europeans cross swords in the New York Carom Cafe today (Sunday) with five Americans and one African.
Three players from the top five at the world rankings, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Frédéric Caudron and Dick Jaspers head the ranking followed by Murat Naci Coklu, Tayfun Tasemir and Marco Zanetti. Andrés Lizarazo, a one-day starplayer with two world matches this week, Semih Sayginer, Eddy Merckx and Alexander Salazar finished numbers four in the group stage.
Itaiaan Marco Zanetti, who lost two matches (against Caudron and Patino) showed up with the highest average in the preliminaries (2.246) ahead of Blomdahl (2.128), Caudron (2.105), Jaspers (1.975), Merckx (1.848), Sayginer (1.763) and Coklu (1.711).
The sixteen players for the final round play knockout today (Sunday) and all matches for places one to sixteen. All finalists play four matches.
The program for Sunday (New York time):
10.00: First round of sixteen
12.00: Quarter finals and matches for placees 9 to 16.
15.00: Semifinals and playoff matches
17.30: Final and playoff matches.
Eddy Merckx was the last of sixteen and faces Blomdahl in the knockout
The matches for the first round are:
Blomdahl-Merckx
Catano-Garcia
Tasdemir-Dunch
Sayginer-Coklu
Jaspers-Salazar
Piedrabuena-Zanetti
Forthomme-Sidhom
Liazarazo Caudron.
The final ranking after the group stage:
1 Blomdahl 18-2.128-12
2 Caudron 18-2.105-17
3 Jaspers 16-1.975-10
4 Coklu 16-1.711-16
5 Tasdemir 16-1.680-15
6 Zanetti 14-2.246-17
7 Forthomme 14-1.630-15
8 Garcia 14-1.330-10
9 Catano 14-1.441-9
10 Sidhom 14-1.308-10
11 Piedrabuena 12-1.623-11
12 Dunch 12-1.338-11
13 Sayginer 12-1.763-10
14 Salazar 12-1.309-15
15 Lizarazo 12-1.276-12
16 Merckx 10-1.848-19.
Murat Naci Coklu
Brief summary of the groups:
Group A:
The four seeded players are Blomdahl, Garcia, Sidhom and Sayginer. Luis Aveiga, seventh of nine in the ranking, was close to victories over Blomdahl and Sayginer but both times missed his match point.
Blomdahl played his best match against Sayginer: 35-31 in 11 innings (3.182).
Group B:
Dick Jaspers (one loss in nine, against Robinson Morales), Roland Forthomme, Huberney Catano and Alexander Salazar finished on top four, Morales was out with five victories and 1.419. Jaspers played his best match against Catano in 10 innings.
Group C:
Murat Naci Coklu (one loss against Tasdemir, 35-28 in 19), Tasdemir, Dunch and Merckx lead the rankings. Lars Dunch is one of the main surprises in the tournament: the Dane defeated the big names Merckx and Raymond Ceulemans. The old master was just off with five wins, four losses, 1.266 (run of 13) and defeated one of his illustrious countrymen, Eddy Merckx 35-28. Therese Klompenhouwer, the women's champion, was sixth with 1.018.
Group D:
Caudron, Zanetti, Piedrabuena and Lizarazo placed in the group in which only eight matches were played after the cancellation of Manuel Riano. Zanetti played high-wing matches against Piedrabuena (35 in 9), Lizarazo (35 in 10), Johansen (35 in 11) and Pheavy (35 in 12), but lost to Caudron (35-33 in 15) and Patino (35 -31 in 20). The revelation and finalist of the women's tournament, Sruong Pheavy, lost all her matches.
Dick Jaspers
Andrés Lizarazo
Alexander Salazar
Luca Tomassetti watching the stars of the tournament