3-Cushion
ANTALYA - Could there be more tension than in the matches for the penultimate round of the day? Torbjörn Blomdahl needed a great come back after trailing 2-0 to escape from elimination. Roland Forthomme missed two match balls, but couldn't beat Lütfi Cenet and Glenn Hoffman was in an ecstasy of joy after he had knocked out Marco Zanetti in a spectacular match. And eventually there was the double of the two Turkish homeplayers.
Two zero behind, full speed ahead. That's what it was in tonight's penultimate session in the match between Glenn Hoffman and Marco Zanetti. The Italian trailed 2-0 and showed his fighting spirit, coming up to 2-2.
The young Dutchman played so convincingly, that he could pin his opponent two sets long on his chair (15-7, 15-7), but it was predictable of course that Zanetti would not go down without any resistance and let himself lead to the slaughterhouse.
He came back to 2-1, thereafter Hofman came back from 11-3 behind in the fourth with a run of eight, but still he lost the set. And in the last Zanetti had a blazing fast start with a run of 10 (10-2). Everyone in the tribunes thought it was the decision in the match. Miraculously the Dutchman came back with nine (11-10), both players then missed some shots (Zanetti by two kisses) and eventually Hofman ran through the finish with four under an enormous pressure.
,,I never had played against him'', Hofman showed his happiness after the match. ,,Of course Marco was the big favorite to win as a double world champion and with so much international experience. I started with the feeling that I had nothing to lose, I could only win. And so it turned out that way, this is a great moment in my young career.''
Tayfun Tasdemir defeated after a hard fight Martin Horn in the same round, 3-1. Lütfi Cenet made his last carom against Roland Forthomme under an enormous applause. The two Turks escaped in their home match, because at the end of the match they were in totally balance with their opponents. Roland Forthomme got a round the table shot to finish at 3-2 against Cenet. He normally doesn't miss that ball, but didn't score due to a kiss.
Cenet, who had closed a gap from 14-12 to 14-14, missed a matchbal as well, but then hit the bull's eye.
At the other table it turned out almost the same: Tasdemir and Horn seemed to level their match and go to a fifth set. The German however missed the setbal for 2-2, Tasdemir showed his coolness and grabbed the win.
The tension was huge in the final stage, especially because the two Turkish home players were involved. But shortly before their finish, Torbjörn Blomdahl also showed his sublime class again, after things went belly up in his start. But in the second part the Swede put his Korean opponent Chun Bok Lee under fire, set the pace in the final sets and won 3-2.
The most impressive performance he showed in the fourth set, in which Blomdahl had a 5-3 lead and pulled the trigger with a run of ten.