3-Cushion
ANTALYA - Turkish player Adem Özcelik and German Johan Schirmbrand were the top two finishers after a day of 72 matches on the first day of qualification. Sixteen of 24 players who will show up in next round are from homeland Turkey. The Dutch, with so many at the start in this World Cup, were not on their best: only one, Frank Hommering, could survive. Two young Spaniards, Juan David Zapata and David Martinez, advanced for next round.
The Antalya World Cup started off at twelve tables with a total of 72 matches per day in the prelims. Ibrahim Muslu was the number 25 on the ranks. He can play on Tuesday as the first substitute.
Adem Özcelik was the best of all on the first day with 1.538, also Johann Schirmbrand impressed with 1.500 and a run of twelve, the best of the day.
With sixteen Turks in the top rank, German Johan Schirmbrand, Korean Chi Yeon Cho (1.395), Spaniard Juan Zapata (1.176), German Norbert Ohagen (0.937), Swede Bo Gustavsson (0.923) Dane Tommy Palludan Magnussen (0.923), Spaniard David Martinez (0.920) and the only Dutchman in the field, Frank Hommering (0.787) are the players who qualified for Tuesday.
On the second day, some well known players enter the tournament. The Swede Nalle Olsson is one of them: he will start in Group A with Frank Hommering and Ibrahim Erciyas.
David Martinez will meet Frank Spruzina (Germany) and Jorge Bastos (Portugal) in his group. The Belgian Pascal Claus and the Dutchman Guus van Grinsven battle with the Turk Bunyamin Tasdogan for a place in the Tuesday round. The Dane Allan Jensen faces two home players, as the Austrian Zoran Gajs does in another group.
Bo Gustavsson will find the strong Korean Dong Hoon Kim on his way, Carlos Crespo shows up in a dangerous group with Wim van den Berg and Norbert Ohagen. Tolgahan Kiraz, who made a paper tiger of Patrick Vasseur in his Monday group (30-10 in 30 innings), will now meet Mehmet Aksoy and Lothar Dilcher.
The young Turk Omer Karakurt, finalist at the junior World championships against Haeng Jik Kim last year, had wished an easier group. He meets in the last group (X) Adem Özcelik, the rank's number one on Monday and Korean Dae Woong Lee.