3-Cushion
HOOGLEDE - The two players who met each other in the final of the Belgian championship at the beginning of this year, have qualified for the semifinals of the Belgium Cup tonight. Frédéric Caudron beat Peter de Backer, Eddy Merckx won the match against Francis Forton.
Caudron and Merckx will return on Sunday with the two players who qualify tomorrow in the group of another sixteen players, including Eddy Leppens, Roland Forthomme and Jef Philipoom.
Frédéric Caudron got not too much opposition from Peter de Backer tonight. The match was decided in three sets. Caudron won 15-10, 15-7, 15-7 with an average of 1.406, De Backer played only 0.774.
Eddy Merckx started his match against Francis Forton with lots of fireworks. The Belgian champion played his first set in four innings (15-5) won the second 15-0 in two innings (runs 2 and 13) and started the third set with a run of nine. It seemed that the world record over 45 caroms was in danger, but Merckx couldn't finish the match in that third set.
He lost 15-13 and even saw Forton stay very close in the fourth set. Merckx won 15-13 in 19 innings. The average had already dropped to 1.757, while it had been at 5.000 after the two first sets.