3-Cushion
BAD WILDUNGEN - On the final day of the German multi-championship, Christian Rudolph prolonged his title in three cushion. In an exciting match, Rudolph, the most seasoned player in the field, bested the surprising Stefan Dirks: 40-39 in 38 innings.
The showdown was even more exciting than last year, when Andreas Niehaus lost to Rudolph 40-38. Stefan Dirks, from BSV Velberg, levelled with the later champion until the final part (36-36), even missed a match point. Rudolph then finished the match with four.
Stefan Dirks played a sensational tournament. For many years he did not show up in national competitions, last year he returned in the bundesliga with Velbert. He remained unbeaten in the group stage with 0.909 ahead of Andreas Niehaus. In the quarterfinals, Dirks defeated Uwe Kerls and in the semi-finals on Sunday he beat Markus Schönhoff 40-29 in 39.
Christian Rudolph played a strong semi-final match against Andreas Niehaus, 40-24 in 21 innings and shown in a good match in the group stage against Roman Bachman, which he won 30-13 in 16. The best match, however, was played by Cengiz Karaca, who defeated Uwe Kerls in fifteen innings.
The 11th edition of the German championships in Bad Wildungen was in the hands of an excellent organization.