3-Cushion
ANTALYA - The World championship final on a football field in South Africa between Spain and the Netherlands, in 2010, got flash back on the billiard table. The Spanish footballers won the gold medal that year after a narrow 1-0 victory, the Spanish billiard players were slightly better as well in the room of the World Cup in Antalya this afternoon.
There was tension again, on the blue cloths, until the last minute. Dani Sánchez exploded with a fantastic final rush against Dave Christiani and beat him with a run of five: 40-38. The Spaniard kept control over his nerves and played an excellent penultimate point, that brought him the win.
Javier Palazón first seemed a way too good for Jean Paul de Bruijn, who after having shone his form in recent days was not good enough at the decisive moment. The Dutchman nevertheless showed his mettle: he was 15-6 and even 21-6 behind, but then recovered with a great fight back.
His opponent needed a narrow escape, when De Bruijn came up to 39-37 at the end. Shortly before the finish, the Dutchman missed two crucial points, the last was a bankshot in the corner, a fatal miss (40-37 in 25).
,,It could have been the other way around,'' lamented one of the Dutch supporters, but coincidence does not exist in top sport. Dani Sánchez won his match because he was cool and mentally strong in the final stage of the match against Dave Christiani.
The Dutchman played an uphill match, after a very poor start (23-9 behind). He came back brilliantly with runs of five and eight in the two innings before the finish, but ultimately had to shake the hand of the triple world champion.
It was the best match in the round: Dani Sánchez ended 2.353, Dave Christiani 2.235.
On two other tables the level was exceptionally as well. Martin Horn defeated Cenet Lutfi, one of his main competitors for the world ranking: 40-33 in 17 innings (2.353). The German, who ran an eight on 31-30, is eager to make his come back in the top twelve. That's why the match with Cenet, also candidate for a top twelve spot, was mainly important.
Jérémy Bury missed the final round of the Agipi Masters a few weeks ago, after a hard fight for two positions in his group. The Frenchman, a strong character player, known for his mental strength, is out for revenge. The first hurdle in the World Cup has been taken: Bury made the gap in the last phase of his match against Nikos Polychronopoulos and won 40-31 in 19 (2.105).