3-Cushion
AARTSELAAR - The almost brand new billiard table (new model Gabriels) with the special, olive green colour cloth, didn't have many secrets for Eddy Merckx. On the first day of the Virtual UMB Challenge, with eight players from the top of the world, the Belgian played the best match over 50 caroms by a small margin on the other three winners: Tayfun Tasdemir, Myung-Woo Cho and Dani Sánchez. The extremely high averages and high runs did not appear on the opening day, when it was mainly to get used to the circumstances. Merckx defeated the Vietnamese Tran with the best score (3,570), Jaspers was defeated by Dani Sánchez, but had the highest run with a 12.
These scores will undoubtedly improve in the next days. Dani Sánchez told about his special feeling in his commentary. ''I felt unexpected nerves in the match, because you play the breakshot more than ten times and you absolutely don't want to miss." Semih Sayginer added: "The starting shot always seems the same, but don't forget that the balls and the billiard change in the match. That made it more difficult to continue with the perfect position.''
Eddy Merckx, one of the three players who showed up in their own training table at home (most of them played in their club locationss) was satisfied with his first match and only felt that his finish took too long. The breakshot was rarely missed in the four matches (Merckx: it was difficult on my fast table to keep the red ball a little shorter, but I saw that from the other players too). The sequel only led to three runs of 10 and higher in four games: Dick Jaspers 12, Tayfun Tasdemir 11, Myung-Woo Cho 10. The young Korean, who beat Torbjörn Blomdahl, the world champion, started with 10 in the second inning, Tayfun Tasdemir made a gap with an 11 against Sayginer in the first part of the game and Dick Jaspers scored 12 in the fifth, but was defeated by a better Sánchez in the last part of the game with runs of 9 and 6.
Group A:
Tayfun Tasdemir leads, including the run of 11, against Semih Sayginer 37-17 in eight innings. He continues with short wavering and can no longer achieve the high scoring rhythm in the second half. Semih gets chances to come back, but he is not really lucky with his positions and misses a few times when he should have scored. That allows Tasdemir to finish with the match point from the break shot to 50-40 in 15 innings.
Dani Sánchez jumps over Jaspers after a long chase and at a 34-34 score. The run of 9 brings the Spaniard to the lead for the first time (43-40). Two innings later, Sánchez finishes the game with six after Jaspers missed a tricky bankshot: 50-46 in 16 innings.
The ranking after one round:
1 Tasdemir 2-3,333-11
2 Sánchez 2-2,930-9
3 Jaspers 0-2,880-12
4 Sayginer 0-2,670-5
Next matches, on Thursday: Jaspers-Sayginer (13.00), Tasdemir-Sánchez (18.00).
Group B:
Myung-Woo Cho has the best start in his match against Blomdahl: 10 in the second inning, but two innings later, the Swede comes to 15-14 with 7 and 5. Cho's attack around the 10th inning with runs of 6, 4 and 5 seem to be decisive for the match win afterwards. Blomdahl's counter is not threatening enough with ten points in the last five innings: 50-47 in 16.
Eddy Merckx runs away from Tran with a rock solid start: 5, 5, 8 in the first three innings. The middle part of the game is a little less, although the Belgian keeps a big margin (46-30 in 11). The Vietnamese intermediate sprint of 9 brings back some tension, but with three small runs, Merckx takes the well desereved win: 50-43 in 14.
The ranking after one round:
1 Merckx 2-3,570-8
2 Cho 2-3,130-10
3 Tran 0-3,070-9
4 Blomdahl 0-2,940-7
The matches for Thursday: Tran-Blomdahl (10.30), Merckx-Cho (15.30).
Young Korean Myung-Woo Cho defeated the world champion Torbjörn Blomdahl
Dani Sánchez, promising start with a win over Dick Jaspers
Tayfun Tasdemir had a quick start and beat Semih Sayginer