3-Cushion
ISTANBUL - The 28-year-old Greek Filipos Kasidokostas has won the European championship three cushion, for the first time played under the new European rules. The former world champion, ten years ago already bombed to the greatest talent in three cushion, added a new title to his already impressive list of honnor.
The victory in the final against Raimond Burgman has been never in danger. The Greek took an advantage around the twelfth inning (21-18), then ran away to to 29-21, 30-24 and he closed the match in the 25th inning: 40-26.
The Greek blue and whit flag was prominent in the picture during the ceremony on stage and later in the photo sessions. Filippos Kasidokostas succeeds Dick Jaspers as the titleholder, gets eighty ranking points for his victory and climbs from tenth to sixth position in the world ranking behind Frédéric Caudron, Dick Jaspers, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Jérémy Bury and Dani Sánchez.
It is his first European title with all top players after he won in 2004 in Hoogeveen (Netherlands) the European title for youth players, but still more impressive are his world titles as a junior player: in Eeklo (2001), Romans sur Isère (2002) and Gandia (2003).
The rise of the young Greek star, who manifested himself more and more as a winner type, continued at the World championships as a senior. He finished second in 2003 behind Semih Sayginer in Valladolid and in 2004 in Rotterdam behind Dick Jaspers. The highlight in his career so far was the World championship in Lausanne in 2009.
It must been said: Kasidokostas was in Istanbul very close to elimination in the preliminaries. Lütfi Cenet missed a simple matchball in his duel with the Greek. When he had made that ball, Kasidokostas would have been ouplayed. He got another chance and recovered with a final run of four, came to the last sixteen and defeated successively Frédéric Caudron (40-36 in 17), Dani Sánchez (40-27 in 18), Murat Naci Coklu (40-20 in 20) and finally Raimond Burgman.
The new crown closes off a period of less results, especially in the Agipi Masters, where he was beaten in a terrible match by Torbjörn Blomdahl, who led 32-0 after five innings and won 50-7 loss. Kasidokostas' major success was the Crystal Kelly tournament last year, where he left all the great players behind.
Raimond Burgman played a superb tournament in Istanbul, with the semi-final elimination of Martin Horn and the win in the first knockout round against Marco Zanetti as most remarkable results.
The Dutchman, who won a Grand Prix in his country last week and in December last year the prestigious Kersttoernooi in Zundert, could be very proud with his silver medal: it relieved the pain for Dick Jaspers, who lost his title.
Moreover it seems that Burgman, who was struck by a light brains attack in his best years, is back now at his very best level.
The highlight of his career so far was a second place at the World championships in Grubbenvorst in 1997, where Torbjörn Blomdahl won in the turbulent years around the BWA circuit.
The top ten of the tournament in this European championship in Istanbul:
1 Filippos Kasidokostas, 1.798, 2 Raimond Burgman, 1.465, 3 Martin Horn, 1.682, 4 Murat Naci Coklu, 1.587, 5 Tayfun Tasdemir, 2.090, 6 Dick Jaspers, 2.173, 7 Dani Sánchez, 1.864, 8 Savas Bulut, 1.441, 9 Frédéric Caudron 1.865, 10 Jérémy Bury, 1.852.
The highest run of the tournament: Nikos Polychronopoulos, 23.