Jae Ho Cho goes on, Jaspers is out

ISTANBUL - Dutchman Dick Jaspers is the first of the top five players in the World Cup of Istanbul who couldn't surve in the first round of the main tournament. The Dutchman, number five at the ranking, was outplayed in a fantastic battle by the Korean Jae Ho Cho.

The Turkish homeland suffered a new deception: both Tayfun Tasdemir and Tolgahan Kiraz were sent home, leaving only Savas Bulut tomorrow (Saturday) to continue in the quarter finals.
Filippos Kasidokostas performed in an excellent game against Hyung Bum Hwang (40-25 in 20), Dani Sánchez had a difficult start, but defeated the weak Turkish wildcard player Tolgahan Kiraz (40-21 in 36).

The match between Jae Ho Cho and Dick Jaspers was the blistering highlight in the third round. The two players fought each other in a real world class battle with averages that fluctuated the entire match above two. The score remained in balance until Cho attacked with eight in the ninth inning and took a 28-19 lead, but Jaspers repaired in the next two innings and then led 28-27 in his favor.

In the very last innings, the match was breathtaking, with chances for both tenors. Dick Jaspers fought back from 36-32 down to 37-36, but missed a brilliant solution because the cue ball was just to short. Jae Ho Cho benefited grateful and closed the match with four.

The equalizer could still save Jaspers' life, but after the break-off, the red ball was too close to the farthest cushion. Jaspers had to score from a distance, but hit the ball a fraction too much to the left. Jaspers' cue ball therefore touched the long instead of the short cushion.

The final score was impressive: 40-38 in 14, averages 2.857 and 2.714.

Tayfun Tasdemir was the favorite of the home crowd in the Turkish arena, but could not live up to the high expectations. In his match against South American Carlos Campino, Tasdemir never found his rhythm. He lost control over the match at half time. Campinos, a sympathetic Colombian, could close the game with a strong final shot: 40-28 in 22.

Filipopos Kasidokostas trumped the little Korean Hyung Bum Hwang with a fast start (22-9 in 11) and pulled the trigger after twenty innings : 40-25. Dani Sánchez was searching for form and confidence, but had a nice warm-up with Kiraz as opponent: 40-21 in 36.