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Savas Bulut sends Merckx home

05/25/2012

Published by frits bakker

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Savas Bulut qualified for the main tournament, Eddy Merckx is out.

ISTANBUL - Not the former world champion Eddy Merckx, who started the tournament with two victories, but Murat Naci Coklu and Savas Bulut, the two Turkish home players, have qualified for the main tournament. The Belgian champion had a bad finish in his group and lost 30-13 in 12 innings against Coklu.
 
Savas Bulut knew at that crucial moment what he had to do: beat Ramon Hamm within 26 innings. The Turk finally managed with a great run of seven, which brought him in 22 innings to the finish.

Therefor Eddy Merckx is the only player from the big favorites who didn't come to the last sixteen. The Belgian couldn't play a significant group phase, although he defeated Bulut in sixteen innings. At the decisive moment, however, Merckx couldn't find his form and rhythm against Coklu, the Turk who started so badly in this championship, but recovered in time.

Torbjörn Blomdahl and Nikos Polychronopoulos qualified in Group C: the Swede remained unbeaten, with a narrow win in his last match against Tonny Carlsen (30-28). Polychronopoulos performed so far with two formidable matches and one lesser against Blomdahl. The Greek won in seven innings against Carlsen yesterday and this afternoon in nine against the poor Czech Radek Novak, who could only made four points (30-4).

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