Therese plays with painkillers in Porto

PORTO - The new start Therese Klompenhouwer makes today, Wednesday, in the Porto World Cup, is not without worries. The women's world champion is struggling with neck problems, like two weeks ago at the World Cup in Belgium, Blankenberge. She doesn't feel top fit, but won't give up. "I want to give it all to play well again as quickly as possible."

At the Porto World Cup today, 36-year-old triple world champion is not facing an easy mission. The French huge talent Gwendal Maréchal is the first obstacle at half past twelve Dutch time, later a strong Korean, Wan Young Choi, waits. ''I feel good at the moment, I slept well, but let's see what happens at the table. I still have problems with my neck. The vertebra from my neck to my skull is inflamed and severely irritated. I can't play without painkillers."

How bad it can be, she tells about her match against Raymond Ceulemans at the Dutch cup final. ''I had to hold up my tears, because I felt so unhappy at the table. And after the World Cup in Blankenberge, I had a lot of pain again. What I have done, before Porto, was take a rest for five days, not playing billiards and doing nothing at all. It feels a little better now, but what will it be when I start playing. The kink that you make with your head when you have to shoot, that's the big problem. Anyway, I don't give up."

After Porto, Therese plans to take two weeks off. ''I will only start my training again on July 22, towards the ladies tournament in New York, which starts on August 2. Next week, when I am home, I go to a manual doctor. We'll see if he can make it better for me."

The matches of Therese Klompenhouwer can be followed live on kozoom today.