After the Asian dominance in Ho Chi Minh city, the World Cup in Blankenberge (Belgium) was once again a European affair. Even though aces like Caudron, Blomdahl and Zanetti went out early, a Dutchman saved the day. Dick Jaspers, the best 3-cushion player in history to come from the Netherlands, had lost four World Cup finals in a row, and doubt was creeping in. Blankenberge 2018 may prove to be the turnaround for him: he beat Semih Sayginer in the final (40-33 in 17) to win his 23d career World Cup and end his fall on the world ranking.
The players who were active on the final Sunday each left their mark on this World Cup. Nikos Polychronopoulos, a crowd favorite for his swift and easy style, opened the main event with the best match of the week: he beat Birol Uymaz 40-29 in 9 innings. A tense shootout got the Greek past Korean Hyung Kon Kim (40-40, then 4-0). He found his Waterloo in similar fashion: a 40-39 against Semih Sayginer. If only Nikos had given the last point of his run a little more speed!
Eddy Merckx was the tournament favorite after three rounds. At that point, with wins in 12, 15 and again 12, he had made 120 caroms in 39 innings: a world record breaking pace. With world champion and world number 1 Caudron gone, Merckx would have loved to win for Belgium in front of his home crowd. But it all went wrong in the semi against Jaspers, who won the lag and ran 16. With difficult positions on the table, Eddy never really recovered: 40 – 23 in 19 to the Dutchman.
Semih Sayginer proved to be the Houdini of Blankenberge. He escaped time and time again, twice in a 40-39 match (v. Leppens and Polychronopoulos, once in a shootout (v. Zanetti). The Turk lost the final, but he can be proud of his week. His long absence from the international stage is over, and he is once again a contender for major titles.
Dick Jaspers almost went under the radar in Blankenberge, but he recorded steady wins. Carlsen (40-30 in 20), Capak (40-32 in 24), Myung Woo Cho (40-35 in 17), Merckx (40-23 in 19) and finally Sayginer (40-33 in 17) were unable to beat the focused Dutchman who makes so few unnecessary mistakes. His 23d World Cup win keeps him in second place on the all-time list, behind Blomdahl (44 wins) but ahead of Caudron (19).
Organizer Kurt Ceulemans was a tired but happy man, because the stands in Blankenberge were filled to capacity. He announced that the event will stay on the calendar for at least two more years. Given the quality of the tournament, players and spectators will no doubt appreciate that. Blankenberge had a main tournament general average of 1.780, the third highest in World Cup history.
Final standing:
1 Dick Jaspers 2.061-16
2 Semih Sayginer 2.010-14
3 Eddy Merckx 2.465-15
3 Nikos Polychronopoulos 2.208-11
5 Myung Woo Cho 1.982-9
6 Minh Cam Ma 1.824-18
7 Tayfun Tasdemir 1.810-10
8 David Zapata 1.759-9
9 Frédéric Caudron 2.464-15
10 Jung Han Heo 2.078-13
11 Sung-Won Choi 2.071-9
12 Dani Sánchez 1.674-7
13 Hyung Kon Kim 1.568-10
14 Eddy Leppens 1.549-7
15 Can Capak 1.469-10
16 Dinh Nai Ngo 1.461-10
Best match: Nikos Polychronopoulos, 40 in 9.
High run: Minh Cam Ma, 18.
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