08/21/2016
GURI – The Dutch player Therese Klompenhouwer is the defending title holder among nine European participants at the ladies three cushion World championship in Guri, South Korea. The tournament, organized in the Guri gymnasium in the week before the World Cup, starts with the group stages on the 25th of August. The final day is Saturday, 27th of August.
The title race is mainly to be expected from the European and Asian players. The 40-year-old Japanese triple world champion Orie Hida is the most feared competitor for Therese Klompenhouwer. The other competitors for a podium place are Dutch Karina Jetten, Belgian Danielle le Bruyn, Turkish Gülsen Degener, the Japanese Namiko Hayashi and Yuko Nishimoto and Shin Young Lee and Mee Rae Lee from Korea.
Orie Hida, the player with the richest honour role, won her first world title in Turkey in 2004, where Therese Klompenhouwer, as a new kid on the block, was eighth, averaging 0.484 and the current CEB board member Diane Wilde finished tenth. The strong Japanese Hida took two other world titles, both times not quite averaging 1.000. Therese Klompenhouwer has broken that barrier with great regularity in recent years: the Dutch was victorious in almost all tournaments for ladies, remained unbeaten at the European championship for ten years, won the world title, the tournament in the Carom Cafe New York and the Femina Open in Belgium.
Klompenhouwer gave three-cushion for ladies a new boost. She was the best two years ago in Guri, where she made it to the main draw in the World Cup. There she lost to Blomdahl in the first round. ,,I like playing in Korea'', the Dutch says on the eve of a new challenge with the world top, coming to the start with sixteen women divided into four groups of four. ,,I know the country very well, have already played five or six times there.’’
,,I can't estimate how strong the Asians will be, but I'm sure Orie Hida is eager to get revenge, because she was defeated at the last two World champions. The Koreans live in a country with so many talents, they have good players to compete for the title. And regarding the Europeans, the opposition is known: Gülsen Degener and Karina Jetten.
After the World Cup in Porto, where she was eliminated by the Turk Ahmet Alp, Klompenhouwer took some rest. She started working in the restaurant and café of her father in Nijkerk. ,,The summer months are always very busy. I prepare the dinners and the lunches in the kitchen. I get up early to get in some practice hours at the billiard. Then I start work, from 11 am to 9 pm, usually four days a week.''The reigning champion feels the pressure of being the big favourite in Guri. ,,But I always feel the tension when I start a tournament and I need it. I'm leaving this Monday for Korea with a stopover in China. We arrive on time to deal quickly with the jet lag. Most important then is to sleep well, eat well and if it all works out, I should be able to be among the top finishers.’’ The Dutch is classified in the group with Orie Hida. Two top players in each group will qualify for the quarters. The regulations of the UMB have been changed: after the preliminaries, the ranking will be made, then the first ranked player meets the number eight etcetera. In the group stage, matches will be played to 25 points with equal innings, in the final to 30 points with equal innings and shoot-outs after equal scores. The group format: Group A: Therese Klompenhouwer (Netherlands)
Marianne Mortensen (Denmark)
Orie Hida (Japan)
Irena Hambalkova (Czech Republic) Group B: Gülsen Degener (Turkey)
Karina Jetten (Netherlands)
Namiko Hayashi (Japan)
Ester Park (USA) Group C: Danielle le Bruyn (Belgium)
Shin Young Lee (Korea)
Mee Rae Lee (Korea)
Monique Wilkowski (Netherlands) Group D: Yuko Nishimoto (Japan)
Helga Mitterböck (Austria)
Gerrie Geelen (Netherlands)
A Min Kim (Korea) The tournament start on Thursday, August 25th is at 11.00 am Korean time (seven hours difference CET). The final is Saturday at 16.00. Opening ceremony: Thursday 25th August, 10.30. The delegates are: Mr Farouk Barki (UMB)
Mr Young Chul Chang (ACBC)
All games will be broadcast live on Kozoom.com.
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