Istanbul, August 25th
Eddy Merckx extends his winning streak.
One of the hardest things to do in 3-cushion these days, is to beat Eddy Merckx. Nobody could do it in New York two weeks ago, and nobody could do it in Istanbul this week. From the Verhoeven Open to the UMB / Kozoom Survival, the Belgian tapped into his remarkable talent to save his best play for the final day.
After the qualification rounds, a second chance round, quarterfinals and semifinals, only four players were left to battle it out in a single match: Jae Ho Cho, Haeng Jik Kim, Roland Forthomme and Eddy Merckx. Forthomme and Jae Ho Cho had been impressive in their semifinals, with consistent scoring and high averages. Haeng Jik Kim had shown his “survival” instincts by making crucial runs at just the right moments.
Then, in the final match, it was all about Eddy Merckx. He knocked all the wind out of his opponents with an early run of 12 (second inning), soon followed by a run of 15 (fifth inning). The colossal 100-point lead that gave him was never in danger after that, and his three opponents played for silver and bronze. The gold was, again, for Merckx.
There was some disappointment in Istanbul: the Turks had such a strong delegation but no players in the last eight. World number one Dick Jaspers could not bring his usual high level, and Torbjörn Blomdahl had a fine run of 13 but too many unforced errors. There was also joy: Turgay Orak made the last 16, Dion Nelin made the last 8, and Forthomme was happy with his final 4 spot.
Final standing of “Istanbul”:
- Eddy Merckx 3.133 - 50.000 dollars.
- Haeng Jik Kim 1.818 - 21.000
- Jae Ho Cho 1.533 - 18.000
- Roland Forthomme 1.533 - 15.000
Istanbul , August 19th 2019
Survival’s next edition: Istanbul, Turkey.
The Radisson Blu Conference & Airport Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey will be the venue for the next Survival tournament, a UMB / Kozoom initiative to showcase the world’s best 3-cushion players. From 21-24 August, twenty-four of the best in their field will compete in the four-player format.
The player list is as follows:
Dick Jaspers, Marco Zanetti, Tayfun Tasdemir, Semih Sayginer, Eddy Merckx, Jae Ho Cho, Quyet Chien Tran, Sameh Sidhom, Murat Naci Coklu, Jeremy Bury, Haeng Jik Kim, Martin Horn, Jung Han Heo, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Myung Woo Cho, Sung Won Choi, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, Dani Sánchez, Roland Forthomme, Lütfi Cenet, Dion Nelin, Turgay Orak, Can Capak, Tolgahan Kiraz.
The prize money for the event is considerable: first prize is 50.000 dollars, second is 21.000, third 18.000 and fourth 15.000. The total prize fund is 241.600 dollars.
The rules of the game are fairly simple: in two periods of 45 minutes, all players will try to score points. For every point they make, a point is deducted from the total of all three opponents. The nrs. 1 and 2 in each flight will advance to the quarter finals, all others will play a second-chance round.
This is the first Survival tournament to be played outside of Korea. The Turkish Federation has partnered with UMB / Kozoom to promote billiards, and MBC Plus and TRT will broadcast the recorded production. The popularity of the Survival events has gone up steadily, due to the quality of the field and the unpredictability of the results. Survival matches are always exciting!
Watch the action on Kozoom, Afreeca TV, Naver, MBC Sports, TRT, Facebook and Youtube.