ANTWERP - The Spanish world champion Dani Sánchez was the glorious winner at the Supercup gala in Antwerp. In the Hilton arena, with some 500 spectators, the diminutive Catalan was the best in the Supercup battle with Dick Jaspers and was elected Player of the Year before Frédéric Caudron and Dick Jaspers. The 43-year old double winner was rewarded by two checks of 5.000 euros and the trophy for best player, worth 50.000 euros, that must be won three times in five years.
The Hilton crowd rewarded the Spaniard at the end of the Saturday night with a thunderous applause. The Supercup win and Player of the Year award was for the third time in his career. Sánchez, who became world champion for the fourth time last year, reacted in front of the gala audicnce: ,,My year couldn’t get a better end.’’
The success of the Catalan player, a huge fan of Messi, Barcelona and Nadal, was already launched in the 2016 World Cups and reached a main peak at the World championship in Bordeaux. There, in a fantastic ambiance, Sánchez defeated the upcoming Korean star Haeng-Jik Kim in the final match. This Saturday night at the Supercup Gala in Antwerp, watched amongst others by the UMB delegees Farouk Barky and Fernando Requena, he first played the match against Dick Jaspers (the overall World Cup winner) and on the late night Sánchez had to compete with Frédéric Caudron and Dick Jaspers in the election Player of the Year. Both times, the Spaniard came up as the great and glorious winner.
The lightning fast battle for the Supercup, in short sets of seven caroms, turned into a scenario that fascinated the spectators until the end. Dani Sánchez ran out to 3-0 in the match against Jaspers, decided over four winning sets (7-5, 7-5 and 7-0), but instead of a quick verdict, within half an hour, the Dutch star fought back. The next three sets went to Jaspers (7-1, 7-2 and 7-2), and the decision had to fall in the final set to equal innings. And for the second time in the 13 year history of the Supercup, like in 2005, when Dani Sánchez and Frédéric Caudron met each other, the final set went to a draw (7-7) and to a decision with penalties. The so-called shoot-out further raised the tension.
Sánchez started with three from the break in the first, Jaspers also missed after three. The Spaniard then scored twice in the second and again Jaspers only made the break shot and the equalizer. The star players closed the trench war match in a thrilling ambiance: at the end, Sánchez remained the most cold-blooded. His two points were enough for victory, because Jaspers missed his second,played with his left arm. The first prize of the evening (5.000 euros and a diamond pin) went to the Spaniard.
,,I had a quick win for grabs, but couldn’t finish it of then’’, Sánchez said later. Ludo Dielis, the Supercup organizer: ,,We all saw Sánchez, the world champion, die on his chair.’’ Dick Jaspers, praised for his brilliant, comeback, confessed. ,,In the tension at the end, I made a few precious
mistakes. That has cost me the match.’’
The nominated for the election Player of the Year were initially five players: Dani Sánchez (Spain), Dick Jaspers (Netherlands), Frédéric Caudron (Belgium), Jérémy Bury (France) and Haeng-Jik Kim (Korea). The votes came from the federations and the fifty top players on the world ranking. Of the five contenders, three remained on the last night: Sánchez, Caudron and Jaspers. The difference between the three in the last round was minimal. The Spaniard finally was the winner with 165 points, followed by Caudron with 141 and Jaspers with 133.
The first prize was again a check of 5.000 euros and a trophy with 600 diamonds with a value of 50.000 euros. The player who wins the trophy three times in five years, is the final owner.
The evening at the Hilton arena was closed by Semih Sayginer’s spectacular magic show.