Radon Plaza Hotel
Demala Bijedića 185
Sarajevo
Boznia
www.radonplazahotel.ba
www.epbf.com
www.eurotouronline.eu
www.kozoom.com
26 July - 17 August 2013
Teams (l to r) Kaczmarek, Witkowksi, Batkowski, and Kivela, Huttunen, Virrankoski
Poland's juniors on track
The Polish junior team has defeated team Finland with 2:0. The Polish were the favored team and they lived up to their expectations. Of course, Sebastian Batkowski (POL) was playing straight pool.
The newly crowned European Champion hammered Aargo Virrankoski (FIN) with 100:27. At about the same time, Pawel Kaczmarek (POL) won his 9-ball match against Jesse Waltteri Huttunen (FIN) with 8:6. That turned the score 2:0 for Poland. No more chance for Finland to get a foot back in the door. The 8-ball match between Maciej Witkowski (POL) and Jesse Kivela (FIN) was halted at 5:5.
The match between Turkish North Cyprus and Bulgaria turned out to be a heartbreaker. Anton Zlatev (BUL) whitewashed Huseyin Alnar (TNC) with 7:0 in 8-ball. It was Berk Mehmetcik (TNC) who leveled the match at 1:1 when he won his straight pool over Spasian Spasov (BUL) with 100:92. The decision had to come in the 9-ball match between Mehmetali Sözgen (TNC) and Martin Todorov (BUL). That match went up and down for both players. Todorov took early leads with 3:1 and 5:3 in a race to 8. Then Sözgen turned the tide and pulled game after game back from Todorov, even getting a 6:5 advantage over the Bulgarian. But then the match turned again. Todorov came up with some stunning pool and took the next three racks in a row, winning the 9-ball with 8:6. That sealed the match with a 2:1 victory for team Bulgaria.
Other notable results include junior's team Bosnia & Hercegovina falling to the sharp blade of team Norway with 2:1. The Dutch juniors had to give in to team Sweden with 2:1 though Sweden only played with two contestants.
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Andreas Madsen (left) and Alen Muratovic lagging for the break
Team competition started at the Dynamic Billard EPBF European Championships Youth
The start of the team competition brought two nice victories to the host nation Bosnia & Hercegovina. The junior's team had to deal with team Denmark.
Normally, a team consists of three players and 8-ball, 9-ball and straight pool are played. If a team does only consist of two players, one match is an automatic win for the other team. The team that wins two matches first wins the team encounter. In this case, Denmark only had two players so the Bosnian juniors were automatically leading 1:0.
Azur Ibric (BIH) was playing Joel Rosenfeldt (DEN) in 8-ball while Alen Muratovic (BIH) took on Andreas Madsen (DEN) in 9-ball. Both matches were quite close and the Danish "Dynamites" did have their chances. But in the end, team Bosnia prevailed. Muratovic won 8:6 while Ibric took his match 7:6. That constituted the Bosnian 3:0 win over Denmark in the junior's.
The pupils had some tougher time to earn their merits. Bosnia & Hercegovina met Czech Republic with Arman Serifovic (BIH) playing 8-ball against Josef Nechvile (CZE), Sanjin Pehlivanovic (BIH) playing Tomas Zajicek (CZE) in 9-ball and Nemania Micic (BIH) contending against Bohdan Ivanets (CZE) in straight pool. As so often in team competition, it turned out that the straight pool match would be the decider. This is due to the nature of straight pool; it normally takes longer than short rack games. This is what happened here. Nechvile took the 8-ball with 6:2 while Pehlivanovic put the match all square, defeating Zajicek 7:2. Micic was struggling in straight pool and it looked like Ivanets would be able to snatch the match for the Czech Republic. Trailing 64:67, young Micic took all his courage and fired in some amazing shots, winning the straight pool 75:67. That brought the second victory of the day home to Bosnia.
Other notable results in the junior's division include team Austria powering past team Portugal with 3:0.
In the pupil's division, the Austrian youngsters sneaked past team Bulgaria with 2:1. A strong team Russia expectedly wasted no time with team Turkish North Cyprus, trouncing them 2:0. Team Belgium which contained the two Khodjaeva sisters got the better of team Norway, winning 2:0. That was a pure Khodjaeva family production with Kevin Makelberge being the only rooster in the yard. Tonight, the team competition will continue. You can join the action via LiveStream of all 20 tables at www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/
Kamila Khodjaeva (BEL)
Clear victory in clash of World Champions
In the girl's 10-ball competition, Kamila Khodjaeva (BEL) clearly overcame Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) with 5:3.
It was the clash of two Word Champions. Czuprynska, World 9-Ball Champion girl's division in 2011, took on Kamila Khodjaeva, the current and reigning World 9-Ball Champion in the girl's division. They also still had a score to settle. In the final match of the last World Championships, Khodjaeva wiped the floor with Czuprynska and terminated her 7:0. It was obvious that the likable Polish girl wanted her revenge for that. Maybe that was the reason why she was unusually nervous in the match.
She missed extremely many balls according to her lights. She was probably not able to handle the pressure she had put on herself before the match. While Khodjaeva also had a bad start - both girls missed three shots each in the first rack alone - the Belgian recovered quickly and soon played near her usual standard. After Czuprynska had taken the first rack, Khodjaeva shifted into overdrive and took the next four consecutive racks. That put her on the hill with 4:1. Czuprynska seemed to be a bit helpless at the table. In the 7th rack, Czuprynska broke the balls and scratched, leaving a relatively easy layout for Kamila on the table. Everything looked like Khodjaeva would take the match home with smooth sailing. But she unexpectedly missed the 7-ball. That gave second life to Czuprynska. She managed to put her nerves together and pulled two racks back from Khodjaeva. With the score being 4:3 for Khodjaeva, the pressure was on her side again. But the 8th rack brought the decision.
Czuprynska played two bad safety shots which was enough for Khodjaeva to finish her with 5:3. Khodjaeva will advance to the single elimination stage while Czuprynska will have to try her luck on the loser's side of the flowchart.
Other notable results from today's 10-ball competition include defending pupil's 10-ball and newly crowned straight pool Champion Joshua Filler (GER) smashing Italy's Paolo Prosdocimo with 6:1. One of the local heroes, Bosnia's Sanjin Pehlivanovic threw Mehmetali Sözgen (TNC) to loser's side with 6:2 and continued on his way to try and claim a medal for the host nation. By a hair's breadth, Sergey Lutsker (RUS) defeated Can Salim-Giasar (GER) with 6:5.
In the junior's division single elimination stage of the final 32 players, straight pool European Champion Sebastian Batkowski (POL) lost 3:7 to unheralded Tian Zhang (SWE). The "dark horse" from Turkish North Cyprus, Berk Mehmetcik, had an unpredicted tough fight with Alex Renard (FIN), which he was able to win with 7:5.
Today's matches will be 10-ball individuals until the 15:15 CET round. After that, the first team matches will be played.
Champions Joshua Filler (left) & Sebastian Batkowski in their moment of glory
Medal fight between Germany and Poland ended in a dead heat
The new European Straight Pool Champions are Joshua Filler (GER) in the pupil's division and Sebastian Batkowski (POL) in the junior's division.
Filler started out nervous in his match with Krystian Cwikla (POL). Cwikla went ahead and took an early 31:4 lead. He played much calmer and seemed to be more focussed than Filler. But Filler never gave in. He stayed in the match and Cwikla committed some unforced errors. Filler brutally punished that by running 45 balls on Cwikla to turn the score 65:37 in his favor. That shocked Cwikla. He could not find his way back into the match and allowed Filler to take the points needed to win the match and the Championship title with 75:43.
In the junior's division, Batkowski found a tough match with Tobias Bongers (GER). The match was even for a long time. But then Batkowski ran 76 balls in two consecutive innings on Bongers, suddenly leading 76:50. Bongers hung in there and tried but it was not enough for the strong Pole. 100:85 was the result in the end in favor of Batkowski. Germany and Poland shared the medals and drew level in the medal table after the first of five events in the Youth Championships.
The award ceremony for the straight pool competition will be held in conjunction with the award ceremony for 10-ball on Monday. The event will continue tomorrow at 09:00 CET with the 10-ball competition.
The semi-finalists left to right: Batkowski, Lutsker, Heimsjoe, Zielinski,
Andreuzzi, Filler, Cwikla and Bongers
Close matches and high quality pool in both divisions
Both, pupil's and junior's division, are down to the final matches here in Radon Plaza Hotel at the Dynamic Billard EPBF European Championships Youth 2013.
In the pupil's division, Joshua Filler (GER) delivered an outstanding performance. He outplayed Maksim Dudanets (RUS) in the quarter-final with 75:29. In the semi-final, he dealt with Dudanets' teammate Sergey Lutsker and handed him a 75:53 defeat. Filler will meet Krystian Cwikla (POL) in the final. The young Pole clearly ousted Daniel Guttenberger (AUT) in the quarter-final with 75:15 and eliminated his teammate Wiktor Zielinski with 75:41 in the next round.
In the junior's division, Sebastian Batkowski (POL) rightfully deserved his seat in the final match. He just made it over Berk Mehmetcik (TNC) with 100:95 in the quarter-final. Then, in the semi-final he met Germany's Nino Andreuzzi who never saw a chance against Batkowski. 100:22 was the result that earned Batkowski a spot in the gold medal match. He will be joined there by Tobias Bongers (GER). Bongers, who lost his opener against Tian Zhang (SWE) made his way all through the loser's side. He crushed his teammate Sven Hagen with 100:41 in the quarter-final and went on to win the semi-final with 100:42 over Audun Risan Heimsjoe (NOR).
The finals in straight pool will be an affair between Germany and Poland. This is the line up: Pupil's Division - Krystian Cwikla (POL) v Joshua Filler (GER). Junior's Division - Sebastian Batkowski (POL) v Tobias Bongers (GER). The final matches in the straight pool division will begin at 20:30 CET.
Kamila Khodjaeva (BEL)
Girls World 9-Ball Champion makes a strong appearance in early 10-ball round
With a clear 5:1 victory, reigning World 9-Ball Champion and defending European 10-ball Champion Kamila Khodjaeva (BEL) sent Marion Winkler (AUT) to the one-loss side of the 10-ball competition.
This morning, the 10-ball individuals have begun. One of the early matches was the clash between favored Khodjaeva and surprise player Winkler. The Austrian had defeated Khodjaeva's sister Diana in the first round with 5:2.
So Kamila got the chance for a little "family revenge" here. And that's exactly what happened. Khodjaeva came down on Winkler like a ton of bricks, making very few mistakes and punishing each error that Winkler committed. After 25 minutes, the score was 4:0 in favor of Khodjaeva in a race to five.
Winkler could not get a foot on the ground. In the 5th rack, Winkler got a chance since Khodjaeva missed the 10-ball twice and gave Winkler a point. But the match was far from being turned around. In the next rack Khodjaeva finished Winkler with 5:1. The clear victory and the result are absolutely in order. Khodjaeva was the better player today. In the next round she will face Oliwia Czuprynska (POL) who defeated Marharyta Fefilava (BLR) 5:2. Czuprynska was the 2011 World 9- Ball Champion. This will definitely be a classic clash between the two ambitious girl players. Winkler and Fefilava will get another chance on the loser's side.
Tobias Bongers (GER)
Amazing comeback by young German
In an exciting and thrilling encounter, Tobias Bongers (GER) came from behind and vanquished Tian Zhang (SWE) with 100:95.
In short: Zhang was the better player over a long period in the match. He committed less mistakes than Bongers and played rock solid while Bongers missed some important and easy shots. But his nerves might have played a trick on him.
Being in the lead with 95:72, Zhang found himself with the balls spread open on the table after a break shot but no easy shot in front of him. He carefully examined the layout and went for a tough shot - and missed it. That brought Bongers back to the table. He was about to put a spoke in Zhang's wheel.
At that point in time, one would not have thought that Bongers would be able to keep himself together and run the needed balls. But Bongers surprised the crowd. He rose to the occasion and made no more mistake, eliminating Zhang with 100:95 from the straight pool competition.
Other notable results in the junior's single elimination include Sven Hagen (GER) defeating Andrey Seroshtan (RUS) surprisingly clear with 100:53. Hagen then went on and also eliminated Bosnia's biggest hope Alen Muratovic with 100:61. "The dark horse" Berk Mehmetcik (TNC) is also still on track, beating Daniel Schneider (SUI) with 100:62.
Berk Mehmetcik (TNC)
Favored player found his rhythm late
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina: Berk Mehmetcik (TNC), formerly a "dark horse" but nowadays one of the favored players, just defeated Kevin Ferreira (LUX) with 100:64.
Mehmetcik was definitely favored. Ferreira gave him a tough fight in the early stage of the match and did not allow Mehmetcik to get away. When the score was 53:45 for Mehmetcik, he carried the ball and made his high run of the match with 27 points in order to get an 80:45 lead over Ferreira. The defense line of the youngster from Luxembourg seemed to be broken. He could not get back into action and fell to the sharp blade of the shooter from North Cyprus with 100:64. It took Mehmetcik 16 innings to oust bis opponent from the round of the last 32 players in junior's straight pool.
Other notable results include Daniel Schneider (SUI) continuing his quest for glory with a victory over Haris Amini (NOR), 100:42. Earlier, Krystian Cwikla (POL) managed to defeat the defending Champion in the pupil's division, Raphael Wahl (GER) with 75:39. Daniel Guttenberger (AUT) remained victorious over Sandro Kupper (SUI) with 75:20. The pupils are still in the double elimination stage of their 14/1 tournament while the juniors are already in the single elimination.
The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.billiardapps.com or contact our press office.
Alen Muratovic (BIH)
Muratovic outplays Huttunen
With a close 100:90 victory in the first straight pool round, Alen Muratovic (BIH) outplayed his opponent Jesse Waltteri Huttunen (FIN).
The match between the two juniors started quite leveled. Huttunen cleared the first rack, then missed the break shot and gave the table to Muratovic. The local hero also cleared a rack and then got Huttunen into a safety battle. Both players played some safety shots. It was Huttunen who got a shot first. He went ahead with 23:16 before he allowed Muratovic back to the table. The safety exchange seemed to have taken the accuracy from both players a bit away. Or maybe they just showed some nerves... However, the tension rose and the two contestants argued about the score instead of keeping focussed on their performance. That did not necessarily help either of them. Consequently, no player could manage to gain any substantial advantage over his opponent and the match remained very tight. It was again Huttunen to reach out for the finish line first by gaining an 81:57 over Muratovic.
That really put some pressure on the young Bosnian. He took a time-out and tried to regain some focus. It seemed to have worked since he fired a break ball in, opening up the cluster, ready for the fight to win this match. He had several chances but missed shots during important phases. Huttunen was not able though to benefit from that. Instead, he also missed shots and returned the favors he got from Muratovic instead of punishing him. At 85:69 for Huttunen, Muratovic missed an easy shot and left an open table for Huttunen. The Finish youngster could again not capitalize from it and straight away returned the table to Muratovic. At this stage of the match, it turned out that probably the player ith the better nerves would leave the table as the winner. At 89:89, Huttunen scratched and left Muratovic an open table with ball in hand. That was everything Alen Muratovic needed... one would have thought. But at 95:89, Muratovic missed and allowed Huttunen back in the match. But one single ball was everything Huttunen was able to come up with. His resistance was broken. Muratovic finished the remaining balls and deservedly won the match with 100:90.
The defending Champions were not in action yet. Finn Eschment (GER), last year's junior's straight pool Champion, reached the age limit and cannot defend his title this year. Raphael Wahl (GER), defending straight pool Champion in the pupil's division, will join the action after this current round at 13:00 CET. The juniors play race to 100 points, the pupils race to 75 points in their matches.
Other notable results from the early rounds include last year's 9th ranked player Andrey Seroshtan (RUS) sending his teammate Stanislav Sokolow to the loser's side with 100:59. In the next round, Daniel Schneider (SUI) finished Seroshtan with 100:20 in four innings.
President Gre Leenders opening the Championships. Photo İEPBF/DK
Teaser
With the opening ceremony starting at 21:00 CET, the 2013 EPBF Dynamic Billard European Youth Championships were opened.
120 players from 25 nations will compete in the upcoming 10 days for medals, titles and glory. The winners will also be sent to this year's Youth World Championships which will according to WPA be held in December in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The President of the host federation from Bosnia & Hercegovina, Mr. Senad Pehlivanovic welcomed all players and team-leader and wished everyone a successful and sportive event. The manager of the host hotel, Mrs. Tankoviv and Mr. Rikovic assured all present guest from all over Europe that they would do their best in order to make everyone feel as comfortable as home. Sarajevo is a beautiful city with many interesting sites to visit.
Finally, Gre Leenders thanked all sponsors and welcomed everyone to the Championships. With the most successful player from last year, Joshua Filler (GER) performing an opening break shot, Leenders opened the EC.
The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.epconline.eu or contact our press office.
The TV arena is set up by experts.
Youth Championships will open a month of pool festivity
With the Dynamic Billiard European Youth Championships 2013 to start on Friday this week, a month of pool action will unfold in Radon Plaza Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina. The venue will be divided into two sections with a total of 20 tables in use. The tables are Dynamic III, the cloth is Simonis 860 tournament blue and the balls are Aramith.
The youngsters will launch their competition on Friday morning at 09:00 CET. Girls, pupils and juniors will play 10-ball, 9-ball, 8-ball, straight pool and team competition. The last final will begin on Saturday, August 3rd. As of today, 69 pupils, 55 juniors and 19 girls from as many as 25 European countries are announced into the fields. A total of 52 medals are at stake for the youth players.
On Sunday, August 4th the seniors and ladies will take over and begin their quest for the gold medal in the various disciplines. The final match of the Dynamic Billiard European Championships for Seniors and Ladies will be played on Sunday, August 11th.
After the European Championships, the Dynamic Billard Bosnia & Hercegovina Open Euro-Tour will be played in the same venue. Matches will start on Thursday, August 15th and the final will be played on Saturday, August 17th.
During the whole time, up to 20 tables will be in the LIVE stream. Check out www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/ for further information. Become a premium member and join all the action here in Sarajevo.
The event will be hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.epconline.eu or contact our press office.
