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4 - 11 August 2013
9-Ball Champions: Susanne Wessel and Tom Storm
Championship ended with 9-ball finals
The Dynamic Billard EPBF European Championships for Seniors and Ladies have come to and end. The last finals which were played in 9-ball brought titles for Susanne Wessel (GER) and Tom Storm (SWE).
Tom Storm defeated Johny Vanrijkel (BE) in the senior's final with 9:3. Storm was expected for a title earlier and it was his turn. Vanrijkel has played a solid and great tournament but in this final, he missed too many shots and made Storm's life rather easy. The 9:3 victory for Storm was completely deserved.
In the ladies' final, Susanne Wessel clearly eliminated Ann-Sofie Löfgren (SWE) with 6:1. Wessel took her second title this week while Löfgren collected her third medal at these Championships, two Silver and one Bronze.
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Kent Karlsson (SWE)
Dutch player left the table
The team match between Sweden and The Netherlands brought something new to this year's Dynamic Billard European Championships for Seniors and Ladies. Both teams were fighting for a spot in the semi-finals which will be played tomorrow. The line-up was:
Woonings v Storm 10-ball
Uytenbogaardt v Eksell 8-ball
van Helmond v Karlsson 9-ball
Uytenbogaardt dominated his match from start to finish and defeated Eksell with 7:3. Van Helmond and Karlsson were both struggling hard for the victory. Suddenly, Woonings felt disturbed by Storm. He complained to the referee without using proper behavior. After several attempts to calm him down, the tournament direction warned him officially and told him to comport himself. The Dutch player did not accept that and left the table, giving up his match against Storm at a score of 3:3 (!). The spectators were appalled and shocked. How could he leave his teammates alone in a situation like that... The score in the team match was 1:1 with that action. Van Helmond fought a tough battle with Karlsson but in the end the Swedish player was more successful, winning the decisive 9-ball match with 7:9.
In the other team match for a seat in the semi-final, team Norway defeated team Finland with 2:0.
Tomorrow will feature the last matches for the event and bring the decisions in team and 9-ball individuals. Matches will start at 09:00 CET.
Martijn Woonings (NED)
Team matches to be continued tonight in Sarajevo
With a convincing performance, Martijn Woonings (NED) sent defending Champion Giorgio Margola (ITA) home, eliminating him from the 9-ball with 9:3.
The single elimination round of the final 32 players was the end of the line for the defending Champion. Margola got in trouble straight away. Woonings won the first five racks to take a 5:0 lead. Margola obviously did not feel comfortable at the main feature table. He struggled with his break shot from the very beginning. The Italian finally opened his account after the 6th rack,turning the scoreboard to 5:1. Would it still be early enough to turn the tide in the match? Of course, Margola's expectations especially for the 9-ball competitions were set quite high since he defended the title this year. So far, he could not live up to them. After nine racks, the score was 6:3 for Woonings. Margola managed to put some pressure on the Dutch which probably led him to commit mistakes. But Woonings rose from the dead and continued with his solid performance, making it hard for Margola to stay in the match. Additionally, Margola's break shot was never productive for him. In the end, Woonings closed the book on Margola with a steady 9:3 final result.
Pascal Budo (BEL)
Unexpectedly close results in the ladies' division
Pascal Budo (BEL) just eliminated Mika Määttä (FIN) with 9:6 from the 9-ball individuals.
Both players did not necessarily have a good start yesterday. Määttä received a disastrous 9:0 defeat from Tom Storm (SWE) while Budo fell to Pereira (POR) with 9:2. They were both seriously longing for a victory since the loser was going to be eliminated from the 9-ball. This explained them playing rather cautious than going for offensive shots. So the match crept along with the players taking their racks in alternate turns. They took their time for each shot and the tournament direction felt it appropriate to impose a shot-clock on the match. After twelve racks the match was leveled at 6:6. Määttä went for his time-out. When he got back, it seemed that his time-out had served Budo better than him. Budo pocketed the next two racks in his account, leading 8:6. In rack 15, Budo finished the match, running all balls after Määttä's unsuccessful break shot. Budo stays in the 9-ball competition on the loser's side and will play Werner Scheu (AUT) in his next match while Määttä will have to settle for 49th.
In the winner's qualification round, we had a re-match from last night's 8-ball final between Tom Storm (SWE) and Manuel Pereira (POR), Storm took revenge and won the 9-ball with 9:7. In another Swedish-Portuguese skirmish, Kent Karlsson (SWE) delivered a 9:3 defeat to Henrique Correia (POR). Correia defeated defending Champion Giorgio Margola (ITA) in the first round of the event but Karlsson was too much of an obstacle for him today.
An upset occurred in the ladies' division when Lot van Helmond (NED) got the better of Barbara Bolfelli (ITA) with 5:4. Newly crowned 8-ball Champion in the ladies' division, Susanne Wessel (GER) did not have an easy start into the new working day. She met Monika Oeschger (SUI) in the first winner's round of ladies' 9-ball and just made it with a 5:4 victory into the next round on the winner's side.
8-Ball Gold Medalists Manuel Pereira and Susanne Wessel
Storm lost classic final thriller
The Gold Medals in 8-Ball go to Manuel Pereira (POR) and Susanne Wessel (GER).
The final match in the senior's division was definitely wanted for by many viewers. Tom Storm (SWE) and Manuel Pereira both demonstrated enjoyable performances throughout the event but haven't yet met. It was clear that the match would be played on a very high quality level. So it was going to be interesting who would get in gear first, ready to go. In the first six racks, Storm and Pereira took turns in winning, leading to a 3:3 after 30 minutes of classic 8-ball. Then Storm lost his break shot. At this level, it was a lethal mistake. While Pereira always pocketed something on his break, Storm scratched and did not make balls anymore. That allowed Pereira to get an advantage over Storm. In the 10th rack, Pereira was breaking having a 6:3 lead. Suddenly, he scratched himself and opened doors for Storm that seemed to be closed already. Storm pulled that rack back from Pereira to turn the score to 6:4 only. But again, he could not pocket a ball on the break. Pereira used the chance Storm gave him and finished the match with 7:4.
In the ladies division, the final was an all-German clash between Karin Michl and Susanne Wessel. The two contestants were both not expected in the final and appeared to be a bit nervous. Still, the match was thrilling since they took turns in winning racks which lead to a 4:4 situation. In the final rack, Wessel had the better end on her side and took the rack, the match and the title with 5:4.
Tomorrow, the event will continue with matches in the 9-ball individuals and in the team competition.
Werner Scheu (AUT)
Cerimagic waving the flag for Bosnia & Hercegovina
In a one-sided match, Werner Scheu (AUT) defeated Johny Vanrijkel (BEL) with 7:0.
Johny Vanrijkel is known to the European Pool scene for three reasons: (1) he is an international EPBF referee; (2) he is running one of the most successful pool schools in Europe which created and supports talents like Serge Das, Kamila Khodjaeva and Kurt Deklerck; and (3) he is a great player in the senior's division. Combining all the factors one must say that Vanrijkel is an interesting draw to receive in the quarter-finals of the 8-ball discipline. Vanrijkel made his way straight to this match, winning clashes with Rado Doroslovac (SLO) 7:5, Marko Hartikainen (FIN) 7:5, Sascha Manojlovic (SUI) 7:4 and Frank Willner (GER) with 7:5. His opponent, unheralded Werner Scheu (AUT), made it to the quarter-final with victories over Jorgen Nilsen (NOR) 7:2, Maciej Trudnowski (POL) 7:4, Kim Uytenbogaardt (NED) 7:5 and Martin Schwab (GER) 7:5. So both players were undefeated in 8-ball by the time they crossed swords.
But the match turned out into a catastrophe for Vanrijkel. Nothing seemed to work his way while Scheu played rock solid. Maybe Vanrijkel was still exhausted from the match he had played in the round before. He had no break while Scheu had some time to recover from his previous encounter. As the match went along, Scheu did not allow Vanrijkel to find his way into the game at all. He taught him a tough lesson, handing him a doughnut with 7:0.
Other notable results include Tom Storm (SWE) smashing Gijs van Helmond (NED) 7:2 and booking his seat in the semi-final of the the 8-ball competition. Storm will meet local star Dino Cerimagic (BIH) who surprisingly powered past Henrique Correia (POR) by a whisker with 7:6.
Henrique Correia (POR)
Tough beating for Malinowski
In the round of the final 32 seniors standing, Henrique Correia (POR) made short work of Tomasz Malinowski (POL), eliminating him with 7:1 from the event.
The writing was on the wall: Correia is one of the toughest draws to get here in the senior's division. Tomasz Malinowski had the dubious privilege to learn that at first hand. The 8-ball match between him and Correia turned out to be a one-man-show featuring Henrique Correia only. Whatever Malinowski tried Correia had the better answer for. He got momentum early in the match and did not leave any chances for Malinowski to come up with a decent performance. In the end, the 7:1 result for Correia was more than deserved. Correia will advance to the round of the last 16 players in 8-ball.
Other notable results include grandmaster Tom Storm (SWE) getting the better of Max Perego (ITA) with 7:5. Local hero Dino Cerimagic (BIH) keeps his chances for another medal by clearly ousting Angelo Salzano (ITA) 7:2. Vegar Kristiansen's working day is also over. He took his match over Arto Taavila (FIN) with 7:2.
In the ladies' division, Susanne Wessel (GER) booked her ticket for the semi-final match with a whitewash. She defeated teammate Karin Michl 5:0. She is joined by 10-ball Champion Barbara Bolfelli (ITA) who conquered Wienke Thamsen (GER) unchallenged with 5:2.
The last round for today will feature team matches. Tomorrow, the day will begin with the start of the 9-ball individuals. At 15:00 CET, the quarter-finals in 8-ball will set the stage for the final rounds in 8-ball.
Kent Karlsson (SWE)
Wheelchair player Deklerck in the single elimination stage of seniors 8-ball individuals
In an exciting encounter, Kent Karlsson (SWE) defeated Michael Stark (AUT) 7:5.
Kent Karlsson has collected eight European Championship medals already; including the Gold Medal in Straight pool in 2002. His expectations were definitely high when he came to Sarajevo - but he could not yet live up to them. This year's Dynamic Billard European Championships for seniors and ladies here in Radon Plaza Hotel, Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina, have not made it to his record book yet. In 8-ball, he lost his first round match by a hair's breadth with 6:7 to Paulo Costa (POR). Still having one foot in the door, he crept through the loser's side, meeting Austria's Michael Stark in the 2nd loser's round. Stark has already hit the headlines here when he ousted #1 seeded player Gijs van Helmond (NED) from the straight pool chart. Karlsson was warned that this match would not be a walk in the park for him. However, it started off as one. After one hour, six racks of 8-ball were played and the scoreboard showed a clear lead of 5:1 for Karlsson. But Stark was far from giving in. He got back in the match and struck back. After eleven racks, the score was only 6:5 for Karlsson and he could feel his opponent's hot breath up his neck. Stark was only behind one more rack and suddenly the pressure was on Karlsson. What used to be smooth sailing became hard work. Karlsson used all of his experience and focus and wrestled Stark down in the 12th rack, winning the match with 7:5. Karlsson will now have to deal with Angelo Salzano (ITA) while Stark has to settle for 49th rank in the 8-ball senior's individual.
Other notable results from the 8-ball rounds include wheelchair player Kurt Deklerck (BEL) booking his spot in the single elimination round of the final 32 players with a 7:6 victory over Alex Habo (HUN). Roger Lysholm (NOR) smashed David Plattner (SUI) 7:4 while Tom Storm (SWE) needed 13 racks to win 7:6 against Giorgio Margola (ITA). Lysholm and Storm will join Deklerck in the single elimination stage while Plattner and Margola need another victory on the loser's side to join them.
Susanne Wessel (GER)
8-ball individuals and team competition today
In the ladies 8-ball division, Susanne Wessel (GER) defeated Lot van Helmond (NED) with 5:3.
It was a long struggle for both ladies. Van Helmond managed to get in the lead in the first few racks but Wessel always got a rack back from her, never allowing the Dutch to gain a serious advantage over her. After six racks, the score was 3:3. The 7th rack proved to be a test for the nerves. Bot players had already received a shot-clock warning but still used a lot of time for their shots. However, this rack turned out to be dominated by strategic play. None of the two wanted to risk anything which would allow the opponent to get on the hill first. After a long tactic battle, Wessel won the rack and got to the hill with 4:3. She put the next rack also in her account and won the match after a tough fight with 5:3.
Other notable results from today's 8-ball individuals include Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) handing a 7:0 doughnut to Tomasz Benedicic (SLO). Henrique Correia (POR) smashed Swedish "Captain" Tom Eksell with 7:1. Tomasz Malinowski (POL) left no chance for Italy's Stefano Bazzana sending him to the loser's side with 7:3. Today, the event will continue with the 8-ball individuals until the last round. At 21:45 CET, one round of the team competition will finish the tournament day.
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.
