Lütfi Cenet makes an excellent start at Kozoom Challenge finals

09/30/2022

Published by frits bakker

The eight final players for the Kozoom Challenge Cup before the start

ARÈS - The first day at the Kozoom Challenge final, played with eight top level players, ended with an excellent Lütfi Cenet in the spotlights. The Turk beat his countryman Murat Naci Coklu 4-1 in the last of four matches, showing the best average of the eight players on this opening day: 2,150. The other three winners in the double knockout system were Dick Jaspers (4-2 against Michael Nilsson), Eddy Merckx (4-1 against Roland Forthomme) and Peter Ceulemans (4-2 against Marco Zanetti).

Peter Ceulemans' victory against Marco Zanetti was the most sensational on this first day. Lütfi Cenet demonstrated his outstanding form in the Turkish clash with Murat Naci Coklu. Cenet took a 1-0 lead (10-3 in 3), saw Coklu come back 10-3 in 5), but then triumphed over his opponent with short, strongly played sets, in which Coklu hardly scored anymore: 10-1 in 3, 10-3 in 3 and 10-2 in 5 for a final score of 4-1.

Before the finals, in the group phase, Lütfi Cenet was already one of the better players in set scores. Dick Jaspers was the number one with 14 set wins, Lütfi Cenet finished second with 11 set wins in his group. Jaspers was the best on average with 2.695 ahead of Eddy Merckx 1.838 and Peter Ceulemans 1.817.

The Kozoom event in the wonderful playing hall in Arés, on the French west coast, was opened by Dick Jaspers and Michael Nilsson, which only got some tension at the end. The Dutch world champion won the first three sets 10-2, 10-4 and 10-3 in 4, 9 and 4 innings. The Swede missed the start, but adjusted to the table mid-set and left Jaspers far behind in the fourth and fifth sets by 10-2 in 8 and 10-2 in 2. Then, the world champion deemed it time for the final set win with 10-4 in 5 (averages 1.419/1.100).

Peter Ceulemans had a magnificent start against Marco Zanetti and was superior in the first part of the matchse. The Belgian, the youngest player and the only amateur amid the professional players, played uninhibited, with a lot of feeling and great shot power, quickly putting the Italian maestro at a 3-0 deficit: 10-6 in 10, 10-2 in 4 and 10-3 in 5. It was as if Zanetti needed a wake-up call, because in the next two sets he took the initiative in two thrilling final stages with 10-8 in 4 and 10-9 in 9. The sixth set showed again a sovereign Ceulemans with 10-2 in 4 innings (averages 1.629/0.971).

The Belgian clash between Eddy Merckx and Roland Forthomme had a similar start, with Merckx the slightly better player in the opening sets: 10-9 in 9, 10-8 in 7 and 10-2 in 5. Forthomme was able to strike back once, in the fourth set with 10-9 in 9, but the fifth set again went to Merckx with 10-8 in 6. The averages were not that far apart due to the small difference in set positions: 1,400/1,121.

The arena for the Kozoom Challenge final with eight world players

The stylish Chevillotte table for the final matches

Ready for the start: the ambiance in Kozoom's Challenge Cup

Kozoom reporter Jérémie Picart launching the final matches

Torbjörn Blomdahl and Dick Jaspers at the commentator positions

Kozoom referees Hervé Lacombe and Patrick Latapie

The double knockout continues today, Friday, with four games. Two losers, Michael Nilsson and Marco Zanetti, meet at 15.00. The winner continues, the loser go home. The same goes for the match between Roland Forthomme and Murat Naci Coklu at 5pm. The winner stays in the schedule, the loser is out.

Tonight, Dick Jaspers and Peter Ceulemans play each other first at 19.00. The winner of that match is in the semi-finals, the loser gets a re-match. The last match between two winners is between Lütfi Cenet and Eddy Merckx, the winner also advances to the semi-finals, the loser gets a second chance.

Matches today, Friday:
15.00: Nilsson-Zanetti
17.00: Coklu-Forthomme
19.00: Jaspers-Ceulemans
21.00: Cenet-Merckx.

The matches were excellently commented by Torbjörn Blomdahl, who was joined twice by renowned co-commentators Dick Jaspers and Marco Zanetti.

The pictures made by Ton Smilde