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2013 Dynamic Billard Euro-Tour North Cyprus Open
Acapulco Holiday Resort
Catalkoy
Kyrenia
North Cyprus
www.acapulco-cyprus.com
www.epbf.com
www.eurotouronline.eu
www.kozoom.com - live video streaming

10 - 12 October 2013

Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
Thrilling final match with a well deserved winner

In a final match which was packed with emotions and action, Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) defeated Daniele Corrieri (ITA) with 9:7.

A foul which Corrieri committed in the second rack allowed Stepanov to take a small advantage from the very beginning. The Russian did not decline that invitation and went ahead with a 2:0 lead. Throughout the match, Stepanov was able to keep that small distance to Corrieri. He was always one or two points ahead of his opponent. After 13 racks, Stepanov went on the hill with 8:5. But Corrieri did not think about giving up. He tried everything to stay alive in the match and claim his first Euro-Tour title. Stepanov had already won the Euro-Tour in Treviso, Italy, earlier this year, but of course was also keen on another victory. Corrieri managed to win two more racks and had his own break in rack 16, trailing only 7:8. Unfortunately for him, he got a dry break and no position on the 1-ball. Stepanov passed the table back to him and the pressure on the Italian's shoulders grew massively. He needed to come up with a good safety shot or push-out. And he did. He played a great push-out and Stepanov let him play again. Corrieri solved the problem and had a shot at the 2-ball but missed it in the side pocket. Lady Luck was on his side though since the cue ball was hiding behind another object ball. Stepanov had to play over a rail and completely missed the 2-ball. Foul shot by Stepanov meant ball in hand for Corrieri. What a final match, packed with drama and excitement! Corrieri's arms seemed to be made of rubber, every shot was hard for him to play. However, he pocketed ball after ball until he ran out of position for the 7-ball. The cue ball stopped with the 9-ball obstructing the line of sight for the 7-ball. Three balls away from a hill-hill match and suddenly this bad position! He attempted a jump shot but committed a foul. Stepanov cleared the remaining balls and took his second Euro-Tour title this year, winning the final of the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open 2013 with 9:7.

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THE NORTH CYPRUS OPEN 2013
TOP 8 FINISHERS	TOP 10 EURO RANKINGS
1. Konst'tin Stepanov RUS 550 �3.400 2. Daniele Corrieri ITA 480 �2,200 3. Niels Feijen NED 420 �1,400 3. Bruno Muratore ITA 420 �1,400 5. Artem Koshovyi UKR 370 �1,000 5. F'cisco Diaz-Pizarro ESP 370 �1,000 5. Radoslaw Babica POL 370 �1,000 5. Ivo Aarts NED 370 �1,000 - -	1. Niels Feijen NED 2355 2. Konstantin Stepanov RUS 2350 3. Albin Ouschan AUT 2300 4. Daryl Peach GBR 2260 5. Radislaw Babica POL 2120 6. Nick van den Berg NED 2055 7. Alexander Kazakis GRE 2045 8. Mark Gray GBR 2000 9. Fabio petroni ITA 1985 10. Oliver Ortmann GER 1980

"This is my second victory this year and I am so happy", said Stepanov after the final. When asked about any changes in his practice, he added "I think I become more mature and grew up. I understand the game and its facets better now". "I had a tough day today and really need to understand my achievement. I am proud and exhausted".

This concludes the coverage of the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open Euro-Tour 2013.

Stepanov creamed The Terminator

Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
All-Italian thriller in second semi-final

Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) booked his seat in the final match of the Dynamic Billiard North Cyprus Open 2013 by smashing "The Terminator" Niels Feijen (NED) with 9:3.

Feijen is definitely one of the powerhouses of European pool-billiard. Counting all his titles and achievements here would be too much. But he seemed to be a bit exhausted in this semi-final against Stepanov. Feijen needed to wrestle Koshovyi down in the quarter-final and had a great comeback in that match. However, that probably cost him a lot of energy. Stepanov also had a 9:8 thriller over Diaz-Pizarro in his previous match but seemed to be in a better state. Whatever the reasons were, Stepanov hit Feijen like a ton of bricks, taking the first five racks in a row. He was already half way through when Feijen opened his account after the sixth rack to turn the scoreboard to 1:5. Feijen managed to take another rack and it seemed as if he would be able to launch another comeback. But Stepanov did not allow that to happen. He won rack eight, went ahead 6:2 and took a time-out to gather new strength. After the time-out, Feijen took the next rack. But that was it for him in the match. Stepanov finished him 9:3 by winning three racks in a row.

The other semi-final was an all Italian clash between experienced Bruno Muratore and newbie Daniele Corrieri. Corrieri started much better and quickly achieved a 6:1 lead over Muratore. What looked like an easy walk for Corrieri suddenly changed. He could not benefit from his break shot anymore and Muratore gained some momentum. He used his chances and pulled rack after rack back from Corrieri. After 12 racks, the score was 7:5 for Corrieri. He also broke the next rack. But again, his break shot did not work and he had a dry break. Muratore found an open table in front of him an converted that into another point for his account, pocketing the 9-ball with a combination shot on the 5-ball. The air grew thinner and thinner for Corrieri. In fact, now Muratore's break seemed to work well for him now. As the match went along, Muratore leveled the score at 7:7. The excitement grew to a maximum. It was again Daniele Corrieri who got on the hill first, taking an 8:7 lead with Muratore's break shot coming up. Bruno needed a good break but Lady Luck deserted him. No ball went in the pocket and Corrieri had an open table with a possible layout in front of him. But to everyone's surprise, he missed the 1-ball and scratched!

That gave a second life to Bruno Muratore who could not believe he got back to the table in that match. With ball in hand he ran the rack to tie the match hill-hill, 8:8. Corrieri broke the decisive 17th rack. The break worked fine for him this time. He pocketed the 1-ball and the 6-ball and had all balls in the open with a nice shot at the 2-ball. He had his fate in his own hands. He awarded himself and ran the rack to win the match with 9:8.

THE NORTH CYPRUS OPEN 2013

THE SEMI FINALS

Niels Feijen (NED) 3:9 Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
Bruno Muratore (ITA) 8:9 Daniele Corrieri (ITA)

THE FINAL

Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) v Daniele Corrieri (ITA)

The final match will be shown LIVE on local national TV in North Cyprus.

Corrieri rushed over Aarts

Daniele Corrieri (ITA)
Clear victory for the Italian

In a thrilling match, Daniele Corrieri (ITA) prevailed over Ivo Aarts (NED) with 9:3.

Both contestants were not necessarily expected in the quarter-final match of the Euro-Tour. In fact, it was the first time for both of them to get that far in their career. So obviously, they were both nervous but on the other hand also had achieved a lot already with not much to lose anymore. Ivo Aarts is part of the "Young Orange" team which is successfully coached by formerly well-known player Alex Lely. Despite of his young age he is a regular on the Euro-Tour and other international events. His best achievement to date was a 17th place in a Euro-Tour tournament. Daniele Corrieri is a rising star from Italy who is starting to make some noise on the Euro-Tour. His best finish so far was 25th at the Euro-Tour in Italy. He is not playing the Tour as regularly as Aarts. The clash between the two youngsters promised to be filled with excitement.

The match went back and forth in the early stage. Aarts managed to get away with a two-rack-lead. Corrieri, who in the previous round eliminated the current number two of the Euro-Tour rankings, Albin Ouschan (AUT), needed some time to get his foot into the match. A foul from Aarts in the third rack opened the door for him and he won the next seven racks in a row to take a 7:2 lead himself. The obviously shocked Aarts. Whatever he tried, he could not find his rhythm again. The final result of 9:3 truly indicates Corrieri's predominance in the match.

Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) had a tougher working day so far. He just defeated Francisco Diaz-Pizarro (ESP) by a whisker with 9:8. Niels Feijen (NED) had a great comeback in his quarter-final with Artem Koshovyi (UKR).

After trailing 2:6, Feijen went ahead and won seven racks in a row to win the match 9:6. Bruno Muratore (ITA) won a close battler over Radoslaw Babica with 9:8. He will now face his fellow countryman Daniele Corrieri in the semi-final.

THE NORTH CYPRUS OPEN 2013

THE QUARTER FINALS

Niels Feijen (NED) 9:6 Artem Koshovyi (UKR)
Francisco Diaz (ESP) 8:9 Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
Bruno Muratore (ITA) 9:8 Radoslaw Babica (POL)
Ivo Aarts (NED) 3:9 Daniele Corrieri (ITA)

THE SEMI FINALS

Niels Feijen (NED) v Konstantin Stepanov
Bruno Muratore (ITA) v Daniele Corrieri (ITA)

The semi-finals will be played one after the other at 14:00 and 16:00 local time with the final to begin at 18:00.

Van den Berg through to last 16

Nick van den Berg (NED)
Game over for Peach, See and Gray

After having dominated the match with Daryl Peach (GBR) over the full distance, Nick van den Berg (NED) entered the round of the last 16 players with a convincing 9:5 victory over Peach.

Van den Berg had to make his way with the detour over the loser's round since he lost his winner's qualification match 4:9 to Ivica Putnik (CRO). Suffering a bit from a cold, van den Berg needed to reset all his forces. He is not the type of player that is looking for excuses so he got himself together and played up to his normal standard. Today, that was good enough for Peach. Van den Berg dominated the match over the whole distance and Peach always had to try to keep the damage as small as possible. The best Peach could do was trailing with one rack only at 5:6. But then van den Berg played rock solid and scored rack after rack, defeating Peach 9:5 in the end. Van den Berg will meet Bruno Muratore (ITA) in the round of the last 16 players while Peach has to settle for 17th rank in the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open 2013.

Another tough thriller was the encounter between Phil Burford (GBR) and Jim Chawki (SWE). After ten racks, Chawki was already leading 7:3 and only needed two more points for a walk into the next round. But Burford is known to be a tough fighter. He pulled back rack after rack from Chawki and managed to win six racks in a row to take the match 9:6. Roman Hybler (CZE) ended Huidji See's (NED) quest for glory with 9:5 while young Ivo Aarts (NED) ousted Mark Gray (GBR) with 9:4.

THE NORTH CYPRUS OPEN 2013

LAST 16

Niels Feijen (NED) v Chris Melling (GBR)
Artem Koshovyi (UKR) v Roman Hybler (CZE)
Francisco Diaz-Pizarro (ESP) v Tony Drago (MLT)
Petri Makkonen (FIN) v Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)
Nick van den Berg (NED) v Bruno Muratore (ITA)
Nick Malai (ALB) v Radoslaw Babica (POL)
Ivo Aarts (NED) v Phil Burford (GBR)
Daniele Corrieri (ITA) v Albin Ouschan (AUT)

Tomorrow, the matches will continue with the round of the final 16 players at 10:00 local time.

All action can be followed LIVE on all 12 tables throughout the tournament on www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/ .

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.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

Tournament continues for Muratore, ends for Mehmetcik

Bruno Muratore (ITA)
Favorites make their way in loser's qualification round

In the clash between North Cyprus' hope Berk Mehmetcik and Italy's Bruno Muratore, the likable Italian dominated with 9:6 in the end and stayed alive in the tournament.

It was a thriller with ups and downs on both sides. "I have not played too well", stated Muratore after the match. In fact, he went ahead with 4:2 after six racks just to find himself trailing 4:5 after nine racks. The tide had turned in the match and things looked promising for Mehmetcik. But Muratore was able to strike back and gained some momentum from that. When he was leading 7:5 after 12 racks, he had an open table in front of him. Mehmetcik left him a shot and only six balls on the table. But Muratore got a dead straight position on the 5-ball and while trying to get position for the 6-ball he scratched.

With that grave mistake he brought Mehmetcik back into the match. The young Cypriot used his chance and got one rack back from Muratore, turning the score to 6:7. But then Muratore prevailed in the match. He scored two more racks and finished Mehmetcik with 9:6. Muratore will now enter the single elimination stage of the event while Mehmetcik will have to settle for 33rd.

Other notable results include Stephan Cohen (FRANCE) wasting no time with Henrikas Strolis (LIT), eliminating him clearly with 9:4. Cohen, just as 10-ball World Champion Huidji See (NED) who beat Massimo Laucci (ITA) 9:5 will need another victory in order to join Muratore in the top 32 players. Other favorite players are already in the single elimination stage with Muratore. Jim Chawki (SWE) whitewashed Roman Yaroshenko (RUS) 9:0. Ivo Aarts (NED) defeated Ferdi �zdemir (TUR) with 9:4. Nick van den Berg (NED) wiped the floor with Kristoffer Mindreboe (NOR) 9:2. After losing to Tony Drago, Chris Melling (GBR) kept a foot in the door of the tournament and won over Christopher Hall (GBR) 9:5. Tonight at 20:00 local time, the single elimination stage of the final 32 players will begin.

The break shot made the difference

Tony Drago (MLT)
Drago sent Melling to the loser's side

In a high quality match in the winner's qualification round, "The Tornado" Tony Drago (MLT) powered past Chris Melling (GBR) with 9:6.

Melling seemed to struggle to find his game throughout the whole match. He was always behind, trailing one or two points to Drago. "The Tornado" started in his own special way, playing fast and offensive. He even missed an easy 9-ball in the third rack because he did not take his time to get the rest for it. Luckily enough for him, Melling also missed the 9-ball after that and allowed him to still put that point into his account for a 2:1 lead. During the whole match, Drago seemed to have the better role of the balls. His break shot was more consistent than Melling's. In the final statistics, Melling had a total amount of eight break shots where he pocketed balls on six of them, had 2 dry breaks and needed to play a push-out three times. Drago played seven break shots, had a ball down six times and never played a push-out. He did scratch once but in the end, Drago's break shot made the difference for this match. After twelve racks, the match was all square at 6:6. Then, Drago forced Melling to commit a foul shot in rack 13. With ball in hand, Drago ran the rack to take a 7:6 lead. With his own break shot coming up in rack 14, Drago played a runout and went on the hill with 8:6. In rack 15 it was Melling's time to break. Again, he did not get any ball ocketed with his break shot. That finished him for this match. Drago "captured" the table and ran the rack to win the match with 9:6. "The Tornado" smoothly entered the round of the final 32 players while Melling will need another win on the loser's side now.

Other notable results from the winner's qualification round include Fabio Petroni (ITA) sneaking past Ivo Aarts (NED) with 9:8. Nr. 1 ranked player, Niels Feijen (NED) also had hard work with Jim Chawki (SWE) and defeated him by a hair's breadth with 9:8. Nick Malai (ALB) upset all fans of "The Maharaja" Imran Majid (GBR), sending the British to the loser's side with 9:5. Talking about upsets, Ivica Putnik (CRO) defeated EPBF Player of the Year 2012 Nick van den Berg (NED) with 9:4. This tournament promises interesting matches since several favorite players can already be found on the wrong side of the draw.

First casualties exit the tournament

Richard Jones (GBR)
Many local players among the victims

As the final curtain slowly falls on day one of the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open in Kyrenia, Turkish North Cyprus, the first players have exited the tournament having received two losses already.

Richard Jones (GBR) is not among those unlucky lads. He unexpectedly lost to Daniele Corrieri (ITA) this afternoon but stayed alive in the tournament with a 9:6 victory over Tom Bjerke (NOR). He will have to win another match over Ramazan Akdag (TUR) today to read his name on tomorrow's tournament brackets.

Many of the players who already exited the event are local. Three of the biggest names in North Cypriot pool had an appearance in the loser's round with only one of them standing tall after the rounds.

Berk Mehmetcik (TNC) was the "lucky" one to remain in the tournament with a convincing victory over his fellow countryman Huseyin Alnar with 9:6. Onuc Altur (TNC) first had to deal with his older brother Orcun Altur and defeated him 9:5. However, in the next round Onuc Altur got defeated by Kristoffer Mindreboe (NOR) with 9:5. Another big loss for North Cyprus today was Huseyin Borankan who fell with 6:9 to Thomas Poeschl (GER).

Koshovyi trounced Mindreboe

Artem Koshovyi (UKR)
Easy work also for Stepanov

Artem Koshovyi (UKR) trounced Kristopher Mindreboe (NOR) with 9:5 in the first winner's round of the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open.

Koshovyi was simply the better player today. He had the better start and took a quick 3:0 lead over Mindreboe. But his work was not going to continue to be that easy. Mindreboe who has been playing the European circuit for several years now, kept a foot in the door and even managed to tie the match at 4:4. Then, the balls ran in favor of Koshovyi and he got on the hill without allowing Mindreboe to put one single point into his account, taking an 8:4 lead. That came onto Mindreboe like a ton of bricks. The pressure was simply too high for him to stand. He scored one more rack and then fell to Koshovyi with 9:5.

Another one who definitely wanted his spot in the next winner's round was Konstantin Stepanov (RUS). He made short work with Italy's Gabriele Crovetto and took the match with 9:2. "My opponent made too many mistakes", stated Stepanov after the match, "it was easy for me to gain momentum. Once I am on the roll it is hard to stop me", added Stepanov. Stepanov's fellow countryman Ruslan Chinakhov was not so successful. He got defeated by "The Tornado" Tony Drago (MLT) with 9:4 in 50 minutes. Radoslaw Babica (POL) smashed Ali Karanfiloglu (TNC) with 9:1 and sent him to the loser's side.

"Maharaja" Majid sailing in smooth waters

Imran Majid (GBR)
Dynamic Billard North Cyprus opening matches without any upsets

In a clear and one sided match, Imran "The Maharaja" Majid (GBR) wiped the floor with his young opponent Dogukan Dogu (TNC) with 9:2.

It was one of these classic "David vs Goliath" matches with the better end for the favorite. Majid entered the stage as the huge one preferred. The odds were all in his favor. From the very beginning he proved his dominance in the match. The best Dogu could do was tying the match at 1:1 after two racks.

After that, he was allowed one more point to ease the deficit to 2:4. From then on it was a one-man-show by the British player. He ran and won rack after rack, leaving no chance for the overextended young Cypriot. 9:2 was the unavoidable final result in this match which takes Majid into the next round on the winner's side and catapults Dogu to the left side of the draw.

Other notable results from the first rounds include one of the "young orange" players, Ivo Aarts (NED), smashing his opponent Izzet Izei (TNC) with 9:1. The local hero, "dark horse" Berk Mehmetcik (TNC) was just able to survive his opening match against Ayhan Yavuzoglu (TUR) with 9:8.

Live action from North Cyprus coming up

Hotel Acapulco in Kyrenia, North Cyprus
Tomorrow, the Dynamic Billard Euro-Tour starts with over 100 top players on 12 tables in LIVE stream

The 2013 Dynamic Billard Euro-Tour continues with the stop in Acapulco Resort & Hotel in Kyrenia, North Cyprus.

While the winners of the 8-ball tournament - which preceded the Euro-Tour - were crowned, the organizers already prepared the 12 Dynamic III matchtables for the start of tomorrow's Euro-Tour. Over 100 players from all over Europe and the Middle East have come to this lovely island to compete for points and the prizepot which holds 34.000,-�. All 12 tables will be streamed LIVE throughout the complete tournament. You can follow all the action as a premium member at www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/

The location for the Euro-Tour is quite different to most other locations since Kyrenia is a real holiday resort with temperatures of over 35� C still. It is located directly on the seaside with a beautiful private beach and a large pool area. Players could be spotted already alongside the different swimming pool areas, recharging their energy reserves and getting ready for the tournament tomorrow. This venue will also host the 2014 EPBF European Championships for Men, Women and Wheelchair players.

Matches start tomorrow morning at 09:00 local time.

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.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

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