Vincent Muldoon, Kevin Van Hove face Robert Murphy, Marcin Nitschke: European Snooker Championship
Ireland’s Vincent Muldoon and Belgian Kevin Van Hove have stormed into the Last-16 of the 2011 European Snooker Championship where they will meet Robert Murphy and Marcin Nitschke for a quarter-final
spot. The Last-16 matches will start on Wednesday, June 15 at the Dedeman Hotel in Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia.
Irishman Vincent Muldoon is considered to be one of the top nominees to grab the European Snooker Championship title and so far he has proved that he possesses the capability to make it happen.
Muldoon has played outstandingly in the tournament so far and has taken the top position in his group. Playing seven matches in the group stage and winning all of them, the player moved into Last-32
round of the championship.
The 20-year-old was up against Israel’s Shay Arama in the Last-32 round of the competition. The Irish cueman whitewashed the 36-year-old Israeli 4-0 to make his way to the event’s Last-16. His magnificent
performance in the championship has brought him into a strong position among the players.
Muldoon will meet compatriot, Robert Murphy, who moved into the Last-32 stage, grabbing five victories in the group stage. Murphy might not be as strong as Muldoon, but the 32-year-old has the tendency
to make an upset.
The former European Snooker Championship winner, Kevin Van Hove has also proved to be one of the best contenders in the tournament so far. His consistent performance during the round-robin format
group matches brought him on top of his group with seven consecutive wins.
The 29-year-old Belgian, Van Hove successfully made to the Last-32 stage where he met Austria’s Andreas Ploner. Facing a strong resistance from the young Austrian, the match was forced into a decider
frame. That's where Kevin managed to nudge the 18-year-old down, 4-3.
However, the FC Barcelona fan, Van Hove will be up against Poland’s Marcin Nitschke from Hot Shot snooker club, in the Last-16 round. Nitschke finished second in his group with five victories in group
matches after Germany’s Patrick Einsle, who took six wins to top Group A.
The match seems a close encounter and Van Hove must pull up his socks especially after his performance in the Last-32 match, where he was able to win in a decider frame.
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