Woodhouse beats Wilson, Rodriguez gives the impression

The first match of the evening was between Luke Woodhouse and James Wilson, number 44 and 84 in the world rankings. At the start of the match they weren’t much different from each other and what was particularly striking was that both men played particularly hard in the leg that the other was allowed to start. This meant the game was completely even after two sets.

Then it was Woodhouse, 33, who was the first to keep his own decor. It wasn’t easy for ‘Woody’. It took a decisive step, but Wilson did not give up in this step.

Wilson was then cleared to start the fourth set, but “Jammy Dodger” had to watch his opponent sweep 128 off the board. With that, Wilson lost hope for a good result and saw Woodhouse finish in style moments later. It was a finish of 116 that immediately marked the end of the race.

Strong debuts Rodriguez

For Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, this is the first World Cup he has participated in. From the start, the young Austrian showed he was just as talented as his slightly older brother Rowby-John. His New Zealand opponent, Ben Robb, however, proved very resilient early in the match. After two sets and ten innings played, the match was even there.

Rodriguez, who is cleared to blow out 21 candles in four days, had him on his hips in the third set. The number 91 of the Order of Merit gave ‘Big Rig’ no chance and won the set 3-0. Rodriguez then managed to maintain that level in the fourth set. Robb was cleared to win a stage, but that didn’t compromise Rodriguez’s victory.