Murat Najee Choklu (Hana Card), a three-cushion veteran from Turkiye, thanked his teammates in the team league after winning the title in professional tennis. He seemed deeply immersed in Korea’s unique fellowship.
Choclu beat “Vietnam Express” Nguyen Kuok Nguyen (Nuyan, Hana Card) 4-2 in the final of the “Crown Haitai PBA Championship 2024” at PBA Stadium in KINTEX, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the night of the 3rd and won the trophy and prize money of 100 million won.
Cho made his PBA debut through the season opener (Gyeongju Blue One Resort Championship) in June last year. Contrary to expectations, Cho had a long slump. Prior to the championship, his performance was not so good that he had to worry about being demoted to the second division.
However, Cho has changed his life thanks to the recent victory. He jumped from 68th to 8th place (105 million won) in prize money rankings, and won tickets to the PBA World Championship, where top 32 players in prize money rankings are given. He also became the third champion from Turkiye after Birol Wimaz (Welcome Savings Bank) and Semi-Signer (Huons).
Even before joining the PBA, Choklu was a world-renowned powerhouse. Along with Semi-Signer and Typhoon Tasdemir, Choklu has long been called the “Turkiye trio.” He won two billiards World Cups in Istanbul in 2015 and La Vue, France in 2016. He has maintained his ranking in the top 10 in the world.
Then, Cho Clue got on the plane to Korea last year. Financial difficulties ensued to continue his career as an amateur player. He made a big decision at a rather late age, when he turned 50 for the future of himself and his family.
The new challenges were not easy. Her best performance in eight individual tours prior to this year’s event was at the round of 16 (the third round of the Hana Card PBA Championship). She also failed in the round of 128, the first round, five times. The performance did not live up to her name at all. It was difficult for her to adapt to the PBA’s new way of playing at the UMB World Cup. The difference between a billiard table and a billiard ball also bothered her.
Cho was disappointed in himself. He talked a lot with Daniel Sanchez (Spain), one of the four greatest cushions in the world, who experienced the same situation. Cho Jae-ho, the “strongest native player,” advised Cho that it takes at least a year for all players to adjust to the PBA.
It was his teammates at Hana Card’s team league who gave him great support. They played team league games and talked a lot with each other and became a close relationship. Of course, Choi also experienced team members for 15 years while working in Europe. However, the culture was not as strong as Korea’s.
“My Hana Card teammates helped me adjust to Korea a lot,” Cho Clue said, adding, “They always look at me and smile even when the game is not going well,” before smiling brightly.
He even said that the support from his Hana Card teammates gave him a lot of strength ahead of the tournament. “They told me, ‘Let’s go to the World Championship together,'” Cho-Clue said. “The time I spent with the team gave me great motivation.”
Billiards is also well-known as an individual sport. Cho has been fighting alone for more than 30 years as a player. However, the sense of companionship in Korea completely changed my mind about billiards.
“I heard that it is an individual sport, but I believe that we can succeed as a team sport as well,” Cho Clue said. “We could easily give up the game when we were playing individually, but we can’t when it’s a team sport. I feel more motivated because we are playing for the team, not for the individual.”
Choclue belatedly realized that he was a natural team player. He was the top contributor to Hana Card’s victory in the PBA Team League, which ended in January. In the postseason, he played in 26 sets and was named the “postseason MVP” with an impressive victory rate of 17 wins and 9 losses and a 65.4% win rate.
Cho Clu’s victory in this individual tour continued that momentum. The time and relationship I spent with my team members completely woke up a player named Cho Clu.
“Of course, winning the team league had a big impact on me. Winning the team league and winning the final MVP gave me more confidence,” Cho said. “I had difficulties adapting to the PBA before that, but I have fully adapted through the team league. And I have come to believe in myself more.”
BY: 릴게임사이트