Images: Jonathan Damian
Raymon Groot & Hugo Patino Head to Viersen for the World Team Championship
The 36th World Championship for National Teams will be contested from the 21st to the 24th of March 2024 at the Festhalle in Viersen, Germany. Sixteen two-man teams will compete and Raymon Groot and Hugo Patino will play for Team USA. Defending champions Turkey will be joined by Germany, Greece, Sweden, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Colombia, Argentina, USA, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Egypt, and Jordan. The USA is in Qualification Group B along with Korea, Colombia, and Greece. The USA will face Korea in their first match scheduled for Thursday, March 21 at 4:00 PM German time. Groot will play Myung Woo Cho and Patino is matched up against Jung Han Heo.
Best of luck to Team USA!
Team USA congratulations after the first match.
Groot Tops Cho and it's All Square in Group B after the First Matches
It was Korea vs USA and Colombia vs Greece in Group B for the first matches and both ended in draws for the teams. Jung Han Heo prevailed over Hugo Patino but Raymon Groot leveled the match with a determined effort to finish 40-39 in 31 innings over Myung Woo Cho (who currently holds the #1 position on the UMB Wolrd Players Ranking). Huberney Catano was the winner for Colombia and Demitrios Seleventas scored the win for Greece so all four teams are level with 1 match point after the first round. Korea leads on average followed by USA, Colombia, and then Greece.
Team USA in action.
Team USA in Viersen.
Team USA Draws With Greece & Remain 2nd in Group B
Hugo Patino scored a victory in his second match of the tournament winning 40-39 with a run of 5-and-out over Greece's K. Kokkoris and Demitrios Seleventas was victorious over Raymon Groot 40-37. After two matches it's Korea on top in Group B with 3 match points followed by USA in 2nd with 2 match points, then Greece also with 2 match points and Colombia with 1 match point after their loss to Korea. Next matches in the Group are USA vs Colombia and Korea vs Greece.
Team USA vs Greece.
Team USA Advances to the Quarter Finals
The Quarter Final Matchups for USA vs France.
Team USA advances to the Quarter Finals with a draw against Colombia in the final round of the Qualification matches. Hugo Patino defeated Huberney Catano 40-36 in 27 innings to book a place in the Finals for the team. Raymon Groot lost to Pedro Gonzalez who scored 40 in 22 innings. The final ranking in Group B was: Korea 1st with 9 match points, USA 2nd with 6 match points, Colombia with 5 match points, and Greece with 4 match points. It will be USA vs France in the Quarter Finals—Groot vs Bury and Patino vs Devogelaere.
Groot and Patino in the final round of the Qualifications.
Teamwork!
¡vamos! USA
USA Stuns France in Quarter Final Playoff | Head to Semi Finals
Hugo Patino holds off France's Mikael Devogelaere 40-38 in 28 innings while Jeremy Bury plays solid in the end of the match to squeek by Raymon Groot 40-39 in 33 innings. The USA held their composure in the Scotch Doubles 15 point playoff match to determine which team would advance to the Semi Final. Winning the lag and shooting first, Team USA never looked back in the short match securing the victory and a well deserved spot in the final four of the tournament. They will face Vietnam in tomorrow's Semi Final match.
Patino (right) scoring the 14th point and Groot (left) cinches the final point and a spot in the Semi Finals.
USA's Brilliant Run Comes to a Close at the World Championship for National Teams
The Scotch Doubles Semi Final Playoff Goes to Vietnam 15-13
Once again Team USA forced a Scotch Double playoff this time in their Semi Final match against Vietnam. Quyet Chien Tran shut down Raymon Groot with consistent and clever play in their match winning 40-19 in 22 innings. On the second table, Hugo Patino held strong to hold off Phuong Vinh Bao with a final score of 40-36 in 28 innings.
Groot trying hard to battle back against Tran.
Patino keeping his nerve steady.
In a tense Scotch Double playoff for a spot in the Final, the scored stayed on balance to the end. At this level, with only a few points left, it was a chance for both teams to cinch the victory if the positions were favorable and Vietnam prevailed.
Both players working hard in the Scotch Doubles.
Congratulations to Team USA for their well deserved place on the podium.
Team USA fights hard in the Semi Final.
Vietnam Crowned World Champions for National Teams
USA on the Podium in Viersen
