Nikita Koshelev wins his first European Bowling Tour title in Ekaterinburg Open

    03/29/14

    2014 European Bowling Tour #5

    Defeats compatriot Mikhail Belenky in all-Russian title match; qualifying leader Evgeniya Zelenkova wins the women's ranking in Ekaterinburg, Russia

    2014EBT05NikitaKoshelev.jpgNikita Koshelev (pictured left) of Russia defeated fellow countryman Mikhail Belenky, 450-383, en route to win his first European Bowling Tour title and the 2.200 top prize in the Ekaterinburg Open 2014 Saturday at Hippo Amusement Park in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Belenky pocketed 1.800 Euro for second place.

    Koshelev is the third Russian EBT champion after Ivan Semenov (2010 Bratislava Open) and Maria Bulanova (2013 Russian Open), who is youngest player ever to win an EBT title at the age of 14.

    The championship round was an all-Russian affair as the last foreign bowler, Dmitry Shilkin of Belarus, was eliminated in Round Six to finish fifth.

    2013BWCEvgeniyaZelenkova.jpgIn the semifinal match over two games total pins, Koshelev, seeded fourth, ousted qualifying leader Evgeniya Zelenkova (right), 352-339. Zelenkova, who received six byes, was seeded first in the semifinals. As no other woman reached the semifinals, Zelenkova has won the women's ranking in Ekaterinburg.

    In the other semifinal match, third-seeded Belenky edged No. 2 seed, Evgeniy Mineev, 386-354, to advance to the title match. Zelenkova defeated Mineev in roll-off for third and fourth place, 420-361. Zelenkova earned 1.400 Euro for third place and Mineev got 1.200 Euro for fourth place.

    2014EBT05MaximKobelkov.jpgMaxim Kobelkov (left) of Russia started the finals with bang, rolling the tournament's lone 300 game in Round One. Kobelkov missed the next cut by five pins to finish in 25th place.

    The top 36 players cashed. 62 of total 70 players from six countries (Belarus, Bulgaria, Latvia, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia) received ranking points.

    The Ekaterinburg Open 2014, a newcomer on the European Bowling Tour, was the fifth stop of the 2014 season and the second of nine EBT "Satellite" tournaments, the lowest of the four EBT categories. The tournament was held from Monday, March 24, through Saturday, March 29, at 16-lane Hippo Amusement Park in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

    Players competed for total prize money of 20.000 Euro. Low to cash is 36th place worth 220 Euro.

    The tournament was contessted on a 39 feet oil pattern with 24,745 mL volume oil total (click image to enlarge). Women received 8 pins handicap each game (maximum score is 300), a standard on the European Bowling Tour.

    Qualifying ran from March 24-28 and concluded with the Desperado Squad on early Saturday morning. Total 36 players - the top 32 qualifiers plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad - advanced to the finals on Saturday, March 29.

    The qualifying leader earned six byes and was seeded first in the semifinal round. Qualifiers 2-4 got five byes, qualifiers 5-8 received four byes, qualifiers 9-12 got three byes, qualifiers 13-18 took two byes and qualifiers 19-24 bypassed the first round of the finals. Qualifiers 25-32 and the four "Desperados" started the finals at 9 a.m. local time.

    Rounds 1-6 featured two games. The field was cut to 30, 24, 16, 12, 7 and then four players who bowled head-to-head semifinal matches with the two-game total determining the winner.

    The winners advanced to the title match and the losers bowled in a roll-off for third and fourth place. The same format as in the semifinal applied.

    2014EBTLogo_small.jpg After the 2014 Brunswick Italia Challenge has been cancelled, the 2014 European Bowling Tour features 20 tournaments in 14 countries. In its 15th season, the EBT consists of two Platinum, six Gold, three Silver and nine Satellite tournaments. The total prize fund exceeds one million Euro.

    The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each event receive ranking points. Those points will be tabulated throughout the season to determine the top 12 men and top 12 women, who will compete in the eighth EBT Masters July 6, 2015 in Asti, Italy.

    The 2014 EBT takes a break in April before heading to Istanbul, Turkey, for the 9th Istanbul Bowling Open at Timeout Bowling Center May 3-11, 2014.

     


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    Ekaterinburg Open 2014


    Hippo Amusement Park in Ekaterinburg, Russia (March 24-29, 2014)

    2014EBT05Top4.jpgChampionship Round:
    1. Nikita Koshelev, Russia, 2.200 Euro
    2. Mikhail Belenky, Russia, 1.800 Euro
    3. Evgeniya Zelenkova, Russia, 1.400 Euro
    4. Evgeniy Mineev, Russia, 1.200 Euro

    L-R Zelenkova, Koshelev, Belenky and Mineev

    Playoff Results:
    Semifinal Match 1: No. 4 Koshelev (170, 182) def. No. 1 Zelenkova (181, 142), 352-339
    Semifinal Match 1: No. 3 Belenky (238, 148) def. No. 2 Mineev (194, 160), 386-354
    Roll-off for 3rd and 4th place: Zelenkova (210, 194) def. Mineev (204, 157), 420-361
    Championship: Koshelev (214, 236) def. Belenky (189, 194), 450-383.
    * Zelenkova received eight pins handicap each game.

     


    Ekaterinburg Open 2014 - Round Six


    The top 3 players advance; places 4-6 finish 5th to 7th, earn 800 Euro.

     


    Ekaterinburg Open 2014 - Round Five


    The top 3 players advance; places 4-8 finish 8th to 12th, earn 600 Euro.

     


    Ekaterinburg Open 2014 - Round Four


    The top 4 players advance; places 5-8 finish 13th to 16th, earn 500 Euro.

     


    Ekaterinburg Open 2014 - Round Three


    The top 4 players advance; places 5-12 finish 17th to 24th, earn 360 Euro.

     


    Ekaterinburg Open 2014 - Round Two


    The top 6 players advance; places 7-12 finish 25th to 30th, earn 300 Euro.

     


    Ekaterinburg Open 2014 - Round One


    The top 6 players advance; places 7-12 finish 31st to 36th, earn 220 Euro.

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