With the results of the second round of the main draw at the 25th Cyprus Open now recorded, the outcomes for the players competing in this stage have been confirmed. According to the published list, 111 matches took place in the second round, featuring 222 players competing against one another.
The second round of the international Cyprus Open backgammon tournament produced mixed results for the Iranian representatives. Several Iranian players defeated their opponents, while others suffered defeats. Alongside decisive victories, a number of closely contested matches ended with scores of 9–8.
Iranian Players Secure Victories in the Second Round of the Cyprus Open
Several Iranian players successfully completed their second-round matches with victories. Amirali Tavakoli defeated Oktay Lökbaş 9–2, while Behrad Ahmadi recorded a 9–4 win over Ersin Narman.
Hamid Esmaeili defeated Elie Nehmeh 9–2, and Mehrdad Goodarzi secured a 9–4 victory against Erman Bulucu.
Other notable results from this round included the following matches:
- Hamidreza Shahrokhi defeated Selin Kurt 9–8.
- Pouya Rajabi defeated Miray Altaş 9–8.
- Hooman Khatami secured a 9–8 victory over Hamidreza Ardalani.
- Amin Shahvalizadeh defeated Hüseyin Özdağ 9–4.
- Arash Afrooz iyan defeated Mahir Vural 9–0.
- Farhad Heydari secured a 9–3 victory over Reza Barmayehvar.
- Mohammad Javad Shams defeated Ali Cem Dinçer 9–6.
- Reza Monfared defeated Tobias Hellwag 9–2.
- Omid Badiei secured a 9–8 victory over Mario Wakim.
- Cyrus Vafa defeated Saber Abdy 9–2.
- Jalil Khalili defeated Mehmet Çil 9–8.
- Yousef Abdollahnezhad defeated Iborry Regua Demiry 9–7.
- Amanj Khandani defeated Filipi Martin 9–8.
- Yashar Farnam defeated Yossi Eliezer 9–1.
These results show that some Iranian players secured victories by comfortable margins, while others had to compete until the final point to claim their wins.
Several Iranian Players Suffer Second-Round Defeats
Alongside the victories, several Iranian players ended their second-round matches with defeats. Rambiz Khalili-Yazdi lost 9–2 to Albert Khodadad, while Shahin Nejat suffered a 9–1 defeat against Fuat Erdağ.
Amirhossein Motarjemi lost one of the round's closest matches, falling 9–8 to Faddoul Khoury. Sina Azarhoush was also defeated, losing 9–2 to Soinguli Amirov.
Milad Momeni lost 9–4 to Catalin Bucur, while Payam Homayoon suffered a 9–3 defeat against Berkant Bilgi. Amir Golegolab was defeated 9–6 by Alaattin Özaltun.
Other results included Bahman Sadeghi's 9–0 defeat against Pete Heskett and Sohrab Baghaie's narrow 9–8 loss to Sibel Seray Karadağ.
Notable International Matchups in Round Two
Beyond the Iranian players' matches, several international competitors recorded notable results. Honza Cerny defeated Halil Sancak 9–3, while Leonid Riskin secured a 9–4 victory over Kemal Erdem.
Jason Champion defeated Meral Yılmaz 9–7. Aykut Keskin also claimed a narrow 9–8 victory against Eyup Borucu in one of the closely contested matches of the second round.
Meanwhile, Shay Asraff suffered a 9–4 defeat against Shtrum Joseph, and Gil Davidovich lost 9–6 to İsmail Dönmez.
Juergen Orlowski was defeated 9–5 by Konrad Fröschl, while Mario Wakim narrowly lost 9–8 to Omid Badiei.
In other matches, Minh Nguyen defeated Jakob Garal 9–6, and Berk Ekşioğlu secured a 9–6 victory over Ahmed Hiyasi.
Close Contests and Decisive Victories in the Second Round
One of the notable features of the second round of the Cyprus Open was the number of matches decided by a single point. Victories by Hamidreza Shahrokhi over Selin Kurt, Pouya Rajabi over Miray Altaş, and Hooman Khatami over Hamidreza Ardalani were among the matches that ended 9–8.
Amanj Khandani, Omid Badiei, Aykut Keskin, and Jalil Khalili also secured narrow victories by the same score.
In contrast, several matches ended with decisive 9–0 results. Arash Afrooz iyan defeated Mahir Vural, Moti Italy beat Alparslan Kızılay, Peter Van Rooij overcame Ciortan Radu, and Hasan Serruf defeated Ogün Sevindik without conceding a point.
Cyprus Open Competition Continues After Round Two
With the second-round results confirmed, attention now turns to the upcoming matches and developments in the main draw.
For the Iranian representatives, the victories recorded during this stage are significant. Players including Amirali Tavakoli, Hamid Esmaeili, Hamidreza Shahrokhi, Pouya Rajabi, Behrad Ahmadi, Arash Afrooz iyan, and Mohammad Javad Shams successfully completed their second-round matches.
However, second-round results alone are not sufficient to predict the eventual champion or definitively assess each player's chances. Their continued participation depends on the tournament format and the results of subsequent rounds.
Fans can follow the match schedule, results, and updates to the main draw through the official FTBgsystem tournament platform.
Conclusion
The second round of the 25th Cyprus Open concluded with results from 111 matches. The round featured victories by several Iranian representatives, defeats for others, and numerous closely contested matches among international competitors.
From Hamidreza Shahrokhi's 9–8 victory over Selin Kurt and Pouya Rajabi's narrow win against Miray Altaş to Arash Afrooz iyan's decisive 9–0 result, Iranian players recorded a variety of outcomes during this stage.
With the second round complete, attention now turns to how the competition will unfold and which Iranian representatives can maintain their winning form in the upcoming matches.