HOME SOIL TITLE ENDS Q TOUR RUT FOR UMUT
After winning at Event Three in Germany, Umut Dikme is aiming for the top spot in the UK/Europe Q Tour rankings and a professional tour card as a result.
Dikme moved up to third in the rankings after winning in Heilbronn, where they defeated Hamim Hussain 5-1 in the final, despite not competing in Event One and only making it to the third round of Event Two. Only fellow event winners Michael Holt and Liam Davies were superior.
With just four tournaments left in the second tier of snooker this season, the 23-year-old has now acknowledged that his objectives have changed slightly. A two-year tour card is automatically awarded to the player at the top of the rankings following Event Seven in Leeds, with the top 16 players qualifying for the Global Q Tour Playoff.
The young German player had never advanced past the last 16 at a Q Tour event before his most recent victory. We spoke with Dikme to find out what transpired so that he could obtain the title.
Greetings on your success Umut, I’m sure you were thrilled about the victory. How did you feel about the two days of playing?
“Happy days! I’m overjoyed to have won on the Q Tour for the first time! I wasn’t in the air. To be honest, I wasn’t at my best. But I had a strong weekend of play. I had never felt anything like playing at home. Since I haven’t actually experienced it, I didn’t anticipate it to be that way. There has never been a competition in Germany like this one on the Q Tour. However, I had the support of the locals, and the club was only 30 minutes from my house. Everything else was a bonus because the main objective was to reach Sunday, the final day, in order to earn some ranking points and play the game match by match.
“My parents were unable to attend, but they were watching the results. However, they’ve been quite content. Due to his thirty years of snooker experience, my father has always been a huge supporter of mine. He was therefore ecstatic and happy that I had won.
You had completed your apprenticeship with Mercedes and made the commitment to play snooker full-time when we spoke with you at Q School 2022. Where have you gotten to in your career after 18 months?”
Getting on the Tour and seeing what happens from there remains the goal. I continue to play full-time. I used to only be based in Germany and would travel there for the tournaments, but these days I travel back and forth between Germany and London. I thus play at the Whetstone Snooker Club in London. And certainly, since going full-time, my game has improved. I’m aware of the change. Much greater experience and practise. In practise, the game was always there, but you need to take it to the pitch, manage the pressure, and play more consistently.
“I still live in Germany, but I travel to the UK two to three weeks in advance of the competitions to practise. Yes, I return to Germany after the tournaments. I get a lot of assistance from Hammad Miah, Anthony Hamilton, and Alfie Burden when I practise, so it’s great for me.
Pool in the Mainland Growing is Europe. Luca Brecel is the current world champion, Andres Petrov defeated Mark Allen recently, Julian Leclercq had an amazing Shoot Out, and Lukas Kleckers is currently on tour. How much does seeing them on tour inspire?
To be honest, I’m not very inspired by it. Everybody, in my opinion, is travelling a unique path. It’s not like we’re all in the same country or city; we’re all very far away from one another. But the reason I’m so happy for those players is that I’m happy to see snooker gain popularity in mainland Europe. Since it is dispersed throughout three, four, or five nations, more participants are joining in. Although I’m happy for them, I really want to go there (on tour).
Is the goal to go back-to-back at the UK/Europe Q Tour Event Four, which takes place in Landywood, north of Wolverhampton, next month?
Indeed, the current goal is to rank first in order to receive a tour card.
straight up. However, I’ll approach it frame by frame and game by game to see what transpires.
It has historically been very difficult to finish first in the Q Tour rankings. Prior to defeating Ross Muir in the season’s last race, Martin O’Donnell was ranked sixth. How do you mentally handle that challenge?
“I don’t see things that way. Making the playoffs was the season’s main objective. However, the goal has slightly changed now that I’m in a really good place. I’ll play in the playoffs if I make it to the top. If not, I’ll get there. Currently, though, the objective is to rank first. Q Tour players are consistently of a high calibre.
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