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Last 16 matches - Friday 19th July
[Info] [Groups Results] [Last 64] [Last 32] [Last 16] [Last 8] [Semi-Final] [Final]
Oliver Ortmann (Ger) 11 - 5 Efren Reyes (Phi)
Francisco Bustamante (Phi) 11 - 10 Antonio Lining (Phi)
Johnny Archer (USA) 11 - 5 Kun-Fang Lee (TPE)
Hiroshi Takenaka (Jap) v Ching-Shun Yang (TPE)
Earl Strickland (USA) 10 - 8 Jeremy Jones (USA)
Kunihiko Takehashi (Jap) 11 - 8 Alex Lely (Hol)
Marcus Chamat (Swe) 11 - 7 Alex Pagulayan (Can)
Takeshi Okumura (Jap) 11 - 5 Lu-kung Hung (TPE)
Marcus Chamat, the 27 year-old from Borlange, Sweden, is through to his second consecutive quarter-finals as he overcame Canadian rival Alex Pagulayan at the 2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship this afternoon. Chamat, who last year fell in the quarters after losing to Ralf Souquet 11 - 1, will get the chance to make amends against Takeshi Okumura who won through 11 - 5 over Lu-Kung Hung (Taiwan) on Table 2. The young Swede got off to the best possible start as Pagulayan scratched in the opening rack after winning the lag. Marcus took that one and the next four to look good at 5 - 0.
Alex, though, was having none of it and he got back into the match as he reeled off the next six racks, leaving Chamat rooted in his chair. The racks then went back and forth until Marcus took the 15th rack to go 8 - 7 up and from there he didn't look back. After yesterday's performance against Cory Deuel, Chamat seems a good outside bet for the Championship.
Speaking afterwards, Marcus was in confident mood; "Actually in the beginning I wasn't nervous at all but when he came back at me my heart really started pumping. "The toughest racks are the first and the last and when I saw the finishing line I knew I just had to do it. I felt I didn't play that well against Cory yesterday but today I was good. "I'm starting to play a lot better; I like the arena and the tables. Tomorrow will be another tough match but I've played Okumura before in a tournament and robbed him 15 - 3!
" We'll just have to see what happens but I'm starting to feel really good and you never know."
In the Table 2 game Takeshi Okumura won a niggly encounter with Lu-kung Hung to set up a meeting with Chamat tomorrow. Both players complained to the ref about the other's slow play but it was Okumura who controlled the match from start to finish. He lead 6 - 0 and although Hung came back, he could never get close enough to the 1994 World Champion to mount a serious challenge.
Archer and Takahashi: Former Champs Through
In the remaining last 16 matches of the afternoon, two former champions both made their way through to the quarter-finals of the 2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship. Johnny Archer, the 33 year-old from Georgia, who won this title in '92 and '97, overcame the tough Kun-fang Lee on Table 2 by an 11 - 5 scoreline. He will now face Steve Davis's nemesis Ching-shun Yang, or Hiroshi Takenaka in tomorrow's race-to-eleven quarter. Archer came out the traps running and built up a nice 5 - 0 lead from which the 34 year-old from Kao Hsiung, Taiwan never really recovered. Lee managed to take racks back periodically but in the end the Scorpion ran out a comfortable winner.
Commented Archer, "This is my best year yet at Cardiff and I think that in past years I just wasn't playing my game which I am doing this time. "It wasn't a momentum type of match where I was breaking and running out; I really had to control the table through safeties. "All in all it is a sad day, though, and winning isn't really what matters. Our hearts go out to Francisco and his family."
Archer had previously beaten Lee in Chicago to take this title in 1997.
In the second TV Table match, 1998 champ Kunihiko Takahashi (Japan) got
away from Dutchman Alex Lely early on as errors from Lely gave the man
from Tokyo the early boost. Despite a spirited comeback from the Plague
from the Hague, it was always going to be too much. Lely managed to get
the score back to 10 - 8 but that was as near as he got. Lely said
afterwards, "I started out tentatively and then tried to get too
aggressive and that gave Takahashi the chance to get in a rhythm. "At
least I made a match of it towards the end but then too much adrenalin
caused me to make some silly errors."
Takahashi was modest in victory; "I felt lucky to win as I
made a few bad safeties because that allowed Lely back in. "
Sad Bustamante Wins Thriller
Francisco Bustamante is through to the quarter-finals of the 2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship after a thrilling 11 - 10 comeback win over compatriot Antonio Lining. Earlier today Django had learned the tragic news that his baby daughter had died in the Philippines last night and throughout the day a general gloom had descended on the CIA. However, after talking to his sponsors in the Philippines, he decided to carry on in the tournament, a decision that was respected by all. After going 2 - 1 ahead in the early exchanges, Bustamante never regained the lead after Antonio went 3 - 2 up. Busta stayed with him but by the mid-way stage, Lining began to break free. He moved into a 10 - 6 lead and things looked bleak for Francisco. He found hidden reserves though and began to narrow the lead until the score stood at ten racks apiece with Bustamante breaking for the match. He came up dry on the break though, leaving the 38 year-old from Quezon City with a chance to take the game. He scratched on the 3-ball and Bustamante incredibly held his nerve to run out for the match.
Bustamante generously found time to talk to us after the match, "It was very difficult because when I came to Cardiff I was concentrating so much on winning this tournament but that has all changed now.
"I have never played with so much concentration as I did tonight against Antonio Lining. It was very tough. "My daughter Mariel has died and I can't believe she died. I came here from Manila and that was the last time I saw her. She was very healthy when I left. "I wanted to go home but I talked to Puyat and he told me that if I wanted to go home it was up to me it but I decided to stay and play for the Philippines. " At the beginning of the match I felt as if I was in the air, I felt nothing. When he got me 10 - 6 I really felt that I was going to win it. "I was breaking too hard earlier on so I changed to a softer break and that seemed to help. Somehow, I didn't make a ball in the last though but Antonio scratched. "This is a big tournament, not only for money but for prestige too. People in the Philippines don't sleep, they just watch the pool. I really hope I can win it."
Strickland Bests Jones To Make Quarters
Earl 'the Pearl' Strickland fired himself into the last eight of the
2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship after an 11 - 8 win over fellow
American Jeremy Jones. In a match that went from high quality to low
farce, both players were guilty of a succession of glaring errors as they
missed elementary pots and lost unnecessary position. The two Mosconi Cup
stars both shared the front end of the match and the score stood at 5 - 5
at the halfway mark. Earl then took the initiative to move ahead and
although Jones tried to stay with him, Strickland had too much. Earl, who
has not been short of a word or two here in Cardiff was scathing after the
match: "That was pitiful! I haven't played that bad since I got
here. It was a comedy of errors and at one point I told Jeremy 'I can't
win so I'm rooting for you!"
Strickland, who had sent Johnny Archer across the road to his hotel to
fetch a pair of shoes to change into after his original pair gave him
problems knows he will have to improve if he is to win tomorrow, "I'll
have to play much better to beat Takahashi, that's for sure. "I
came out nervous tonight and the table was playing different. I tried to
be careful but that was too careful. I've played great all week but it
comes down to nerves at this point."
Reyes Sets Up Busta Showdown
Efren Reyes, the 1999 titleist, won through comfortably tonight at the Hasseroder World Pool Championship to set up an eagerly anticipated clash against Francisco Bustamante which will go ahead on the main TV Table to an expectant live TV audience in the UK and Asia. The Magician beat 1995 champion Oliver Ortmann by 11 - 5 in a match in which the German seemed over-awed by the situation despite his wealth of top level experience.
Ortmann was all nerves going into the match and even left his cue behind as he awaited his big match entrance.
Reyes needed no encouragement and went into a 5 - 0 lead before Ortmann recovered his composure to grab back a couple of racks. Efren reasserted himself to win the next four and at 9 - 2, things looked grim for the 35 year-old Munich Machine. It was a mountain to climb and Efren made sure that didn't happen by taking two of the next five racks to clinch victory.
On the mezzanine floor, the remaining Taiwanese hope Ching-shun Yang coasted into the quarter-finals by beating Japan's Hiroshi Takenaka. Yang is looking like the real McCoy here in Cardiff and Johnny Archer will have his work cut out tomorrow afternoon if he is to make it into the last four.
The Quarter Finals will see Busta v Efren on the TV Table followed by Strickland / Takahashi. On Table 2, Archer squares up to Yang followed by Marcus Chamat and Takeshi Okumura. Both tables break off at 14.00 BST.
