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Last 64: 17th July
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Willams Out
Remaining Welsh hope Mark Williams crashed out of the 2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship at the hands of top Dutchman Alex Lely.
Playing in front of a packed Cardiff International Arena crowd, Williams was never really at the races as Lely took control in the winner-breaks, race-to-nine match.
William's lack of 9-Ball experience really told as Lely presented him with a series of problems he was unable to solve and cheered on by a sizeable Dutch contingent 'The Plague from the Hague'coasted over the winning line.
Williams, whose happy-go-lucky approach won him new fans was complimentary about his opponent, "I got slaughtered out there, absolutely killed! I really couldn't get into it because he played so well making safety shots that I didn't know what to do with.
"Some of the shots he came out with I wouldn't have thought of if I'd been playing pool for ten years. I enjoyed it though and had a really good laugh."
"I think I did so well to get out of what was a very hard group so I can take that with me. The tournament set up is great and I will be back next year to have another go."
For Lely it was a chance to improve on what has been, by his own admission a poor year on the circuit; "I've had a dreadful time so far. I won a kilogram of gold in an 8-Ball tournament in the Middle-East and I thought the crisis was over but I still played badly.
"I'm looking to improve as I go along but the winner breaks format will be tough when the best players in the world are coming at you from all angles."
Lely is up against young Filipino Lee Van Corteza or Kun-chang Huang in the next round.
Hohmann and Dry
Thorsten Hohmann, the 23 year-old from Fulda, Germany, has become the first man through to the last 32 of the 2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship after pasting Japanese hope Shintaro Sugaya 9 - 0 on Table 4. He will now face either Jeremy Jones or Ignacio Chavez in the next round.
Thorsten, who is beginning to stake his claim as one of Germany's next generation of pool stars, is guaranteed US$2.000 after a very professional performance.
"It was very hard at the beginning but my confidence grew as the match progressed. Last year I reached the last 32 and this time it is my ambition to go one better", said a clam and collected Hohmann afterwards.
On current form Thorsten may well be looking to go even further in the event.
As last 64 matches complete here at the CIA, the US duo of Earl Strickland and Jeremy Jones have both secured spots in the last 32 after good wins.
Jones, the Texan Mosconi Cup veteran, took care of Ignacio Chavez 9 - 2 to secure a clash against Thorsten Hohmann tomorrow.
A slimmed down Jones said afterwards, "I played Hohmann in the group stages and he is a great player but I played considerably better today than in the qualifying rounds and I'm looking to improve."
Earl Strickland overcame UK qualifier from Gary Ponting 9 - 5 and can look forward to Shin-young Park who upset the highly fancied Warren Kiamco 9 - 6.
Strickland went into an early 3 - 0 lead but a mistake let the Bristol-based snooker pro back in. Earl, though reasserted himself and the win came via a 'Golden Break'.
Immonen Goes Out
Mika Immonen, the reigning and defending champion is OUT of the 2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship after a tremendous battle with Shannon 'the Cannon' Daulton.
With a place in the last 32 on offer, it was always a chancy prospect for the 28 year-old New York-based Finn who had failed to beat Daulton in tournament play in four previous attempts.
As the match progressed, Immonen always held a narrow advantage but turned up the heat to take an 8 - 5 lead in the race to nine match. However, Daulton managed to claw his way back in after a poor Immonen safety and got his momentum going.
Shannon, a 30 year-old from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has one of the
mightiest break shots in the game and it stood him in good stead as he
broke and ran three racks on the spin to give him a superb 9 - 8 victory.
Shannon is one of the game's most entertaining players and a world-class
gifted shot-maker and he will be a tough proposition for either Lu-kung
Hung or Chien-te Chung in the next round.
Daulton was modest in victory afterwards; "I guess that was an upset
in the rankings but I didn't make myself an underdog. I knew he would be
hard to beat on the TV but the opportunities came my way.
"Although I was 8 - 5 down, I could have easily been ahead but
that is 9-Ball. I'm pleased to be through after the disappointment of
losing here to Babica a couple of years ago."
Diks Through
2001 European 9-Ball Champion Rico Diks of Holland put up a great show to dump highly fancied Russian Evgenji Stalev out of the competition.
Diks, who is the lead singer of a London-based rock band, turned the amp up to ten as he went through by a 9 - 3 scoreline on Table 3. "I played very well actually. It was close early as neither of us could take control but he made a couple of nonchalent shots to let me in."
" I would say I was very happy because I'm playing better and better with every match and I'm looking forward to either Charlie Williams or Johnny Archer in the next one."
Big Guns Into Last 32
Three of the big guns of the 2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship progressed into the last 32 at the CIA today, but not without a few heart-stopping moments.
Cory Deuel, the betting favourite, had a life and death struggle with fellow American Kim Davenport on Table 2. The self-style Prince of Pool lead all the way but a spirited Davenport comeback left the match hanging in the balance at 8 - 8.
Davenport broke but scratched on the 3-ball to give Deuel 'ball-in-hand' form which he completed the victory.
Bustamante, back on the TV Table, failed to impress against young English pro Imran Majid, eventually winning 9 - 6 after leading 8 - 3. Despite the sizeable Pinoy contingent in the crowd, Busta never really got going but Majid could not cash in. He now faces Germany's Christian Reimering in the next round.
Finally, in the last match of the afternoon session Ching-shun Yang beat methodical German Michael Schmidt 9 - 5 to secure a last 32 clash against either Steve Davis or Rodolfo Luat of the Philippines.
Davis Marches On After Comeback Thriller
Steve Davis kept his dream of winning the 2002 Hasseroder World Pool Championship glory alive with a stunning 9 - 8 comeback win over classy Filipino Rodolfo Luat.
With the score standing at 7 - 3, Romford Slim looked dead and buried as a succession of mistakes gave the 44 year-old from Manila the type of gilt-edged opportunities he thrives on. However, with memories of his come-from-behind win over Efren Reyes in the air, Davis began to claw back the racks, egged on by a buoyant CIA audience, Steve lost the momentum as Luat pounced to make put himself within one rack of the finishing line but a potential shot of the championship bailed Davis out of the 16th rack.
With just the 8 and 9-balls remaining Luat thought he had Davis in a good enough snooker on the bottom rail. Steve was having none of it as he rolled the cue ball up the table and back to see it cannon off the 8 and drop the 9-ball into the pocket.
With an electrifying atmosphere permeating the arena, Davis broke off in the final rack and nearly clinched it with a 3 / 9 combo directly after the break. He missed and a series of high-quality safety exchanges ensued before Luat double kissed to give Davis the opportunity to win the match which he achieved after a nerve-wracking clearance.
Davis who now faces Taiwanese star Ching-shun Yang in the last 32 tomorrow was buzzing after the match; "What I match! I feel great, absolutely fantastic! It will probably take me half an hour to come down after this but that was something else.
"When he didn't go for that 8 / 9 combination in the 16th rack to win the match I new I had to make him pay for it. There was no other shot on the table and I had to be aggressive and go for it which I did.
"In the last rack when you need all the balls to fall for you they never do, but I new I could win it if I got half a chance. Luat is a very smooth character at the table and I find it amazing that he had to qualify to get in starting line-up and I consider it a real achievement to beat him.
"My break was bad to start with but I got it going but in a match like this I had no expectations because if you do, you start to put pressure on yourself. Tomorrow's another day but he gave me a dog's chance and I took it."
Steve Davis is now the only UK player in the last 32 after Cambridgeshire's Phil Harrison took top Taiwanese player Kun-fang Lee all the way.
