Hello again from the World 9 ball Championships in Qatar; the Canadians fared a little better today winning 3 matches and losing 3 matches. The first match of the day was Alex Pagulayan vs. Naoyuki Ohi, one of the top players from Japan. I was only able to catch the end of the match but from what I saw Alex looked in fine form, en route to a 9-6 victory.
In the 2 o'clock time slot I played a player from Qatar, which is usually a good sign as there are only a few world class players from the Middle East. Although it must be said they have all come a long way since they started competing about six years ago. This was a very odd match and a bit of a testament to what can happen when you cannot control the break. Things just weren't clicking on the break for me and an early missed 9 ball put my opponent up 4 to 1. He lead the entire matching including getting to the hill first at 8-6. If it wasn't for a missed 7 ball by my opponent at 8 to 7 it would've been a very tough loss for me; fortunately I escaped with a break and run on the hill. I learned a couple things in this match that I will carry on to my next matches.
John Morra wasn't so fortunate today as he lost to Scott Cooney 6-9, it seemed like it just wasn't meant to be for him this time around. At the beginning of the tournament he was ranked number 11 in the world and will have plenty to look forward to in the future. Mario Morra also lost to Artem Koshovoy from the Ukraine 9 to 4 in this time slot.
In the 4 o'clock slot Jason Klatt played Karol Skowerski, from Poland, who was the World Pool Masters Champion in 2012. I stayed after my match to take this one in, as I knew it would be a great match. Jason's play was near flawless on his way to a 9 to 3 win including 5 break and runs. Sometimes it's not just the end result of the match but more the way it was executed, and this was a strong confident win for Jason. Mario Morra also played his losers side match today and lost a tough one 9 to 6 after being up 6-3 on one of the toughest players in the field, Lee Van Corteza.
From what I have seen thus far, players haven't been able to come up with a consistent break where they are controlling position on the 1 ball. The World 9 Ball and all international 9 ball tournaments use what is called "the three point rule". This means that the total of balls pocketed and balls past the head string must total 3 or more to constitute a legal break. This forces the players to hit the break with speed. Players have generally been attempting to hit them at a higher speed, focusing on cue ball control to the center of the table and just hoping for a shot on the one.
Going into day three we have 3 out of 5 Canadian players left. Jason and I will have the day off and Alex plays at 9 am Eastern Standard Time against Radoslaw Babica from Poland. I will play my next match on the 24th, 5 am EST and Jason will play on the 24th as well at 7 am EST. Thanks for all the support back home and I'll be back with another update tomorrow.
.
Erik, thank you for your very informative posts. It really keeps the Canadian fans up-to-date on the progress of our players. Wishing you and the rest of the Canadian contingent the best of luck in the tournament.
ReplyDeleteGreat coverage, Erik. You and Jason have lots of Winnipegers cheering you on. The live streaming is fantastic and one of the best, clearest images I've seen to date. Just wish I could figure out the times better. You are playing on the 24th at 5 am est, which is 7:00 am here in Winnipeg.....correct? Usually around 2pm the streaming is over for the day here. That is quite the venue you guys are playing in. Good luck the rest of the way
ReplyDelete