Saturday, March 26, 2011: 125:102 was the final score in favour of the young Polish player. “This is a great achievement; not only for me but also for my country”, Kaplan says very happy. “If I win tomorrow, I could make history.” For sure, many of his fellow countrymen will be watching Kaplan playing the final at 21:15 local time. “I do not care who I play. I know that when I play my best game, I can overcome everybody”, says Kaplan full of self-confidence.
He had a strong opponent in Petri Makkonen. Kaplan took a 54:15 lead when Makkonen slammed in 89 balls to rush towards the finish line. But then a safety battle evolved where Kaplan turned out to be the first player to get a shot. He ran 63 balls and defeated Makkonen with his own weapons.
His opponent will be Fabio Petroni (ITA). He defeated Roman Pruchay in the other semi-final match with 125:73. When asked about his game, Fabio answered: “I am very happy to have reached the final. The other players were all much younger than me. Their game is different. They do not think so much. Once I am in stroke, I can also achieve that, but their stroke is better in the beginning.
Results Semifinals Men:
Petri Makkonen (FIN) v Tomasz Kaplan (POL) 102:125
Fabio Petroni (ITA) V Roman Pruchay (RUS) 125:73
Final Men:
Tomasz Kaplan (POL) v Fabio Petroni (ITA)
The event will be hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP).
For further information and reference please go to the event website www.epconline.eu or contact our press office.
