With only two days remaining, the field dwindles but the action gets hotter. Only eight players are left undefeated. Reigning U.S. Open champion Darren Appleton will face another former champ, Johnny Archer, in the Accu-Stats arena at 3p.m.EST. Both players earned their way to the pit defeating worthy opponents. Archer's methodical style took down Filipino lefty Antonio Lining while Appleton dodged a bullet by the name of Dennis Haar. Only one will escape undefeated to be guaranteed a place in the top five.
World 9-Ball Champion Yukio Akakariyama delivered "The South Dakota Kid" Shane Van Boening his first loss in a late evening battle where Van Boening jumped to a 8-4 lead. The Japanese hero is looking to make his country proud once again with a prestigious green jacket.
Holland's Huidji See defrosted “The Iceman” Mika Immonen. The former two-time champion was later eliminated by his pal, Charlie Williams. See also slowed down “The Rocket” who displayed too many uncharacteristic errors. A boisterous “Pearl” Earl Strickland took his first hit by Shaun Putnam after claiming to the crowd that he was back and “winning this thing!”
Arizona's young star Mitch Ellerman escaped the Taiwanese machine of Li Wen Lo. Lo delivered a near flawless performance on the tv table against Brandon Shuff before meeting up with the free stroking Ellerman. Lee Vann Corteza put on a 9-ball clinic for spectators against Robb Saez with a quick final score of 11-2 but was unable to keep it up against Kenichi Uchigaki. Another strong performance was put on by Stan Shuffett who eliminated former top-finisher Donny Mills of Florida in a surprising score of 11-1.
Matches continue throughout the day. Don't miss the live streaming at accu-stats.com. Visit usopen.azbilliards.com for live scoring and brackets.
