Daryl Peach is your new World 9-Ball Champion. Peach defeated Roberto Gomez 17-15 in a match that was close the entire way. Both players showed stretches of great play and stretches where the pressure got the best of them. In the end, it was Peach who kept better control of his nerves and won the title.
In an attempt to do away with the soft break that had been so popular on the main TV table, tournament officials swapped the main TV table with the second TV table which had not been playing so easy all week. Other changes were made to try to change the conditions of the table and make the cloth less slick. As expected, both players struggled to get used to the new conditions early on. Early games saw both players missing fairly routine shots and struggling to get their usual perfect shape.
Peach seemed to get the measure of the table first and notched five straight games to take an early 8-3 lead, but a misstep by Peach allowed Gomez to the table where he answered with six straight racks to take his first lead at 9-8.
Peach would get his chance to take control after a scratch on the break by Gomez, but he would only pull ahead by two at 11-9 before relinquishing control of the table to Gomez again.
Gomez would only earn one rack before a misplayed safety gave control back to Peach, who climbed back ahead by two at 12-10.
Both players appeared to tighten up as the match moved to the later stages and Peach had a chance to pull ahead 13-10 but let the pressure get the best of him. Gomez won that rack to pull back within one, but had no shot after the break in the next game.
The next battle had a little of everything with multiple extended safety battles and both players missing shots that should have offered very little resistance. Peach made the last mistake in that rack and Gomez pulled even once again at 12-12.
Gomez led 13-12 when it appeared as if he had shaken the nerves enough to break and run a rack. The 9-ball proved to be too much for him though, as he missed a shot that he would make with ease if not under the pressure of a country counting on him. Peach was not able to convert the tough shot and Gomez pulled ahead 14-12.
Gomez pulled ahead 15-12, but then lost an extended safety battle and Peach won that rack and then broke and ran the next two to pull even at 15-15.
This left the two players playing a race to two for the title. Both players struggled to put anything together in the next rack as the weight of the situation got the better of both of them. Peach missed a tough bank on the 9, only to see Gomez miss a much easier shot. Peach got to the hill first at 16-15 as he took advantage of the second chance on the 9-ball.
That miss by Gomez would turn out to be the last mistake he would make as Peach won a short safety battle in the next rack and finished off the run for the 17-15 win.
