Unheralded Jundel Mazon of the Philippines conquered current world no. 5 Darren Appleton from England in their semifinal encounter to soar through to the 2010 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball Challenge and continue to raise his country's colors at the Mal Taman Anggrek complex in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Facing one of the toughest matchups in his professional career, Mazon actually experienced early jitters against the Englishman, giving up the lead in the 3rd rack after a missed 1ball corner pocket jumper , 1 – 2.
A miss off a thin rail cut on the 1ball in the next rack from the Filipino gave Appleton another clean run out of the table – jump starting a two-rack streak to own a comfortable 4 – 1 cushion.
In the 7th rack, two more errors by Mazon; one from a failed 2 – 7 combination attempt and another from a 2ball corner pocket miss allowed Appleton to further increase his lead to 5 – 2.
But showcasing nerves of steel, the relatively unknown Filipino cue ace, dug deep into his bag of tricks and finally get the break he needed after a heated safety battle in the 8th frame. Appleton, after a brilliant counter safety from Mazon, failed to come up with a well defended shot on the 1ball. With the table now fully exposed, Mazon pounced on the opportunity to run-out the table and get back on track, 3 – 5.
From then on, it was a complete turn-around of events for it was now the Englishman who was struggling to make his shots.
And it couldn't have come at a worse time because the Filipino bet was finally getting a feel for the pace of the table. Utilizing a variety of kick shots, rail combinations and supreme safeties, an energized Mazon frustrated his opponent to chain an unbelievable 4 rack streak and arrive first on the hill, 7 – 5.
Taking no chances, Mazon sealed England's hopes for glory when Appleton missed another corner pot on the pink 4ball at the 14th rack in the tournament organized by ESPN STAR Sports.
Asked about how he handled the pressure the Filipino remarked: “I just kept cool and kept believing I had a chance. Fortunately luck was on my side today and I am ecstatic with the results! I've never advanced into the finals stage in a tournament of this caliber. I hope to continue my good fortune all the way towards the championship and make my country proud!”
With his huge win in the semifinal round, Mazon awaits the winner of the Irsal Nasution (INA) match versus 2007 Guinness 9Ball Tour Champion Chang Jung-Lin (TPE) for an all out battle for the 10ball crown and the US$40,000 top prize.
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