Mateusz Sniegocki continues his impressive run
Round 1
Tony Drago (MLT) 8-6 Darren Appleton (ENG)
Karol Skowerski (POL) 8-2 Shane Van Boening (USA)
Quarter Finals
POLAND’S NO.1 ranked player Mateusz Sniegocki became the first player to make it through
to the semi-finals of the 2012 ClubWPT.com World Pool Masters as he beat Alex Pagulayan 8-6 in a tense quarter final match at the Hala Legionow in Kielce, Poland.
It was a proper scrap with neither player showing a whole lot of fluency and when the Canadian Filipino opened up a 4-1 and then 5-2 lead, the crowd started to quieten down. Sniegocki had to dig deep and find something and he did as the cashed in on some sloppy play from his opponent to claw the racks back.
A break and run from the Poznan man in the 10th game saw the match go to 5-5 as Sniegocki grew in confidence. Pagulayan regained the lead in the next but ran horrendously out of position with just two balls left on the table and the Pole made it 6-6 in what was anyone’s match.
The Pole took the next to reach the hill and just when he needed it, he played a perfect break and run to reach the semi-finals where he will play either Mika Immonen or Dennis Orcollo.
Taking place at the Hala Legionow in Kielce, Southern Poland, this is the 20th edition of the ClubWPT.com World Pool Masters and Matchroom Sport is working in partnership with the regional billiard organisation, Swietokrzyskie Stowarzyszenie Bilardowe as well as the Mayor’s office in Kielce. The event carries a $66,000 prize fund with $20,000 going to the winner.
The final two Round One matches concluded and it was Karol Skowerski and Tony Drago who took the semi-final spots.
Skowerski, who came of age last month when he went all the way to the final of the World Cup of Pool in Manila, had too much for a subpar Shane Van Boening, running out an easy 8-2 winner.
Hailing from Kielce, Skowerski had all the support but Van Boening was inexplicably never really in it.
In the final first rounder, Tony Drago was on fire at times as he rode his luck and some crazy bad shots to put paid to Darren Appleton’s Masters hopes. In the plus column, Tony raced round the table at times potting balls in a manner that would beat any player in the world.
Whether he can maintain this form in the quarter-final against Skowerski is anyone’s guess but if he does it will be a sight to see.
Play continues tomorrow with the final three quarter final matches starting at 11am:
Mika Immonen (FIN) v Dennis Orcollo (PHI)
Nick Van Den Berg (NED) v Wojciech Szewcyk (POL)
Karol Skowerski (POL) v Tony Drago (MLT)
