Stepanov Wears The Crown

A foul which Corrieri committed in the second rack allowed Stepanov to take a small advantage from the very beginning. The Russian did not decline that invitation and went ahead with a 2:0 lead. Throughout the match, Stepanov was able to keep that small distance to Corrieri. He was always one or two points ahead of his opponent. After 13 racks, Stepanov went on the hill with 8:5. But Corrieri did not think about giving up. He tried everything to stay alive in the match and claim his first Euro-Tour title. Stepanov had already won the Euro-Tour in Treviso, Italy, earlier this year, but of course was also keen on another victory. Corrieri managed to win two more racks and had his own break in rack 16, trailing only 7:8. Unfortunately for him, he got a dry break and no position on the 1-ball. Stepanov passed the table back to him and the pressure on the Italian's shoulders grew massively. He needed to come up with a good safety shot or push-out. And he did. He played a great push-out and Stepanov let him play again. Corrieri solved the problem and had a shot at the 2-ball but missed it in the side pocket. Lady Luck was on his side though since the cue ball was hiding behind another object ball. Stepanov had to play over a rail and completely missed the 2-ball. Foul shot by Stepanov meant ball in hand for Corrieri. What a final match, packed with drama and excitement! Corrieri's arms seemed to be made of rubber, every shot was hard for him to play. However, he pocketed ball after ball until he ran out of position for the 7-ball. The cue ball stopped with the 9-ball obstructing the line of sight for the 7-ball. Three balls away from a hill-hill match and suddenly this bad position! He attempted a jump shot but committed a foul. Stepanov cleared the remaining balls and took his second Euro-Tour title this year, winning the final of the Dynamic Billard North Cyprus Open 2013 with 9:7.