BUSTAMANTE TAKES ONE STEP CLOSER TO TITLE
Filipino superstar Francisco 'Django' Bustamante had yet another bittersweet victory at the Damas World 8 Ball Pool Championships as he eliminated another good friend and fellow Pinoy, Alex 'The Lion' Pagulayan.
Bustamante rarely looked stressed as he led the way to the 10-6 victory and with this giant step forward into the Quarter-Finals he is now looking like a favourite to take the title and the lion's share of the $110,000 prize fund.
NAIF CUTS A SWATHE INTO QUARTER FINALS
Saudi Arabia's sole entrant in this event has surprised many people with the quality of his game, so much so that they have already planned a civic reception upon his return, and will be awarding him the equivalent of over $300,000US as a reward for reaching the Quarter-Finals.
This is Naif Aljaweni's first attendance at the World 8 Ball Pool Championships, he said, "I didn't know what to expect, I'm just concentrating on my game" and it certainly seems to be working as he eliminated the UAE's last remaining player in the championship, Kuwaitee Jajal Yousif.
Aljaweni is pleased to hear that he will play Nick van den Berg in the Quarter-Finals, as he feels he will be "more confident" against a player that he has already beaten in the group stages. Van den Berg may not prove to be the easiest of opponents though as he says he is, "out for revenge" and has been playing some thrilling 8 ball this week.
HOHMANN'S HEARTACHE
A heartbreaking tale from the match between Germany's former World 9 Ball Champion, Thorsten Hohmann, and Chinese Taipei's current reigning World 9 Ball Champion, Chia Chiang Wu.
The match was tied at 'hill-hill' with Hohmann at the table. He is well known as a very methodical player with a superb pre-shot routine and he was taking his time over every shot, double checking every angle, planning his position, and thinking three balls ahead as he started to clear the final table.
When all the hard work was done, and the only ball remaining on the table was the 8, an easy, short distance, straight shot, Thorsten's routine went was completely forgotten as he got down quickly and slapped the ball into the corner pocket with a tiny bit of victorious energy.
A lovely ending to the story - Apart from the fact that the ball didn't even threaten the pocket, it didn't even hit the jaw of the pocket, but contacted the full back rail and bounced one and a half table lengths, eventually coming to rest in front of the side pocket.
The entire audience let out an incredulous gasp, an absolutely unthinkable result for a match at this level. The audience were abuzz with gossip, but composed of professional players, keen amateur players and die hard fans, most of them were very understanding and sympathetic. We've all been in that position and done the same thing at our local club or in a league tournament, but you don't expect a former World Champion to do it too, not when there's a spot in the Quarter-Finals at stake.
Immediately after the shot, Thorsten's temperament was impeccable. One could imagine all sorts of histrionics if we were in his shoes at that moment, but to his great credit there was no fuss or drama, no temper tantrum, not a single curse, no cue throwing, not even a frown on his face. He immediately realised his mistake, and like the true gentleman he is, he took his seat and waited for Wu to play the 8-ball.
Wu, of course, is the only player here with the ability to unite the World 9 Ball Championship title (which he won earlier this year) with the World 8 Ball Championship title, and he will be delighted that this dream is still alive.
FABULOUS FABIO
The best pool player in the history of Italian pool, 'Fabulous' Fabio Petroni, has progressed to the quarter final stages of the Damas World 8 Ball Pool Championships with a resounding win over Hungary's Vilmos Foldes.
Petroni was once again "all-business" as he went about his work, and has been displaying a new, more focused attitude since his arrival in Fujairah.
LAST 16 RESULTS The top 16 surviving players were seeded using their results from the previous two days of group play and then drawn against random players from the lower 16.
Wu Chia Chiang (TPE) 10:9 Thorsten Hohmann (GER)
Daryl Peach (UK) 10:9 Ralf Souquet (GER)
Mika Immonen (FIN) 10:7 MarcoTschudi (SUI)
Niels Feijen (NED) 10:6 Satoshi Kawabata (JPN)
Naif Alfaweni (KSA) 10:8 Jalal Yousif
Nick Van Den Berg (NED) 10:4 Christian Reimering (GER)
Fabio Petroni (ITA) 10:5 Vilmos Foldes (HUN)
Francisco Bustamante (PHI) 10:6 Alex Pagulayan (PHI)
SCHEDULE
Today?s line-up of matches consist of the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals and will commence today (13 November) with the Quarter-Finals at 4pm. Selected matches will be broadcast LIVE on DUBAI SPORTS TELEVISION.
THE QUARTER FINALS
16:00 Wu Chia Ching (TPE) v Daryl Peach (UK)
16:00 Mika Immonen (FIN) v Niels Feijen (NED)
16:00 Naif Aljaweni (KSA) v Nick Van Den Berg (NED)
16:00 Fabio Petroni (ITA) v Francisco Bustamante (PHI)
