Deciding Round Looms Ahead

Deciding Round Looms AheadWith the fifth and final round drawing closer, players are focusing in on their fourth-round scores and comparing them to the rest of the stats in their group. It’s do or die at this point, with only 6 of the 18 players advancing to Saturday’s rounds.Thorsten Hohmann and Marlon Manalo lead their group with three wins each, with Hohmann getting a big win by defeating the 2005 Texas Hold ‘Em champion 8-3 in the fourth round. “Finally, my best match of the tournament, I didn't miss a ball,” Hohmann exclaimed. “I made five break and runs, I’m really happy. Marlon is one of the top players here, and I needed to beat him to have a chance to advance. One more match against Chamat—if he wins, we both have three and that means we would be the deciding match.”Manalo was brief, stating, “He made five runs, and all my breaks were dry. I’m looking forward to my next match.” Rico Diks will play Manalo at 8 p.m. IPT discussion forumDay 6 image galleryMatch schedule for July 28, 2006Despite his big break, Francisco Bustamante came up dry in the victory category until his 5:30 p.m. match against Daryl Peach. Both played extremely well while at the table, but Bustamante earned the 8-5 win.
As he brought his score card to the control desk, Bustamante jumped up and down, crying, “I win a game, I win a game!” David Matlock is still alive with two wins so far—his last over Dennis Orcollo, dealing the Filipino his first loss of the day 8-5. The other two U.S. players are not faring so well. Former World All-Around champion Larry Nevel lost to Evgeny Stalev 8-3 and only has one win, and Gabe Owen has one also.Efren Reyes and Darren Appleton are leading their group with four and three wins each, respectively. Reyes just gave another loss to Quinten Hann, who seems to be having a rather off day compared to the rest of his stellar week, and Appleton bested Rodolfo Luat 8-4 in the fourth round, breaking and running three in a row. Marcus Chamat dealt a fatal 8-6 blow to Alex Pagulayan, making it almost impossible for the U.S. Open champ to advance. Chamat, Manalo, and Hohmann all have three wins, but Pagulayan, Owen, and Rico Diks have one apiece.Round 5 Group 79Q. HannE. StalevE. ReyesL. NevelD. AppletonR. LuatGroup 80F. BustamanteD. MatlockD. PeachD. OrcolloR. AlcanoR. SouquetGroup 81M. ManaloA. PagulayanT. HohmannM. ChamatG. OwenR. DiksVisit Inside POOL Magazine for the latest pool and billiard news from the North American Open 8-Ball Championship.

Pool Balls and Billiard Balls at LOW PRICES!!!

About the Author:
Inside Pool Magazine publishes billiard news. Definitive Synergy creates pool and billiard management software.