Sayginer and Cha Shoot Down Massey and Sakai

Sayginer and Cha Shoot Down Massey and Sakai

The KIA Motors Showdown, presented by Drgon Promotions, took place in Seoul, Korea to once and for all settle who ruled trickshots and all around play. Undisputed artistic carom champion Semih Sayginer would take on the winningest pool trickshot champion in history, Mike Massey. Korea's #1 Woman's Player Yu Ram Cha would take on Japanese starlet and Women's Pro Tour #19 Miyuki Sakai.
{mosimage}First Cha would take on Sakai in a race to 10 points in three cushion billiards. Sakai at one point made a 4 point run and lead 6-2. Later she got to the hill 9-5 but Yu Ram made a great comeback to tie at 9-9. Both players got 2 chances each and Sakai missed the winning point by a couple millimeters. Cha made the final point on her third attempt. This win avenged Cha from her 7-6 loss in April to Sakai at the Queen of Carom event.

Mike Massey challenged Semih Sayginer to a game of 9-Ball. Massey was in complete control and clearly on his game running out time and again to lead 4-1. Then a 9-Ball skidded in his match winning shot. Sayginer won the game, and then broke the 9-Ball next. Then broke and a missed shot by Massey gave Semih a run out to make it 4-4. Massey broke the last game in the alternate format and missed a combination on the 9-Ball. Semih then seemingly missed the 2-Ball badly, but the audience was fooled as he was really playing a 3 rail bank shot and made the 9-Ball for the win!

{mosimage}Cha then defeated Sakai in the 8-Ball and defeated her again in the 9-Ball allowing Sakai only 1 game won in the two matches while Sayginer crushed Massey 20-9 in the 3Cushion match. In a superb show of sportsmanship, Massey asked a few times for Semih to coach him on the shots. And Sayginer obliged! Massey then proceeded to run 5 points in a row with Semih's help, to the laughter of the audience and of course Massey and Semih.
The final of the event had Sayginer and Massey perform for a panel of judges in a 15 minute each performance. Semih performed on the carom table while Massey performed on the pool table. Both players pulled out all the stops and received perfect scores each. Sayginer and Massey gave encouraging support to each other during the other's performance.

"Semih is all class. Charismatic, hilarious, understanding, and super talented. Mike, well...he's world class on and off the table. The billiard world is really lucky to have these two giants in our sport." said Charlie Williams, architect of the event.

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