NEWS - 03.01.04 Dutch Open 9-Ball – A pure matter of nerves...




At this year’s edition of the Dutch Open in Arnheim, Netherlands, the promoter House of Billiards could welcome a high level competition with excellent players. I had received a “Wildcard” for the first round. So, the tournament started for me only at the final day with 32 players in KO format.

In the first round, I played the Dutchman Boorsma, who acted very nervously and who didn’t do much to help his 0-8 defeat. In the second match, I faced with J. Kartowikromo the first national team player of the Netherlands. I played well and shot not less than 6 aces in a row and entered the quarter-finals against my former team mate A. Roschkowsky with a 9-2 win. If I did not stand a chance against him last week in the 8-Ball tournament, I managed better this time and entered the semi-finals with a light 9-7. Here, I had to play my Mosconi Cup team mate M. Immonen from Finland, who had come all the long way from his new home town New York to Arnheim, to gain some practice for the upcoming European Championships in Prague. The Finn made merciless use of two mistakes of mine and was rapidly leading 5-0 and 6-1. But then, I could slowly, but steadily impose my game and at 7-7, I managed to equal the score. The World Champion from 2001 took once more the lead at 8-7, but didn’t manage to finish the match. At 8-8, I could clear the table in the decisive rack, even if I had to open the rack with a rail shot after the break. In the second semi-final, it came to the Dutch clash between R. Diks and A. Lely. Diks won 9-7 and so entered the final.

All day long, it had been rather cold and many participants and spectators kept their jackets on. But even under these circumstances, excellent billiards was played, also during the final.

The European Champion of the year 2001 started very strong and took a 4-0 lead, without me being at the table. Only then, I could come back to fight the match and the very cold temperatures. I came back to 3-4 and could equal the score at 6-6 for the first time. The Dutchman regained the lead, I could equal once more and finally, at 8-7, took the lead for the first time. Too many break fouls (a total of 3) and difficult positions after the break didn’t allow any rhythm to establish in my game and Diks came back to the table all the time. Then, he was leading 9-8 and had a chance to finish the match. But a black break gave me my last chance. I equalled the score and, in the decisive rack, potted a ball upon the break. I managed to pot a difficult 2 ball as my entry shot, but the position on the 3 ball was all but ideal. I missed this opportunity and Diks took a long time to think when he was standing at the table. His first position was a safety and he could touch the 5 ball only with a rail shot, but he did not leave a too difficult position. I managed to “shake in” the remaining 5 balls, but this was not so much due to my nerves, but to the temperatures in the room. With 10-9, I drove home in my cosy, warm car, being the winner of the Dutch Open 9-Ball.