In round one, I played trick shot specialist Steve Lillis (USA), and I won without too much trouble 5-0 and 5-0. My second match against Shannon Daulton (USA) was much more difficult, but I finally entered the next round winning 5-3 and 5-4 (after already leading 4-1). Here, I was opposed to Charlie Williams (USA) and once more, I had my difficulties with the „Korean Dragon“. I won the first set 5-4, but lost the second one 3-5 and we had to play the Tie-Break. Williams won the break and I had to watch him run out the table. After this defeat, I had a long way to go. The first match in the losers bracket seemed already to be my final stop. At the beginning of the match against Tommy Kennedy (USA), I played not bad, but after leading 2-1, I lost the first set 2-5. I managed to win the second set with the tightest of all scores 5-4 and had to play another Tie-Break. But this time, I won the break and could run out the table. The next opponent was Hiroshi Takenaka (Japan), whom I could eliminate with a good performance from the tournament - 5-2 and 5-2. In the next match, I had to play Tony “T-Rex” Chohan (USA) who had eliminated Thorsten Hohmann earlier. I won the first set clearly 5-0 and already looked like the winner in the second set. At 3-0, I made my only mistake and all of a sudden, the score was 3-3. But I could win the next two racks and entered the next round against Mika Immonen. After 1-0, I was trailing 1-3, before I came back into the match to win the first set 5-3. The second set went back and forth, but a mistake made by the player from Finland brought me on the winning streak (5-4). In my last match on this evening, I was opposed to Corey Deuel (USA). After the recent trouble with him, I asked the tournament organization for a referee. This was a wise step, since Deuel tried once again to disturb my concentration by commenting and excessive checking of the rack-up of the balls. But I gave him the right reply - 5-1 and 5-1 and I had entered the round of the last 4 players.

The next morning, I played last years winner Shawn Putnam (USA). Again, I had the better start and won the first set 5-0. In the second set, the US player shot a better break and came back into the match. At 4-3, Putnam missed twice the opportunity to equal the score, and I could make use of my very first occasion to win 5-3. The last obstacle on the way to the final was US player Dennis Hatch. In the first set, my break was bad and I was quickly trailing 0-4. But a mistake by the „Hatchet Man“ brought me back into the match and I equalled the score at 4-4. But Hatch won the next rack and the first set 5-4. The second set was pretty similar, with the exception that I had the better end and won 5-4. Once more, the Sudden Death had to bring the decision. When shooting out the break, Hatch was 2 cm closer than I, putting the cue ball almost press to the rail. I just could sit and watch how Hatch lost twice his position and hope came back. But somehow he managed to run out the table and he had entered the final against Mike Davis, who had gone undefeated through the tournament.