NEWS  08-11-06  International Challenge of Champions – A Tie-break for 50.000 Dollars

For the 16^th time, the International Challenge of Champions was played, a tournament which had been an invitational for US players for the first four years. Played for the first time in 1995, players from all parts of the world have been invited to this prestigious event. Since the opening for non-US players, no American player could win the title anymore. So, this year’s US hopes were placed on Jonny Archer for the 10th jubilee at the Mohegan Sun Casinos and Resorts.

The format was matches two sets in races to five in a KO bracket. In case of 1-1 sets, a Sudden Death Tie-break was played.

Here are the results of round one:
Johnny Archer (USA) – Alex Lely (NED)  5-1, 2-5, 1-0
Thorsten Hohmann (GER) – Santos Sambajon jr. (PHI)  5-2, 5-3
Niels Feijen (NED) – Marlon Manalo (PHI)  5-2, 2-5, 0-1
Fong-Pang Chao (TWN) – Ralf Souquet (GER)  5-1, 5-4

In the first set, I could not pocket the slightest ball upon my break and was logically trailing. In spite of two tricky situation in safety duels, the Taiwanese player could solve his problems with jump shots and great rail shots. In set 2, at least I participated and at 3-2, I had great opportunity to increase the lead to 4-2. But I missed a very easy 8 ball and then shot another black break. Now, I was trailing again 3-4 and had to hope for the three times Champion of the Champions to make a mistake. He did not pocket anything upon his break and I could equal the score at 4-4. I had the break and I could pocket a ball. Bad enough, the 2 ball was blocked and I had to play a rail shot as a push out. Chao gave back the ball, since the cue ball had travelled two centimetres too far. I tried another rail shot as a safety, but the 2 ball touched the 6 ball and no ball touched the rail. Even with ball in hand, the table was pretty difficult, but Chao made use of his opportunity and entered the semi-final against Hohmann.

The semi-finals and the final were recorded by ESPN. In the first semi-final, Archer won in the Tie-Break against Manalo. The second semi-final was dominated by Hohmann and the Taiwanese player Chao missed almost everything. A clear 2 set win for the German player who had reached the final of this tournament for the second time after 2004.  

In the final against Archer, he continued to play like this and won the first set 5-1. The second set was the exact contrary and Archer won 5-1. Now, it came to the all decisive 9 ball rack for 50,000 dollars, since the winner takes it all at this event. Archer won the right to break and pocketed a ball. But he could only play a push-out, Hohmann accepted and played an excellent safety. Archer made an intentional foul to render the situation on the table more difficult. Hohmann had ball in hand and wanted to solve the problem and play a safety. But the cue ball travelled not behind the 7 ball, but remained in front of the ball. Archer tried a rail shot 2 on 5 and missed by a few centimetres. But he was lucky, since the 2 ball travelled behind the 8 ball and was difficult to hit for Hohmann. Thorsten made a foul and Johnny played a good safety. Hohmann had to play another rail shot, made his second foul and on top of it, he solved the problem on the table. Now, with ball in hand, the table looked pretty open. Archer pocketed the 2 ball and then a combination 3 on 6. The position 3 on 4 became a bit long, which meant that he had to play the 5 ball, which was in the middle of the pocket, via a rail to get position on the 7 ball. The position on the 7 ball was a bit more difficult than he had hoped for, but he kept his composure and finally shot a straight 9 ball too win the title.