I'm really in the opposite camp. I like the short sets because they seem to amp up the pressure. You seem to get a lot of 3-2 and 3-3 sets, which are both exciting to watch because a single error often causes loss of set, and one great shot can win the set. I also like the fact that every set is in doubt until the last ball drops, which means that a match is never over.
Pehlivanovic took a drubbing in the first two sets of his World 10ball quarterfinal against Fortunski, but when he captured the third set, the game was on and he came all the way back to reach the semis. In another World 10ball quarterfinal, Capito won 11 racks long before Kaci did, but when Kaci eked out the third set double hill, the game was on and Kaci manhandled Robbie in the fourth and fifth sets. The purist will suggest that Capito should have won that match but, just like in pro tennis, sets don't work like games.
.... but all of that said, I hate shootouts, because deciding a match through a contest in just one of the several skills that pertain to playing great pool is not fair in my eyes.
I wouldn't want this format in every tournament, but the variety makes the game more interesting.
