I just got home from the US Open in Atlantic City and it was wonderful. Here is what it was like to be there.
I Overview
The first four days had four table sections with area referees, and if you made the effort, you could always find a great match in progress. On day five, most of the matches were on the stream and TV tables. Day 6 had the TV table only and the setup was great, as is always the case with Matchroom productions.
II The Matches
To state the obvious, I did not see every match, but here are the matches that I enjoyed the most.
Wiktor Zielinski vs Emil Gangflot (loser qualification)
Zielinski trailed most of the way and seemed on the verge of failing to qualify but he rallied for double hill and made a fine runout to close out the match.
Oscar Dominguez vs Vitaly Patsura (Round of 32)
For me, this was the best match of the week. Patsura led most of the way, but Oscar kept grinding and brought the match to double hill. At double hill, Oscar really put Patsura to the test, leaving him a Z-kick, but Patsura was up to the challenge and snookered back with a shot that would have wowed even Efren. This kick proved to be the winning shot. Had to feel bad for Oscar, but what a match it was.
Josh Filler vs Marc Bijsterbosch (Rund of 16)
Big breaking Bijsterbosch came out on fire and really put Filler to the test, taking a 5-1 lead. Josh had to summon his very best and did for the win.
Finally, I thought the Diamond tables played really well and the referees were outstanding.
III The Late Rounds
Oddly enough, none of the last seven matches were particularly memorable for this fan, surprising given the high pedigree of the players that remained.
The final four brought four world champions, and the big story waiting to happen was SVB winning a US Open in his BCA hall of fame induction year, but it was not to be. Gorst added the US Open to his World Championship and has had a truly memorable campaign in 2024, one in which he may be voted Player of the Year unanimously.
IV Other Players that Made a Big Impression.
Bernie Regalario
I first saw Bernie play in March at the Matchroom PLP. He has improved a lot since then, and I sense he will be an exceptional player very soon. His Fargo suggests he's the 63rd best player in the world, but I see him as a future Top 25 player, as he is consistent and is making excellent decisions at the table. Bernie might just be the next Filippino great. We shall see.
Elliott Sanderson
The youthful Sanderson has made progress. His offensive execution has gone up a level. If he can bring his tactical game up to the same level, he will go up yet another level. He came within a whisker of beating Ko Pin Yi in the round of 64 and showed some fine play.
Karl Gnaderberg
Honestly, I had never even heard of him, but it seems that Karl can really play, as he showed in a convincing win over Yapp in the winner qualification round. Karl has plenty of game and is one to watch.
V So How Did Matchroom Do?
Matchroom put on a first-class production in every respect. There were good seats available for every single match in the arena. The room was set up superbly, with six practice tables in the front and the tables on which matches were contested were set up in a very fan-friendly manner.
This was an event of the highest possible quality. The field was as elite as can be. Pre-match and post-match interviews were excellent. The presenters were enthusiastic and the video snippets of the players were great. Matchroom has brought our sport to a level few of us could have imagined even ten years ago.
In the interest of full disclosure, I had two very small problems: 1) I thought the tournament room was a bit too dark. Spending hours at a time in a room that is not well lit was a challenge for this fan and several others with whom I conversed, and 2) you could not easily see the score, shown on a n IPAD, of the match you were watching unless it was on a stream table. To be fair, however, the Matchroom live scoring app is magnificent, so that was a mitigating factor.
The hands-on manager extraordinaire Emily Frazer and her team always had everything under control. I was pleased to have had the opportunity to give her some feedback at the completion of the event, saying “I have two words for you - congratulations and thanks.”
Everyone at Matchroom should take a deep bow for a job well done!
I Overview
The first four days had four table sections with area referees, and if you made the effort, you could always find a great match in progress. On day five, most of the matches were on the stream and TV tables. Day 6 had the TV table only and the setup was great, as is always the case with Matchroom productions.
II The Matches
To state the obvious, I did not see every match, but here are the matches that I enjoyed the most.
Wiktor Zielinski vs Emil Gangflot (loser qualification)
Zielinski trailed most of the way and seemed on the verge of failing to qualify but he rallied for double hill and made a fine runout to close out the match.
Oscar Dominguez vs Vitaly Patsura (Round of 32)
For me, this was the best match of the week. Patsura led most of the way, but Oscar kept grinding and brought the match to double hill. At double hill, Oscar really put Patsura to the test, leaving him a Z-kick, but Patsura was up to the challenge and snookered back with a shot that would have wowed even Efren. This kick proved to be the winning shot. Had to feel bad for Oscar, but what a match it was.
Josh Filler vs Marc Bijsterbosch (Rund of 16)
Big breaking Bijsterbosch came out on fire and really put Filler to the test, taking a 5-1 lead. Josh had to summon his very best and did for the win.
Finally, I thought the Diamond tables played really well and the referees were outstanding.
III The Late Rounds
Oddly enough, none of the last seven matches were particularly memorable for this fan, surprising given the high pedigree of the players that remained.
The final four brought four world champions, and the big story waiting to happen was SVB winning a US Open in his BCA hall of fame induction year, but it was not to be. Gorst added the US Open to his World Championship and has had a truly memorable campaign in 2024, one in which he may be voted Player of the Year unanimously.
IV Other Players that Made a Big Impression.
Bernie Regalario
I first saw Bernie play in March at the Matchroom PLP. He has improved a lot since then, and I sense he will be an exceptional player very soon. His Fargo suggests he's the 63rd best player in the world, but I see him as a future Top 25 player, as he is consistent and is making excellent decisions at the table. Bernie might just be the next Filippino great. We shall see.
Elliott Sanderson
The youthful Sanderson has made progress. His offensive execution has gone up a level. If he can bring his tactical game up to the same level, he will go up yet another level. He came within a whisker of beating Ko Pin Yi in the round of 64 and showed some fine play.
Karl Gnaderberg
Honestly, I had never even heard of him, but it seems that Karl can really play, as he showed in a convincing win over Yapp in the winner qualification round. Karl has plenty of game and is one to watch.
V So How Did Matchroom Do?
Matchroom put on a first-class production in every respect. There were good seats available for every single match in the arena. The room was set up superbly, with six practice tables in the front and the tables on which matches were contested were set up in a very fan-friendly manner.
This was an event of the highest possible quality. The field was as elite as can be. Pre-match and post-match interviews were excellent. The presenters were enthusiastic and the video snippets of the players were great. Matchroom has brought our sport to a level few of us could have imagined even ten years ago.
In the interest of full disclosure, I had two very small problems: 1) I thought the tournament room was a bit too dark. Spending hours at a time in a room that is not well lit was a challenge for this fan and several others with whom I conversed, and 2) you could not easily see the score, shown on a n IPAD, of the match you were watching unless it was on a stream table. To be fair, however, the Matchroom live scoring app is magnificent, so that was a mitigating factor.
The hands-on manager extraordinaire Emily Frazer and her team always had everything under control. I was pleased to have had the opportunity to give her some feedback at the completion of the event, saying “I have two words for you - congratulations and thanks.”
Everyone at Matchroom should take a deep bow for a job well done!
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