US Open 08/18-23

Rack 4
Gorst made the 1 in the side, but doesn't have a good look at the 2. Played a good safety to hide by the bottom left pocket behind the 4.

Yapp kicks at the 2 and gets safe down near the same corner.

Gorst plays a beautiful jump and cuts the 2 into the side, but can't see the 3. He jumps again and almost makes it in the other side. Leaves Yapp a good look at the 3. Table pretty open.

Yapp gets out. 2-2
 
Rack 6
Yapp makes the 1 and 5 on the break. Long shot on the 2. Makes it, followed by a long reach cut on the 3. Gets good shape on the 4 and gets out from there.

4-2 Yapp
 
Rack 7
Yapp makes the 1 but the 2 rolls to the middle bottom of the table and the cue is at the top left. Plays safe.

Gorst jumps and moves the 2 farther down table. Yapp pockets the 2. Misses on the 6.

Gorst gets out.

4-3 Yapp
 
Rack 7:

Yapp makes the 1 and comes a bit close to following it with the cueball, has no shot on the 2. Plays a simple safe behind the 4. Fedor jumps clean, and barely hooks the 2. Yapp nails a full table jump dead center (wow!). Again the 5/6/7 get a little funny, and Yapp rattles the 6.

Gorst cuts in the 6, bumps the 7 into a tricky spot, drops the 7 and bumps the 8 into a perfect spot.

Yapp 4-3
 
Rack 8
Rack 7:

Yapp makes the 1 and comes a bit close to following it with the cueball, has no shot on the 2. Plays a simple safe behind the 4. Fedor jumps clean, and barely hooks the 2. Yapp nails a full table jump dead center (wow!). Again the 5/6/7 get a little funny, and Yapp rattles the 6.

Gorst cuts in the 6, bumps the 7 into a tricky spot, drops the 7 and bumps the 8 into a perfect spot.

Yapp 4-3
Glad you're back. I was trying to keep it going for you.
 
Rack 8

1 drops, but no look at the 2 on the bottom rail. Push out.

Yapp plays safe. Fedor almost kicks in the 2, but leaves a bank for Yapp, which he makes. Yapp runs out.

Yapp 5-3

Race to 13.
 
Yeah the Sky criticism here is completely arbitrary. Does someone have first hand info that he is approaching his game differently because he now has a family? Just sounds like conjecture to me. At his level, it's not just desire that gets you over the finish line. Honestly, he's always been in the 2nd tier and unfortunately for him, 1st tier players keep popping up out of the Woodward...opps I mean woodwork.
Here is an interview with Sky from on site at the Florida Open a couple of weeks ago where he seems to almost be bragging about how he hasn't played in like two and a half months as if that makes him cool or something. He also seems to brag about how he has not hit a ball since arriving at the tournament venue (remember, he hasn't played in the last 2.5 months) and how he doesn't intend to either, he just plans to [paraphrasing from memory here] show up to his matches and see what happens because he doesn't see much benefit in hitting balls before the events or his matches when he has played pool his whole life.

As likeable as Sky is, and he is very likeable, it has always seemed to me that he doesn't have much ambition and has never given all that much serious effort to pool and as a result he has little chance of ever being among the elite top tier in my opinion. It also seems like he may be putting in even less effort than ever now that he has a family, when arguably he should be putting in the more than ever since he now has a family to support.

People always ask why the U.S. is always lagging behind the rest of world in the quality of players, and one of the biggest reasons is that the rest of the world tends to look at pool as a way to have a job to take serious but in a field that they also happen to enjoy, whereas Americans tend to look at pool as a way to be able to avoid having a job. Sky seems to be one of those who fits that bill, in it more for the fun and good time rather than to maximize his playing potential or earnings.

This wasn't intended as a knock either, just addressing where some of the criticisms may be coming from that you are wondering about. As far as I am concerned, as long as he and his family aren't on government assistance, how much effort he does or does not put into his career is between him and his family.
 
Rack 9:

1 drops again, and again the cueball nearly follows it in. Clean look at the 2. 5 ball is the only ball somewhat tied up. Yapp plays to combo the 5-8 and drains it, dressing up the 5 nicely. Break and Run.

Yapp 6-3

Will he run away, or will we see Gorst come from behind yet again to win?
 
Yapp need to capitalize on his chances. Fred will get all the rolls
Good match so far, but I just wished that Niels had beaten Chua because he might have given Fred a tougher match. Seems like Chua betted against himself missing shot that an APA 3 would have made because the positions on those shots were not difficult.
 
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