f210 said:
SVB is a great player but he is not invincible and to think that Dennis Orcullo or Lee Van Corteza have no chance to win in a money match is ridiculous. At their level of play, any one of the 3 can win anytime. He should not get over confident. The US open is a far cry from the WPC.
I am watching his progress right now in his very first match and he is currently behind by 3 games against a TPE player.
Shane didn't play bad that match. He played horrible! And so did Chang. Funny how when one player plays bad the other guy gets out of stroke too. That's what happened. It was a miracle for Shane to win this match after being down 7-2. Chang had an easy eight ball and all he had to do was roll forward for the nine. I was doing the TV commentary, and it looked like it was over. Somehow, some way, Chang totally butchered the shot on the eight. He will remember that miss for a long long time. This is the same guy who played brilliantly to win a Qualifier.
After that miss Shane woke up and played good the rest of the way to win on the hill 9-8. He won several games with better safety play. This is the only weakness I see in the Taiwan players, their safety play. They are not creative and often overlook the best option. They need some better coaching there.
After the match, Shane told me he often has trouble in the first match of a tournament. His second match was with Pat Holtz from Scotland, a very good player. Shane looked like Shane and beat him easily 9-4, to move into the Round of 64. Today he has Gabica the same player who ducked him earlier in the week. It means nothing now, this is a very dangerous opponent. Of course, there are no soft draws now, only good players left. If Ocullo had beaten Kawabata, Shane would have had to play Yang from Taiwan instead.
Shane knew all this and was unconcerned. His reaction to the news that he may play the feared Yang was "I don't care". He is mentally and physically ready for anyone. Shane has a cool confidence that I admire. It's hard to make anyone the favorite in this field, there are so many good players.
It is hard to pick anyone other than a filipino or a Taiwanese player to win, just because there are so many of them in the final 64. I like the filipinos and most other prognosticators favor the Taiwan players. No one gives much chance to any outsider to break the domination of these two countries. I agree except for the few exceptional foreigners like Ralf, Mika, Shane and a couple of others. I like the filipino crew myself. You can sense the motivation to keep the championship on their shores. They all pull hard for each other. It helps that it is played on their home soil as well. In my mind, few players handle the pressure as well as the filipinos. No matter how good you play, ultimately it takes HEART to win a title like this. Who can come with the big shot under pressure? Some can and some can't!
De Luna is my dark horse pick. He breaks better than anyone else, and shoots as straight as Tom Mix! Clear favorites include Bustamante who is peaking right now, Yang who makes it all look so easy, Mika who plays like a filipino, Marlon who also looks so poised and ready, and Shane who is simply fearless.
...
)!!
, Efren, Oi and Yang knocked out! 
Go UK Go 
