Ortmann Beats Wu!...read latest below!
Sigel Starts off With a Smile
Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 11:44 a.m.
Mike Sigel is in fine form already this morning and has bested both Vince MacIntyre and Michael Enters by the scores of 8-4 and 8-1, respectively, winning $4,000—a nice way to start off the day.
Sigel recapped his first two matches of the day afterward, “I finally got to where when I got up to the table and the balls were laying like I should get out, I got out, and I got out on a lot of racks where I wasn’t supposed to get out. All of the sudden, I could feel it. That’s how I ended last time. I’m playing better now than I did in Atlanta all the way to the end. I didn’t play bad there [this morning]—I made a few mistakes, but those pockets are pretty small. I’m having a few problems with rolling balls in the side; other than that, I really didn’t miss anything. I made some great run-outs.
“Between this, and then when I go to Boston, and I’m going to start playing on the Florida tour, some other tournaments—by July, I’ll be in stroke. My game—I can tell right now, I’m breaking good, I’m playing good. I mean, I need competition. These guys are playing all the time, I never play. That’s why I’m here—Kevin flew me in just to play these guys. It’s like practice.” He smiled and added, “And I won four thousand, thank you.”
Some of the winners’-bracket matches have concluded, with only two rounds to go today. Germany’s Oliver Ortmann dealt world champ Chia-Ching Wu his first loss. Wu started off well with a 3-1 lead, but Ortman won four in a row to take a 5-3 lead. The 16-year-old took the next three to gain a one-game margin, but Ortmann swept five in a row—the last two break and run-outs—for a 10-6 victory.
Scott “The Freezer” Frost of Phoenix, AZ, bested Sam Frangie 10-6, while Mark Trainer sent Warren Kiamco of the Philippines to the one-loss side with a 10-5 win. Go Takami of Japan dealt Clent McCullough his first loss 10-2, and Eric Hjorliefson of Canada won his match against Hiroshi Takenaka 10-6.
“I think that the IPT is going to raise the bar in men’s professional pool,” Hjorliefson stated afterward. “They’re professionally events, the money is five times more than it’s ever been, and Kevin Trudeau is doing a good job. I’m definitely hoping to be a part of it.”
Visit the IPT for the latest news on their ongoing qualifying event.