Matchroom Major Event-European Open (8-13 Aug), Fulda, Winner $30K Prizefund $200K

Raga makes the 6 on the break, runs to the 3 and plays safe but leaves a jump.

Alcaide misses the jump and leaves Raga a shot on the 3 with an open table.

Raga runs out to get to the hill up 12-11.
 
Alcaide makes the 1 on the break, but has no shot on the 2. Plays thin off the 2 and leaves the cue ball up table.

Nice return safe from Raga, and Alcaide leaves a shot on the 2. Raga makes the 2 and plays safe on the 3.

Kick safe from Alcaide. Raga rolls onto the 3, freezes the cue ball on the 5.

Alcaide kicks one cushion across the table, hits the 3.

Raga plays safe again on the 3, leaving the cue ball behind the 9.

Clutch kick on the 3 by Alcaide, leaving only a safe on the 3.

Raga plays safe again, leaving another kick.

Alcaide makes the hit, leaves a long shot on the 3 but with shape to the 4.

Raga makes the 3 and gets shape, but is close to straight on the 4.

Raga chooses to leave a long shot on the 5, rolls it in and has to play a carom with the 6 off the 7.

Raga misses the carom and leaves an easy 4 ball run out for Alcaide, who runs out to win the European 9 Ball Open title!
 
OMG I feel sick for Raga, can only imagine how he feels. Such a well played final for both. To lose like that is just disgusting.
 
Raga was amazing. It was invigorating to see him go down firing. It was an awkward pattern for the last out, and he went offensive and after playing seeing-eye shape on the 5 and drilling it in, he barely missed the carom on the 6.

I think we'll be seeing a lot more from him in the future.

Alcaide played great. Congratulations, David!
 
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Raga missed just two shots in the match, so we know how well David had to play in this one. Either would have been a deserving champion, but David won it by a whisker.

Forgive the rhyme, but WELL PLAYED ALCAIDE.
 
iusedtoberich said:
It must have been the camera angle, but watching from home, it looked like the 6 straight in the side was very makable, instead of playing the 6 carom off the 7 that he missed.
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I would call that a "kiss shot" rather than a carom since a carom normally is the cue ball hitting two object balls.

I think he had to hit the 6 fuller into the 7. I don't think it was from playing too slow, but it had to be played at fast speed as JJ mentioned.
 
Raga lost the match not in the last rack, but in the rack prior when he chose to play safe on an open 2 and sold out. Champions don't pass up pocketing those shots when given the opportunity to close it out. (Seems like he would've eventually made the right decision to go for the pot if there was no shot clock, but he rushed the decision.)

Great play by both players, but it seems like Raga lost the match more than Alcaide won it. Congrats to Alcaide nonetheless.
 
iusedtoberich said:
It must have been the camera angle, but watching from home, it looked like the 6 straight in the side was very makable, instead of playing the 6 carom off the 7 that he missed.
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So I was thinking the same thing. In one of his last matches leading up to the final, I swear he played a ball in the side a thousand miles an hour that no one saw coming at an even tougher angle. This one he could have floated in at any speed and had position really. I know it was thin for a guy like me, but they seem to be a strength of his.

I really think the clock affected him with a couple of his decisions. You could see him really battling it the last few racks. In particular, I think the 2nd to last game where he played the loose safe that cost him, that he originally planned to shoot. I think he was trying to decide exactly how he wanted to shoot it and ran out of time. Then in the last game, he played that stop shot leaving him super long. Not saying it was the wrong shot, but he seemed very rushed and I think he may have been able to play the same shot, but stun down a couple more inches getting him off the rail a bit more and still been in line. If he could have done that, he would have had more options. Then on the shot he missed at the end, I think he needed a bit more time to look at the side, the carom, and really feel them out. It seemed he felt rushed, saw the finish line, and blasted it. IDK, who knows, maybe with all those shots he would have played them all the same way with no clock, but I would bet against that.

I can only imagine, so much pressure, in the final, and he's probably played in the least amount of tourneys with a shot clock, compared to the rest of the top guys. With that being said, I love the shot clock. It makes viewing so much better and I like watching the players have to make quick decisions, especially with tricky racks.
 
There's no comparison between the Spanish Open final, a double hill affair between Dang and Bijsterbosch that had a multitude of errors, to this European Open final, played at the highest possible level.

Year-to-date, this was the best final of the year in pro pool. Thanks to David and Anton for an inspiring display of world class pool.
 
Lynch said:
... I really think the clock affected him with a couple of his decisions. ....
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I think both players had issues with the shot clock. Raga I can understand since he has not been in this situation much. Maybe it was nerves all around.
 
one could say they played a single game for 15k (30 winner 15 runner up)
and Ragga's final shot was a very expensive 15k miss
 
jsp said:
Raga lost the match not in the last rack, but in the rack prior when he chose to play safe on an open 2 and sold out. Champions don't pass up pocketing those shots when given the opportunity to close it out. (Seems like he would've eventually made the right decision to go for the pot if there was no shot clock, but he rushed the decision.)

Great play by both players, but it seems like Raga lost the match more than Alcaide won it. Congrats to Alcaide nonetheless.
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Here I was surprised too, and so was the cameraman. But it was tough to get to the 4. Still it seemed like he had oppurtinities.

And I too never saw the 6-7 kiss/carom coming. I was like ????

But Raga is the slightly more talented player than me, so Ill take his judgement. Only 25yrs of age, he will be back. Back often.

Congrats Alcaide!! Huge win that I did Not expect at all.
 
Shot on the 2 after the break. Raga played a safety here.
IMG_20230813_221043_edit_106847523698279.jpg
 
sjm said:
I think six in the side is a difficult shot. Off-angle shots in the side are far more difficult than they used to be on looser equipment. I feel Raga's choice was reasonable.
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Agreed. I was curious which way he was going to play it, but he was the guy at the table and I doubt he missed seeing the option of playing the 6 straight in. Side pockets start playing very tight as small as they are getting, so if he went for it off the 7 I have to trust he made the right decision.
 
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