T is Thorsten Hohmann and M is Max Eberle.
T wins lag, but Eberle hits perfect break, and H misses shot out of the pack, giving E first good look at an open table. M cruises through two racks, but in his third rack, he runs out of position and fails to pocket the long nine ball to keep the run alive, but 33-0 isn't a bad start for M. H runs the rest of the rack, and in the next rack, he has to cut an 8 ball into the corner and appears to overcut it, but the very loose pocket accepted the shot. H made an apologetic gesture toward M and runs out. Gets too straight on break shot, and tries a two railer with inside, but misses the pack. Plays a weak safety, and walks away ahead 37-33. E takes a foul, but made a poor choice on where to take the foul, and trapped himself. With each on two fouls, E should, perhaps, taken a third, but tried a very tough safety and sold out.
H runs the next 83, and appears to have found his form, but scratches off the pack on the next break shot. Still, M has to make a long, tough shot to get started and nails it to the crowd's delight. M knows his shot is now and comfortable runs 56, but the next break shot leaves him no more than a combo. He makes it but is left with a very problemmatic position. A good foul was available, one that would have given T a big problem, but I wondered if M remembered that T was on a foul, as the foul had occurred about half an hour earlier. I'm guessing he didn't know, as M tried a tough kick in, ending his run (mid 50's). H runs remainder of rack, and continues all the way up to 159-89, but his next break shot leaves him stuck, without much defense available. H plays a wild multi-ball combo and sells out, but E, after running rack, misses shape on break ball, leading to an interminable safety battle, involving several scratches, won by M, who runs out for 114-158 behind. M breaks the pack, and is a bit unlucky to get stuck two ball into the rack, needing a long tough jacked-up seven ball to save the run, which he undercuts.
T runs out for 170-116 and then the lethargic match, already three and a half hous old, goes on the shot clock. T makes break shot but has careless scratch shortly after to give control of the table back to M. Then, M gets another run going and runs up to 155-171, but poor shape on a side pocket break shot proves costly when M misses the pack. M earns first shot, but misses four ball in side, and T runs rack and gets wrong on key ball. Tries big storke and misses final ball of rack at 184-155, but M, with a good chance to get onto the break shot, misses, too, so H leads 185-155. H hits break shot very well, and appears headed for 200, but misses shape and is unable to bank the ten ball at 191-155, so M has another shot at this match.
M runs up to 177-191 and faces a paper thin cut on a five ball, a shot so tough I though he might pass it up in favor of a safety. M tried and missed the cut, however, and H ran out for the 200-177 victory.
This was a sloppy, and relatively dull affair, with numerous erros both ways. It would be difficult to argue that one outplayed the other in this match, but somebody had to win.
So the final that seemingly everybody was predicting, Hohmann vs Engert, is a reality. Hohmann will have to play a lot better than this to win the final.
Worst of all, the match took so long I couldn't stay for the final!
T wins lag, but Eberle hits perfect break, and H misses shot out of the pack, giving E first good look at an open table. M cruises through two racks, but in his third rack, he runs out of position and fails to pocket the long nine ball to keep the run alive, but 33-0 isn't a bad start for M. H runs the rest of the rack, and in the next rack, he has to cut an 8 ball into the corner and appears to overcut it, but the very loose pocket accepted the shot. H made an apologetic gesture toward M and runs out. Gets too straight on break shot, and tries a two railer with inside, but misses the pack. Plays a weak safety, and walks away ahead 37-33. E takes a foul, but made a poor choice on where to take the foul, and trapped himself. With each on two fouls, E should, perhaps, taken a third, but tried a very tough safety and sold out.
H runs the next 83, and appears to have found his form, but scratches off the pack on the next break shot. Still, M has to make a long, tough shot to get started and nails it to the crowd's delight. M knows his shot is now and comfortable runs 56, but the next break shot leaves him no more than a combo. He makes it but is left with a very problemmatic position. A good foul was available, one that would have given T a big problem, but I wondered if M remembered that T was on a foul, as the foul had occurred about half an hour earlier. I'm guessing he didn't know, as M tried a tough kick in, ending his run (mid 50's). H runs remainder of rack, and continues all the way up to 159-89, but his next break shot leaves him stuck, without much defense available. H plays a wild multi-ball combo and sells out, but E, after running rack, misses shape on break ball, leading to an interminable safety battle, involving several scratches, won by M, who runs out for 114-158 behind. M breaks the pack, and is a bit unlucky to get stuck two ball into the rack, needing a long tough jacked-up seven ball to save the run, which he undercuts.
T runs out for 170-116 and then the lethargic match, already three and a half hous old, goes on the shot clock. T makes break shot but has careless scratch shortly after to give control of the table back to M. Then, M gets another run going and runs up to 155-171, but poor shape on a side pocket break shot proves costly when M misses the pack. M earns first shot, but misses four ball in side, and T runs rack and gets wrong on key ball. Tries big storke and misses final ball of rack at 184-155, but M, with a good chance to get onto the break shot, misses, too, so H leads 185-155. H hits break shot very well, and appears headed for 200, but misses shape and is unable to bank the ten ball at 191-155, so M has another shot at this match.
M runs up to 177-191 and faces a paper thin cut on a five ball, a shot so tough I though he might pass it up in favor of a safety. M tried and missed the cut, however, and H ran out for the 200-177 victory.
This was a sloppy, and relatively dull affair, with numerous erros both ways. It would be difficult to argue that one outplayed the other in this match, but somebody had to win.
So the final that seemingly everybody was predicting, Hohmann vs Engert, is a reality. Hohmann will have to play a lot better than this to win the final.
Worst of all, the match took so long I couldn't stay for the final!
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