Four-time Predator Pro Billiard Series champion Kelly Fisher had to come from 3-2 down to eventually win the second set against 12-year-old American Savannah Easton and move to the winners’ qualification stage of the Medalla Light Puerto Rico Open.
At the impressively set-up Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, 192 pro players from 44 countries opened the 2022 Caribbean CueSports International Expo on Tuesday. With $100,000 in the prize pot of the 128-player Open, and $75,000 for the 64-player Women’s event, the Medalla Light Puerto Rico Open is the final stop of the 2022 Predator Pro Billiard Series and will be followed in Puerto Rico by the Predator World Junior 9-Ball Championships and Predator World 8-Ball Championship.
In the Open event, Fedor Gorst, Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz and Darren Appleton won twice to reach winners’ qualification, the latter defeating Chang Jung-Lin 4-0, 4-1.
Fedor Gorst｜©Pro Billiard Series (file)
After beating Elise Qiu on a shootout at the start of the day, Fisher faced Easton on the TV table in her hunt for an unprecedented fifth Predator Pro Billiard Series title. Easton has been making waves this year, most recently taking fifth in the WPBA’s Sledgehammer Open in Bristol, TN last month.
The 12-year-old had seen off Emilyn Callado in straight sets in the opening round and earned a huge ovation from the Puerto Rican crowd for her efforts against Fisher, who was almost taken to shootout by the youngster nicknamed ‘Roadrunner’.
Having won the first set 4-2, Fisher took a 2-0 lead in the second. However, the American youngster, who will take part in the Predator World Junior 9-Ball Championships starting Friday, cut that lead in half after making the 5 with the bridge. Easton then leveled the set at 2-2 after a safety battle with just the 9 and 10 remaining and a long 8 opened up the fifth game of the set for the junior, who took a 3-2 lead.
©Pro Billiard Series
A dry break from the hill allowed Fisher to play a safety which Easton couldn’t escape but ball in hand was returned by the Brit when she completely missed the 7. However, Easton left a long 9 in the jaw and Fisher was finally level again at hill-hill in the second set.
The final rack brought more drama as Easton battled for the shootout but the pressure showed as she overcut the 10. Both players had another chance to close out the set but it was Fisher who got over the line to advance to winners qualification tomorrow.
“What a great player, she has nerves of steel and definitely one to watch for the future,” said Fisher. “She should have had me there, it should have been a shootout. I was all over the place but she missed some crucial balls at the end.
“What a great future she knows she must have, she is a great player and we are going to see her in the future. I, personally, don’t want to play her again; she put me under pressure, she got me, could have had me, and I don’t want to play her again until she’s 18!”
Savannah Easton｜©Pro Billiard Series
“I was this close, I was so close,” said Easton. “In the first set when I was 2-2 I thought I might be able to beat her, and in the second set when it was 3-2 and I took that break, I was so excited but I tried to hold it in as much as I could. It was so fun, I couldn’t believe it.”
Fisher will now face Kristina Tkach for a place in the last 16. Yuki Hiraguchi of Japan will take on Chia Hua Chen after ‘Amber’ beat World Women’s 10-Ball Champion Chieh Yu-Chou in the opening round. Pia Filler, Tzu-Chien Wei, Kristina Zlateva, Jasmin Ouschan and Allison Fisher are among the other players still unbeaten in the women’s event.
吳坤霖 Wu Kun Lin｜©Pro Billiard Series (file)
In the men’s tournament, local favorite Alan Rolon was well-supported as he Wu Kun Lin by shootout and then Alex Montpellier to earn a day off and set up a winners’ qualification match against Badar Alawadhi on Thursday morning.
A strong field spelt early casualties as the likes of Ko Ping-Han, Aloysius Yapp and Ko Pin-Yi all lost in the first round and now face a long road to reach the last 32 and single elimination.
The Medalla Light Puerto Rico Open continues from 10am AST on Wednesday with six more matches streamed from Table 1 on Billiard TV, the World Billiard TV YouTube channel and at Kozoom.com. Table 2 has full coverage and commentary on the Predator Pro Billiard Series Facebook Page. All tables can be watch live for FREE at Kozoom.com
Brackets and scores can be found at www.probilliardseries.com
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©Pro Billiard Series (file)
陳佳樺、魏子茜保持不敗，柯氏兄弟、吳坤霖同落敗部
Kelly Fisher 首輪比賽在點球大戰中戰勝荷蘭的華裔選手 Elise Qiu 後，第二場比賽擊敗美國12歲小將 Savannah Easton 進入勝部資格賽。
Fisher 賽後說道: “多麼優秀的球員! 就我個人而言，她讓我感受到壓力，本有機會獲勝，但她最後錯過了一些關鍵的球。她是一名出賽的球員，有著鋼鐵般的意志，未來絕對是位值得關注的球員。”
Easton 則在表示: “僅差那麼一點，我已是如此接近! 在第一盤 2-2 的時候，我以為我能夠擊敗她，再來到第二盤 3-2 的時候，我叫了暫停，當時的我很興奮，但我試圖地盡我所能克制它。 太好玩了，我簡直不敢相信。”
Fisher 將在下場比賽對上 Kristina Tkach 以尋求晉級最後 16的機會. 日本名將平口結貴將碰上在首輪擊敗周婕妤的陳佳樺。而奧地利名將 Jasmin Ouschan、”毀滅女公爵” Allison Fisher、Pia Filler、魏子茜，以及保加利亞的 Kristina Zlateva 等選手在女子組中仍保持不敗。
©US Pro Billiard Series (file)
在男子組中，Fedor Gorst、Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 與 Darren Appleton 在首日比賽結束後均連勝兩場進入勝部資格賽，其中 Appleton 在第二場比賽以 4-0、4-1 擊敗張榮麟。
波多黎各地主選手 Alan Rolon 在比賽中獲得當地球迷們在現場的大力支持，他在首場比賽靠著點球大戰戰勝 “魔獸” 吳坤霖，緊接著在下場比賽再以 2-0 擊敗法國選手 Alex Montpellier 進入勝部資格賽。將於周四上午對上 Badar Alawadhi。
另一方面，柯秉逸、柯秉漢、吳坤霖、日本名將土方隼斗、奧地利的 Max Lechner 以及新加坡與香港新生代好手葉浚惟 (Aloysius Yapp) 與 盧浩琛 (Lo Ho Sum) 等在內的強將們都在首輪吞敗，而進入敗部選手們在前往晉級單敗淘汰賽的道路上將有很長的路要走。
主桌直播視頻可於 Billiard TV, World Billiard TV 以及 Kozoom.com 觀看，副桌可在 Predator Pro Billiard Series 專頁 上觀看，另外所有球桌均可在 Kozoom.com 上免費觀看。