SERBIA’S BOJANA SARAC claimed her first EPBF Women’s Euro Tour title as she dominated proceedings to defeat Oliwia Zalewska (Poland) by 7-1 at the Best Western Premier BHR Hotel in Treviso. The 22-year-old had previously been a beaten finalist twice but she delivered a near-faultless performance for a satisfying victory.
Zalewska, 28, was the much more experienced of the two having won five Euro Tours previously including in Tallinn earlier this year. She was never at the races, though, as Sarac never let her off the hook.
Zalewska won the lag but lost the visit and Sarac soon ran out to take the opener. Then a solid break from Sarac saw a ball drop, leaving her a straight shot on the 1-ball. A perfect positional shot set up an easy 3/9 combination to move into a 2-0 lead. Zalewska made a good break but scratched trying to kick at the 2-ball.
It was a good ball-in-hand opportunity for the Serbian girl and she confidently ran the table to increase her lead. A great break from Sarac saw the 1-ball drop into the centre pocket, leaving a good look at the 2-ball. That went down and she came with some outstanding play, both potting and positional, to clear for a 4-0 lead.
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Zalewska made a couple of balls from her break shot but with the 2-ball blocked, she pushed out. She left a difficult long cut on the 2-ball but Sarac was equal to it as she continued her flawless play to clear for a 5-0 lead.
Sarac made a couple of balls on the next break but with no other ball passing the headstring, it was Zalewska‘s table. With nothing doing, she passed it back and Sarac left a difficult 2 ball from which the Polish girl played safe. They both had visits before Sarac fouled to give ball-in-hand to Zalewska and she took advantage to get her first rack on the board.
That small momentum was soon lost and Sarac reached the hill courtesy of a table-length kick on the 3 ball which enabled her to run out. Zalewska rescued a poor situation with a terrific kick shot to pot the 2-ball and position herself for the 3. Unfortunately, she missed the 5-ball when it looked easier to pot and left it hanging for Sarac. The young Serb composed herself and ran the table for her first Euro Tour title.
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Sarac was naturally thrilled with her victory after a couple of near misses; “It feels amazing! I’ve been already two times to the final so three times is a charm! I played very well though – I was bit surprised myself. I talked to my husband in a time out in my semi-final. He’s always telling me the same thing; to stay calm and not think about my misses but I tend to get nervous, anxious and angry. He calmed me down which was good and when I won that match, the pressure fell off going into the final.
“As the match went on, I didn’t think about anything. I was in the zone and started playing and at 5-0 I felt we’d just started the match. It’s a good feeling as you don’t see the audience, you don’t see the result or that it’s the final which is very nice. But then I realised that I had to fight still because Oliwia is a great player and she could come back,” she added.
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As well as the prize money, there are Tour ranking points on offer, so there is everything to play for. All Euro Tour tournaments are 9-ball and players compete in a double-elimination format and then single elimination until the conclusion. All matches are races to 7 racks with alternate break.
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