ORCOLLO WINS WORLD POOL MASTERS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 17 May 2010
After beating countryman Roberto Gomez in a pulsating semi final match 8-6 Dennis Orcollo clawed back from 1-3 down to beat Japan?s giant-killer Toru Kuribayashi 8-3 to win the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Orcollo pocketed $20,000 for his winning effort.
The finals was a somewhat disappointing and scrappy affair with the young Kuribayashi finally succumbing to the pressure of facing the former world No.1 in a match where his vaunted break deserted him.
A running account of the finals by Matchroom Sports said Orcollo made a bright start but he left the green 6 hanging in the jaws of the pocket that enabled the Japanese to take the opening rack. With the winner breaks format, Kuribayashi breaks and runs out for an early 2-0 lead in the race to eight finals.
Orcollo capitalizes on a break he gets when Kuribayashi fails to connect with the 1-ball and with ball-in-hand the Filipino makes no mistake to come within one rack at 1-2. However, an unforced error by Orcollo while playing a safety which saw the cue ball disappear into the pocket enabled Kuribayashi to make him pay as the Japanese surged ahead 3-1.
A crucial error by the Japanese when he under-hits moving from the 4 to 5 with the 9-ball in the way enables Orcollo to make it 2-3. Another uncharacteristic dry break by Orcollo gives Kuribayashi a chance to move ahead by two racks but he muffs the chance and Orcollo ties the count at 3-2. The Filipino capitalizes on a poor break by Kuribayashi to grab the lead for the first time in the match at 4-3 and with a routine run-out Orcollo leads 5-3 after winning four racks in a row.
His confidence at a new high Orcollo cracks a 1-5 combination and another break and run-out, his second in a row gives him a 6-3 lead. After Orcollo overcut an attempt to shoot the 1-ball into a blind corner pocket he left Kuribayashi with an opening which he failed to grab and Orcollo gets to the hill at 7-3.
Orcollo then proved his mastery of the Japanese finishing with a flourish behind a perfect break. Matchroom Sports reported that the ecstatic Filipino pockets the 9-ball, throws his arms in the air, looks up to the heavens and falls to the ground in celebration.
Matchroom Sports earlier reported that Orcollo came through the double elimination stage with an opening win over Shaun Wilkie, then a 9-8 defeat to Marcus Chamat and then victory against Jasmine Ouschan to reach the last 32.
There he avenged his defeat to Chamat with a 9-7 win before beating Raj Hundal 8-1 in the last 16. John Morra (Canada) was his quarter final victim before beating compatriot Roberto Gomez in the semi-final.
Kuribayashi got off to the worst start to the event, losing to Charlie Williams but made his way through to the last 32 stages with wins over Ahmad Taufiq and Tony Drago. There he beat Taiwan's Kuo Po Cheng before whitewashing Daryl Peach in the last 16.
The quarter-final saw him take revenge over Charlie Williams before disposing of Oliver Ortmann in the last four.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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