Action intensified on day three of the Amway Cup, with the competition field cut to quarterfinal action with just eight players remaining.
In early afternoon action at the Taipei Gymnasium yesterday, it was an All-American match, pitting Jennifer Barretta against Jennie Seaver. The two battled a tense, yet error filled match which saw the score knotted at 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6.
Barretta committed a series of mistakes, including a masse shot that missed the 6-ball, and later, a safety shot which incurred a foul by not hitting a rail.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. TU'S SPORTS
Despite the errors, she found herself in position to pot a winning shot in the final rack, albeit a difficult combination which narrowly missed potting the 9-ball in the side pocket, giving Seaver another chance at the table.
Seaver took the opportunity and never looked back, sinking a series of difficult shots to win the rack and the match.
Afterwards, Barretta was disappointed with her play, though she had praise for Seaver who made a series of difficult shots for the win.
"I thought the combination on the 9-ball was also a safety shot," Barretta said. "I wasn't sure if she played a carom to make the next shot."
The tournament has been difficult for her, with an opening loss in group play and then yesterday's closely fought match against Kelly Fisher.
Her uneven play in the Amway Cup may be blamed on a US airline which lost her pool cues on a flight from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Newark, New Jersey.
Unable to take her cues as carry-on luggage, put her precious cargo in the hands of clumsy, or criminal baggage handlers.
"I normally use as Predator cue stick and a Stinger jump stick, which I was able to borrow from a pool hall manager in New York," Barretta said. "But, it's still difficult getting used to these new cues, which may be a reason for my poor play."
Barretta added that the loss of her pool cues was made even more difficult as she also lost a custom made pink and black cue bag, which she says is irreplaceable.
Professional grade pool cues can cost in excess of US$1,000.
Despite it all, Barretta said that she has enjoyed her time in Taipei, and thought the tournament was well organized.
Wendy Janss, another foreign player knocked out of the tournament on Friday, continued to hang around the TV table to socialize with other players.
She said that watching other players has little impact on her game.
"I mainly concentrate on my own game," Wendy Janss. "I don't believe it does any good to watch others to study their style of play."
With the Amway Cup climaxing, crowds swelled, with some catching the action from second-floor bleachers.
Big crowds are expected today, the final day of the tournament, with the final match scheduled to start at 7:30pm. The competition will also be broadcast live on Videoland beginning at 1pm.
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