U.S. GAINS 5-4 LEAD
by Mike
Panozzo
Bolstered by Michael Coltrain's welcome win earlier in the evening, and Johnny Archer decisive win over Mika Immonen, the U.S. gained a 5-4 overall lead over Europe in the 2000 Acclaim Mosconi Cup at York Hall, Bethnal Green in London. Only Steve Davis' come-from-behind, 5-4, win over Jeremy Jones saved the European squad from an evening sweep and a three-game deficit."Michael's win over Chamat really gave me confidence tonight," said Archer, who scored a solid 5-3 win over Finland's Mika Immonen. "He was struggling, so it made me feel good to see him win."
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U.S. star Johnny Archer's win over Mika Immonen assured the American squad of a lead in the overall match total going into Saturday's action at the 2000 Mosconi Cup.
Photo by
Lawrence Lustig
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Archer played flawlessly to build a 4-2 lead against Immonen. His lone mistake came in the following game on a botched combination effort three balls from victory. With alternating breaks, however, Archer broke and ran the final rack for the victory.
"I'm very confident right now," he said. "This is the best I've felt in a long time. Every shot I've hit the way I wanted to hit it. I'm very relaxed, which is good here because this is as much pressure as we play under all year."
Jones forged a seemingly safe 4-1 lead against Davis, but a few tactical errors allowed the razor sharp Davis the opportunities he needed to win. Jones' miss on the 1 in the final rack, after Davis had come up empty on the break, was the Texan's demise.
Play resumes Saturday afternoon with the final three doubles matches. The first team to win 12 matches will earn the Mosconi Cup, which the American's have held for the last four years.
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