U.S. SURGE CONTINUES AT MOSCONI CUP
by Mike
Panozzo
Running its winning streak to three consecutive matches, the United States rode 23-year-old Corey Deuels 5-3 win over Germany's Thomas Engert to an 8-5 lead early Saturday night in the 2000 Acclaim Mosconi Cup at York Hall in London's east side.
If the American squad can earn one more victory in the final two singles matches of the evening, only three wins would separate it from its fourth straight successful defense of the Cup. The first team to win 12 matches will win the trophy.
After both Deuel and Engert took turns running out from the break in the first four games, Deuel took advantage of an Engert miss to forge a 3-2 lead. He ran out from the break for a 4-2 advantage, but blew two chances to close out the match in the next game.
"I was playing so well," said Deuel, who earned his second team point of the day, having won a doubles match with Michael Coltrain earlier. "But even after I blew a chance to win the one game, I was still confident. I'd broke and run out three times already, soI figured I'd just do it again."He did, and the U.S. celebrated its first three-point advantage of the event.Shannon Daulton will face Britain's Steve Knight in the evening's second match, followed by a battle of team captains, America's Earl Strickland facing Germany's Ralf
Souquet.
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