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STRIVING for SILVER
by Kirstin Pires
While the world's top athletes battle for Olympic gold half way
around the world in Sydney, Hampton Roads - with its own inviting
shore and ocean breezes - is host to another group of world-class
competitors putting forth their own Olympian efforts.
At the close of competition today - or more likely, the early
hours of tomorrow - only 32 players will have a shot at the
silver. The silver anniversary title to the U.S. Open 9-Ball
Championship, that is.
The huge Japanese contingent - nearly 30 strong- remains a threat,
while some other international stars have fallen early.
Finland's Mika Immonen, who
came within one Efren Reyes of winning the $150,000 Camel 8-Ball
earlier this month, went to the hill with New York's Tony Robles
at 1:00 today, but came down empty handed. "I missed at 9-8
and then he ran three," Immonen said with a sigh.
"Watching him run those racks was brutal."
Denmark's Nils Feijen is still alive, but has his work cut out for
him on the left side, thanks to Jon Kucharo, who remains
undefeated. Dutchman Alex "The Plague from the
Hague" Lely, got by Okada from Japan, and is underway against
Steve McAninch. Lely's countryman Rico Diks took a loss to money
player James Walden, but is still alive in a match with local hero
Nick Bewley. World champion Kunihiko Takahashi dispatched former
US Open champ Allen Hopkins from the tournament altogether, 11-4.
Filipino legends Efren Reyes, Rodolfo Luat and Francisco
Bustamante are undefeated and play at 9:00 against Johnny Archer,
Roger Griffis and Tang
Hoa, respectively.
Play at 9:00 will determine which eight undefeated players will be
joined by eight others from the left side to advance to the sweet
sixteen.
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Bustamante owns most of the trophies worth having,
but the U.S. Open is one that's missing from his collection.
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