Bank On It

Souquet played near-flawless pool in the late rounds, but lost sight of the title in the final against Orcollo.

Archer then faced Mosconi Cup nemisis Souquet. While both men recently celebrated 40th birthdays, the quarterfinal match highlighted how the two all-world players are at different points on the arcs of their careers.

Archer, while undoubtedly still competitive and capable of advancing deep into events, hasn't won an international singles event in years. Souquet, meanwhile, appears to be getting stronger entering his fourth decade. Ranked No. 1 in the world by the WPA, Souquet is arguably the best and most consistent tournament player in the game today.

Early on, both Souquet and Archer struggled to find a comfort zone underneath the bright TV lights. After the first six racks were split three apiece, Souquet began sinking balls on the break, while Archer was left pondering a series of unfortunate rolls. As his lead grew, Souquet squeezed Archer into submission - getting out when he could, handcuffing the American when he couldn't. With an 11-3 victory, Souquet earned his spot in the final four.

"I had the good start and Johnny never really caught a gear," he said. "I don't know if he ever actually missed a ball, but he just couldn't really do much. Whatever he did, he hooked himself."

Charlie Williams (once again juggling roles as player and promoter, as his Dragon Promotions firm produced the event) was the second American to push through to the quarterfinals with wins over David Alcaide of Spain and Roberto Gomez, who has been considered among the brightest young stars to come out of the Philippines since finishing second at the 2007 World Pool Championship. At the Predator Championship, Gomez showed flashes of that same brilliance, though his unceremonial dismissal by Williams was a disappointing result (17th) for his first appearance in the U.S.

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