Triple Crown

Corr (above) was perfect in her 7-0 semifinal victory over Villarreal, but fell a rack short of the title.

Meanwhile, Karen Corr was on her familiar path to the U.S. Open final on the other half of the bracket. She rolled into the round of 16 with three easy victories, allowing only one opponent past three games on the wire. Once in single-elimination, the former No. 1 escaped upset bids from Iris Ranola of the Philippines, 9-7, and Kim Shaw, 7-5, for a spot in the semifinal opposite Vivian Villarreal.

Although without a title since 1998, Villarreal has established herself as perhaps the most consistent player in the top 10. She has continually advanced deep into events (including a runner-up finish at the 2008 Pacific Coast Classic), but the Texan is still searching for that breakthrough victory.

And from the start of her semifinal with Corr, it was evident that it wasn't going to happen in Oklahoma. Misplaying shape on the 8 ball on her way out in the first game, Villarreal eventually scratched, ceding the first rack to Corr. Corr took the next rack after a Villarreal miss on the 1 ball. From there, Corr suffocated any hope of a Villarreal comeback, finishing off the semifinal, 7-0.

"I was playing pretty well," Corr said. "There were definitely a few more games that [Villarreal] almost had. After she missed early on, it just seemed to go my way."

So once again, for the fourth time in the last eight years, the U.S. Open came down to Kim and Corr. The two split the first six games, with both players struggling to pocket balls on the break early on. Kim opened up the seventh rack, pocketed a ball and cleared to take a 4-3 lead. She then jumped out of a safety from Corr for one rack and pocketed a 3-9 combination for another to get on the hill, 6-3.

Corr, though, is not exactly a player who will give into an unfriendly score line. She took the next rack and cleaned up after Kim erred on the 7 ball to get within a game, 6-5. Corr then made the most of her last break, dropping two balls and clearing the rest to force a case game.

"To be down, 6-3, and get back to even, I was pretty happy at that point," Corr said. "I was just hoping to get a chance in the final game."

But that opportunity never came. With the break, Kim never let her opponent out of the chair, breaking and running the final rack for a 7-6 win and her third U.S. Open title.

"She's just a terrific talent," Corr said. "The break is a monster for her. She's a scary player when she gets on a roll. I tried to put a stop to it and it nearly worked. But she's got so much firepower right now."

When looking for the next chapter in this rivalry, though, there's always next year.

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