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A Dozen Left in U.S. Open Hunt
Oct 21, 2011, 3:52 PM

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Dinner time on Friday night at the 2011 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, and there remains twelve players in the hunt for the title. But the man to beat remains reigning champion Darren Appleton. The Englishman outlasted Johnny Archer on Friday afternoon, edging the American, 11-9.

The Brit will face Shawn Putnam later this evening. Putnam has made a strong run through his 61-player bracket, topping Earl Strickland and World 9-Ball champ Yukio Akagariyama. The other right-side semifinal will see Alex Pagulayan face Larry Nevel.

On the one-loss side, international stars outnumbered American hopefuls. Filipino journeyman Warren Kiamco continues plotting through the left side, much like he did last year en route to a fourth-place finish. He faces Akigariyama.

Other matchups include Oscar Dominguez vs. World 10-Ball titlist Huidji See, Antonio Lining vs. Kenichi Uchigaki and Dennis Hatch vs. Archer.

Play will continue tonight until just four players remain. Tomorrow's schedule starts with the hot-seat and fourth-place matches at 1 p.m. (EST). The left-side final will follow at 3 p.m., with the final set for 7 p.m.