Billiards Digest — Pooldawg Stroke of Genius, Pool Videos

Player: Semih Sayginer
Event: Sang Lee Open
Date: May 14, 1994

BY THE time Semih Sayginer made his way to the 1994 Sang Lee Open in Elmhurst, N.Y., the 30-year-old Turk was well-known to three-cushion aficionados as a dynamic shot-maker who rocketed from nowhere to the top of the sport in just two years. But with a creative brilliance and a showman's personality, Sayginer electrified hardened billiard fans when he battled Lee in the opening match of the tournament.

At the time, BD resident three-cushion expert Robert Byrne commented that Sayginer's only weakness appeared to be an "occasional impatience and perhaps too great a fondness for shots he knows will electrify the grandstand." Maybe not great for his game, this proclivity is exactly what Stroke of Genius is all about.

On his way to blistering the event's host, 60-26, in just 18 innings (then a U.S. record), Sayginer unleashed this tricky force-follow shot that left Lee laughing in disbelief. With the yellow just a ball's width off the rail, Sayginer loaded up on follow with a touch of left English. He drilled the cue ball with a short, rather punchy stroke, sending the yellow rattling around the top of the table. The cue ball obeyed the Turkish Prince's command, doubling the long rail before spinning off the short rail on its way toward the red near mid-table. Just missing the yellow on its way across the table for the fourth time, the cue ball just barely glanced off the left side of the red before coming to a stop on the short rail on the other side of the table.

Unfortunately for Lee, Sayginer turned in another brilliant performance in the next round, as he won a 50-32 match that finished in just 14 innings - as the two paired for an eye-popping combined average of 5.857.

(Video clip provided by Accu-Stats Video Productions.)

See January's shot: Reyes' "Greatest Shot Ever"
See February's shot: Varner's "Astonishing" five-rail draw
See March's shot: Strickland’s two-rail kick-combo on the 9
See April's shot: Van Boening’s jump-kick safety at the U.S. Open
See May's shot: Souquet’s force-follow in Derby title match
See June's shot: Davenport Doubles the Points
See July's shot: Reyes’ Cross-Side Bank Break
See August's shot: Deuel’s Electric Draw at U.S. Open
See September's shot: Frank’s Killer Kick at Derby City
See October's shot: Deuel's Big Idea
See November's shot: Hogue’s Bank-a-thon
See December's shot: Cohen Gets Creative
See January's shot: Reyes Takes a Turn
See February's shot: Deuel, Part I
See March's shot: Deuel, Part II
See April's shot: Martinez Makes A Move
See May's shot: Harriman's Drawing
See June's shot: Efren's Jump-Draw
See July's shot: Rafael's Long Way Home
See August's shot: German Ingenuity
See September's shot: Cluster Buster
See October's shot: Mighty Draw
See November's shot: On a Roll
See December's shot: Medina's Magic
See January's shot:
See February's shot: Corteza Cross-Side
See August's shot: German Ingenuity
See April's shot: Rafa's Rebound
See May's shot: The Prodigy
See June's shot: Doubling Up
See July's shot: Bank the Break
See August's shot: Busti's Solution
See September's shot: Winning Kick
See October's shot: Pulling Back

(Check out Accu-Stats’ full library of great shots and amazing matches at www.accu-stats.com)