Alex Pagulayan (Philippines) became the first semi-finalist at the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters as he defeated Rodney Morris 8-6 at the Riviera Convention Centre, Las Vegas .
It was an entertaining encounter that was thoroughly enjoyed by the Vegas crowd and Pagulayan enjoyed just the right amount of skill coupled with good fortune to see him across the line.
“I enjoyed that absolutely,” said Pagulayan. “I was nervous and a bit shaky but I think I played well under the conditions and tried really hard to focus. “In the end I had a bit more luck than him. Out there, under the gun, the table played tough but race to eight, with the TV and crowd, everything is tough,” he added.
They shared the early racks but Morris broke and ran the seventh to move into a 4-3 lead but the match effectively became a race to four when Pagulayan took the next following a dry break from Morris.
‘Come on make some balls!’ shouted Pagulayan after his next break shot and his wish was granted as two balls dropped.
He played a tidy safety but Morris escaped. He could not escape the next snooker as he flashed at a table length kick and missed the blue 2 by a long way. With ball in hand Pagulayan cleared the table to go into a 5-4 lead.
The Filipino scratched on the break though and with ball in hand Morris levelled it at five racks each.
A dry break though left the 1 ball on for Pagulayan via a cross table bank and although he made it, the cue ball stopped too close to the 2 ball so he was forced to play safe.
Pagulayan fouled as he tried to pot a hanging 3 ball via a bank off the top rail but missed the object ball completely. With ball in hand, Morris ran out to go 6-5 ahead.
There was a ball on the break for Morris but he missed a bank on the 2 ball. Pagulayan overran the cue ball going from 3 to 5 but rescued the situation with a good pot and he cleared the table to level things at 6-6.
A good quality snooker from Pagulayan forced Morris to play a two rail kick but he missed the 1 ball entirely. Pagulayan spurned his ball in hand opportunity as he missed a pot on the pink 4 but Morris missed a 4/8 combo himself and Pagulayan ran out to reach the hill at 7-6.
Pagulayan pushed out in the next and the two players exchanged safeties before Morris jumped the 1 ball into the centre pocket. The 2 ball wasn’t available so he played a safe. Pagulayan went for the bank but fluked the 5 ball, landing perfectly on the blue 2.
From there he ran the remaining balls to book his semi-final spot.
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