Wednesday, July 8

Qatar Open Champion!!!!

Dear all,

I played a terrific tournament with a bit of a scare in the first round of 32.

I have to admit that my dreams of of winning were almost made empty by
Mariusz Skoneczny of Poland. In the round of last 32 he was in the lead 10-8
but I managed to hang in by the skin of my teeth. I ran three consecutive racks
(he had a dry break at 10-9) to advance to the final 16. Phew!

In the last 16 and all the way through to the finals I played better and was able to
win games with a pretty clear margin. 11-4 against Israel Rota of Philippines,
11-5 with Niels Feijen and 11-3 VS Antonio Cabica. I beat Pin Yi Ko 13-9 in the finals.

It was all in all a wonderfully organized event. The conditions were so good. Tables Brunswick
Glod Crown 5, Aramith Super Pro balls etc.

It still has not quite sunken in yet that I won. Maybe I am tired of all the travelling I have
done the last 3 weeks. It really is time now to go to the Finnish countryside lake, kick back and have
a nice frosty beer while watching the sun set in the horizon.


-ICEMAN-

4 comments:

Samm said...

Congrats, Mika! You deserve it!

Thanks for sharing your insights here about the tourney.

Safe travels & get some rest!

Unknown said...

Hey Mika!!
Massimo from Italy here!! What's up man ?? Do you remember those great days in Latina and the dinner with Fabolous Petroni ?! :P
A lot of time that i don't ear you..Just when you won the world championship!
You're and you will be always the best!!!

Bye
Massimo

xpooler said...

You have certainly earned a nice holliday in Finland! Enjoy the beer and sauna and lots of success in the future! Keep up the excellent work! I visited Jyvaskyla earlier in mid June.
Ciao!
Jarkko, Belgium.

Drew said...

Hey Mika! I know you don't know me, but I'm a huge fan of yours. I was just wondering something. In pro billiards, does your sponsor cover your entry fee for tournaments? What about hotels, food, and travel costs?

I would really love to be a pro some day, and this is something I've always wondered but have never found out. Please let me know!

-Andrew Flavin