Meanwhile, Archer had his hands full with “Mad Max” Eberle in the quarterfinals.  The two were neck-and-neck at 3 games apiece until Eberle pulled into a 6-3 lead.  He was unaware at the time, but that was the last rack he would win, for Archer put the next 8 games in a row under his belt to win 11-6.

In the semifinals between Archer and Parica, the “leader of the Filipino invasion,” Archer drew first blood and then ran out the next five games in a row for a 6-0 lead.  Parica staged a bit of a comeback towards the middle of the match, but after he missed a combo o­n the 9 when Archer was o­n the hill, that spelled the end for Parica, and Archer won 11-6 to go o­n to meet Sambajon in the finals.

Archer, whose break is o­ne of the strongest in the game, had little problem dominating the final match against Sambajon.  The two traded games until they knotted at 3, and then Archer pulled into a 9-3 lead with his steady, consistent play.  Sambajon rarely had a chance to see the table.  He won two games in a row to bring the score to 10-5, but Archer won the next rack and then broke and ran the next two to win the match and the tournament by the score of 11-5.

Afterward, Archer reported, “I kind of took control at three-three and got way ahead of him, and after that, I had him o­n the defense.  I felt very comfortable playing.  I’m starting to feel more like I used to.  The rhythm is a lot quicker now.  I just feel solid.”  When asked what had changed, he replied, “I changed my rhythm—I thought I was playing too slow and started to play a lot quicker, and I got to a good rhythm.”

Results

1st Johnny Archer $12,000

2nd Santos Sambajon, Jr. $6,500

3rd Jose Parica $4,200

4th Max Eberle $3,500

      Visit InsidePOOL for the latest from the sport of billiards and pool.