A bit later at 9 PM, the somewhat surprising winners' bracket will play o­n. Chief among the over-achievers is Japan’s Go “Rising Sun” Takami, who toppled hometown favorite Archer early in the proceedings. He’s fresh off beating Jimmy Wetch, who offered a strong comeback in the 11-9 defeat, and will contend with Ronnie Wiseman. Wiseman came away with a 11-9 decision against Young Hwa-Jeong, in which the Korean sensation disputed a call o­n a close hit for Wiseman that was not to his liking.

The other half of the undefeated side will see Jose Parica take o­n Nick Varner. Varner trailed Wiseman’s countryman Danny Hewitt 7-2, but a Canadian half of the winners’ bracket was not to be. Varner cruised through racks o­n his way to a 9-7 lead that would result in an 11-10 win. “Little Big Man” shook his head and cursed his way through a see-saw opening, but Parica utilized a late spurt to beat Max Eberle 11-7.

Notables who fell short of the cash besides Williams include Scott Frost, who lost to Wiseman despite running four consecutive racks in the set. Shawn Putnam lost a tight contest with Rodney Morris today and is gone, and Morris himself was the victim of the Detroit resident Wiseman, who’s cut a swath through the toughest draw. Buddy Hall was finished o­ne-two by blows from Parica and Archer. Tony Robles found defeat to Jones, who ran out what had been a close set to win 11-7 over New York’s “Silent Assassin.”

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