Souquet rules 2011 World Pool Masters

MANILA, Philippines – German hotshot Ralf Souquet pulled off an amazing win from four racks down in the semifinals versus England’s Darren Appleton and preserved the effort with an 8-5 conquest of current world No. 1 player Dennis Orcollo in the final for an unprecedented sixth World Pool Masters crown.

Fighting back from the grave in the semis, Souquet roared on through the finals, foiling Orcollo’s title-retention bid to the disappointment of the hometown crowd at the Block Atrium of SM North EDSA Mall in Quezon City yesterday.

Souquet kept Orcollo on his seat amidst dead silence in the venue as the calm and composed German master strung up the last four racks to win the championship and the $20,000 that went with it.

“I’m simply overwhelmed,” said Souquet after the championship run that saw him squeeze out tough wins over Mikka Immonen, 8-7; Lee Van Cortez, 8-6; Appleton, 8-7; then Orcollo.

Orcollo yielded only seven racks through his first three matches then found luck deserting him.

His soft break worked against him in the finals, allowing Souquet to seize momentum in the middle racks and eventually win by three.

Souquet, the Masters champ in 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2006, returned to the throne by cashing in on errors by Orcollo in the ninth and 10th racks then running out the last three.

Easily draining the final ball, Souquet raised his two hands in victory and let out a big roar. – Report by Nelson Beltran/Video by Cris Cayanan