A BOLA – Portugal loses (1-2) with Denmark and finishes 5th in the European Pool (Billiards)
The National Team, composed of Américo Francisco (P. Ferreira), Bruno Sousa (SC Braga) and Miguel Silva (Billiard Academy Miguel Silva, Funchal) was eliminated this Sunday afternoon in the men’s competition by Teams of the European Pool Championships, the run from the 1st to the 11th of the current month in Antalya (Turkey), when they lost 1-2 in the quarter-finals against Denmark, taking 5th place and on the verge of medals (for the four semifinalists).
A defeat that started to be guessed, at the three tables with simultaneous games, in the discipline of ‘Bola 9′, in which Bruno Sousa had no chances (2-9) against Mickey Krause, a duel that ended almost an hour before Miguel Silva beat Andreas Madsen 8-4 on the ’10 Ball’ and equalized (1-1). At that time, Américo Francisco, who in the ‘8 Ball’ came to lead 6-4 against Christoffer Lentz, trailed by 6-7.
The Nordic avoided the ‘black’ by winning the partial: 6-8, and victory for Denmark, which went on to the semi-finals, while Portugal, who had previously won Slovakia, Czech Republic and Russia (always 2-1), stayed by the way with a meritorious 5th place.
Two-time European champions (0-2) against Spain
Portugal started this Sunday in the Team competitions with the women’s team – Sara Rocha (Bracara) and Vânia Oliveira Franco (FC Porto), two-time European champions – fighting with Spain for a place in the ‘quarters’, but losing 0-2 and bid farewell to the test.
In the duel of the ‘Bola 9’ discipline, Vânia Oliveira Franco faced Amália Matas and didn’t start in the best way: she only led 2-1, but three split splits from her rival (2-4) forced her to always try to recover : still made 3-4 and went from 3-6 to 5-6, but the Spanish won (5-7) and made 0-1 for the opponents.
In the ‘8 Ball’, Sara Rocha measured a window with Silvia López-Fibla, and did not enter in the best way: she still recovered from 2-4 to 4-4, forced the ‘black’ to 5-5 but lost the decisive partial (5 -6), which sealed the victory of the rival and the 0-2 for Spain, avoiding the tiebreaker in the ‘penalties’.
Trio de Portugal survives to decisions in ‘Bola 8’
Teams apart, the Europeans’ ‘8 Ball’ individual tournaments continued this Sunday. Three of the seven players from Portugal are still in the competition and can dream of medals: Vânia Oliveira Franco in the women’s competition, Miguel Silva and Américo Francisco in the men’s competition, by winning their games.
Miguel Silva (Billiard Academy Miguel Silva) beat the Danish Christoffer Lentz in the ‘negra’ (8-7). He will face, on Monday, in the final table of 64 players (and in the 32nd of the final), Russian Fedor Gorst – European champion of ‘Straight Pool’ (or ’14 +1 ‘) this 2021, in Antalya -, when 6 am in mainland Portugal (9 am in Turkey).
In the playoffs duel that, like a Sara Rocha-Vânia Franco, the draw took great care to put ahead, Américo Francisco (P. Ferreira) beat Carlos Correia (Sanjoanense) by 8-5: the latter was out of the way, Américo Francisco has ahead in the 32nd of the final, on Monday, the Czech Roman Hybler (7.45 hours in mainland Portugal).
Bruno Sousa (SC Braga) was also eliminated in the ‘8 Ball’ competition, after losing 3-8 against the Turkish Emre Çelik. The same fate for João Sousa (Boavista), won by the Danish Andreas Madsen (3-8).
No Veneza Hotel de Antalya, in addition to the team matches, in the women’s individual competition of ‘Bola 8’, in which Sara Rocha (Bracara) had already been eliminated, Vânia Franco (FC Porto) beat German Melanie Sussenguth: plays 6-1 the round of 16 on Monday, the 8th, at 2.15 pm local time (11.15 pm in mainland Portugal) against another German, Veronika Ivanovskaia.
Regularity in high yield provided by Europeans of Portuguese. Vânia Oliveira Franco already has two ninth places in the individual competitions of the Pool disciplines previously disputed since the 1st of the current month consigned Europeans, in the disciplines of ’10 Ball’ and ‘Straight Pool’ (or ’14 +1′) and has already guaranteed , at least, identical classification also in the ‘Bola 8’, the third of the singular competitions. And the ‘9 Ball’ is still missing…
Vânia Franco plays the quarter-finals, with the guarantee of a bronze medal as a minimum in case of victory – the four semi-finalists have them guaranteed – on Monday, at 1pm Lisbon, with semi-finals and final in the same day (15 and 5.30 pm in mainland Portugal, respectively).