THE BALL – Sara Rocha in the ‘socks’: Medal for Portugal at the Pool Europeans! (billiards)
Sara Rocha, from Braga, guaranteed earlier this Sunday the first medal for Portugal in the European Pool Championships, a competition organized by the European Pool and Billiards Federation (EPBF) and which took place in Lasko (Slovenia) from the 2nd to the 13th. of the month, in the female individual contest of the discipline of ‘Bola 10’.
Sara Rocha won, in the two billiards finals of the European Championship, a guaranteed two-quarter variant. – the Spanish Amálias by 6-2 in a game in which only 1-2 was in high for the snatched five for the victory!
Sara Rocha will now face, at 17:00 local time (minus one in mainland Portugal), the German Ina Kaplan – beat the Dutch Tamara Rademakers by 6-1 – in the semi-finals of ‘Ball 10’, where she will try to access to the final and to gold and silver.
The final agenda is set for 8.30 pm local time at the Hotel Thernana (one hour less in Lisbon), with German Melanie Sussenguth facing Turkey’s Eylull Kibaroglu, who beat Bulgaria’s Kristina Zlateva 6-5 in the ‘quarters’.
In the men’s ’10 Ball’, Miguel Silva failed to reach the semi-finals and the medal, after losing, also in the quarter-finals, to Croatian Roberto Bartol, by 4-8, in a game in which the Madeiran still led from the start. (1-0, 2-1 and 3-2): took 5th place.
Portugal-Bosnia Herzegovina treble Monday at ‘Bola 8’!
Before decisions in the individual ’10 Ball’ contests, they began in the women’s competitions as single ‘8 Ball’ events in both sexes, with 21 players in the competition – including Sara Rocha and Vânia Oliveira Franco – and 98 in the men’s, with a handful of Portuguese: Miguel Silva, João Grilo, Américo Francisco, José Pedro Pereira and João Sousa.
By the whim of the draw, a pair from Portugal had to face each other in the opening round. And Miguel Silva beat Américo Francisco 8-5, relegating for the latter as repechages, remember, evolved in ‘double’ – only to the defeat, to the second final table of players, if it is even old to be eliminated in a tournament.
Qualified for the next round, in addition to Miguel Silva, João Sousa (exempt by drawing) and João Grilo, who beat Sweden’s David Larsson in the ‘black’ (8-7).
Strangely enough, the trio from Portugal will face three players from Bosnia and Herzegovina (!) in the next round, on the morning of the fair (9 am local time, minus one in mainland Portugal): Miguel Silva plays Nobojsa Nikolic, João Sousa will face Alen Muratovic and João Grilo will face Sanjin Pehlivanovic.
José Pedro Pereira, measured strength by Mat already in ‘Ball 8’ also this Sunday with the Slovenian lost and lost 5-8. In the recaps, he returns to play only on Tuesday (10.45 local time, minus one in mainland Portugal), with the loser of the duel between… João Sousa (!) and the Bosnian Alen Muratovic.
Américo Francisco returns to the table at the Europeans in the ‘8 Ball’ competition on Monday (12.30 pm local time, minus one in mainland Portugal) to play with the Spaniard Iker Andoni Echevarria.
In the women’s event of ‘Ball 8’, Sara Rocha announced the logo in the morning – still from the quarter finals and the fight for the Medal in the individual event of ‘Ball 10’ – the Turkish Eylull Kibaroglu and lost, by 3-6. The Braga returns to action at ‘Ball 8’ on Monday (12:30 local time, minus one in mainland Portugal), with the winner of the clash between the German Veronika Ivanovskaia and the Norwegian Nina Torvund.
Vânia Franco, on the other hand, only debuts in the ‘8 Ball’ on Monday, against Spain’s Sílvia López-Fibla (9.45 hours local time, minus one in mainland Portugal).