Storm loses thriller match in the semis

First huge upset in straight pool

Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina: The biggest surprise of the tournament so far! Kim Uytenbogaardt (NED) overcame favored Tom Storm (SWE) in the semi-final of the senior's straight pool division with 75:70.

The odds were all on Storm. His performance in the straight pool competition has been second to none so far. His opponent has also won all his matches but by far not as spectacular as Storm did. So no wonder, everyone expected a clear run for Storm. But Uytenbogaardt did not agree with that. The Dutch senior player never gave up. In the early stage of the match, Storm ran away as expected. He missed a ball at 15:0 but Uytenbogaardt could not capitalize from it. He only made a few points before he allowed Storm back in. As the match went on, Storm took a comfortable 54:15 lead and things looked like a walk in the park for him. But two things happened unexpectedly. Storm missed easy shots and took the wrong decisions at times. When the time for a safety shot was there, he decided to go for it. This , plus an Uytenbogaardt who always believed in himself and stayed calm lead to a situation where Storm missed a ball being in the lead with 70:53. The pressure for the Dutch was unbelievably high. But he managed it and controlled his nerves, pocketing 22 balls and winning the match with 75:70.

In the other semi-final, Manuel Pereira (POR) remained victorious over Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) 75:52.

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