Ina
Kaplan proves to be the perfect team player as she helps seal Germany's hard
fought win against Austria on Day 2 at the 2014 World Pool Team Championship
in Beijing.
Ina Kaplan doesn’t have the big time
experience, the world titles, nor the time logged in under the pressurized
glare of the TV spotlights that some of the greats of the women’s game have.
But the 27 year old from Siegen, Germany can, when she’s on her game,
certainly hold her own on the pool table against any opponent. Her Euro tour
win in late 2013 and her runner up finish in this year’s European
Championships attest to some solid cueing talent.
Playing for Team Germany this week in the 2014
World Pool Team Championship here in Beijing alongside greats Ralf Souquet and
Thorsten Hohmann, and fellow teammate Sebastian Staab, Kaplan would best be
described as a role player. You don’t count on her to regularly whip the likes
of Fu Xiaofang, Liu Shasha, Allison Fisher, Han Yu or Ga Young Kim. You need
Kaplan to come through for the team where and when she can. And that’s exactly
what she did on Day 2 today for Germany.
For their first match in the group stages of
this year’s World Team Championship, Germany found themselves against one of
the event’s toughest squads, Austria. Group C is pool’s equivalent of the
"Group of Death," with Germany, Austria and Great Britain all fighting to
advance to the knockout stage. A win early on was vital for both team’s
chances.
In the women’s 9-ball singles match, Kaplan got
thrashed by Jasmin Ouschan, 8-1. But then, with Germany leading in the overall
match 3-2, it was up to Kaplan and her partner Sebastian Staab to seal the
deal in the very last match, 10-ball mixed scotch doubles against Ouschan and
Jurgen Jenisy. A win would give Germany three points and a big boost in their
quest to advance to the knockout stage. A loss in this match and the overall
score would be tied with each team getting only 1 point.
Kaplan rose to the occasion when it counted,
and the pair swept Austria 7-2 to give the German’s the overall win, three
points, and a massive confidence boost moving forward. Afterwards, a delighted
Souquet spoke about what Kaplan brings to the German squad, but, at the same
time, with a format that brings together three men and one woman as a team, he
was also realistic.
"Some of these other teams have very strong
women," Souquet said.
"Ina's chances against players like Fu Xiafang,
Han Yu, Allison Fisher, Ga Young Kim, are small but if she plays well she can
be competitive. These women have so much more experience in big tournaments,
under pressure, they've won world championships. She's a good player and she’s
really good in doubles. I just tell her to have fun and enjoy playing for
Germany."
"We’re not heavy favorites. We’re about in the
middle. But I feel good about our chances, especially after today. Austria is
team that can win. That was our first match of the tournament so that’s never
easy. We’re not underdogs but we’re not heavy favorites."
Germany was, however, extremely pumped after
Kaplan and Saab notched the win and they went on to shutout a hapless South
Africa 6 -0 to make their place in the final 16 a near certainty.
Austria would come back in the second session
on Tuesday and have to do serious battle yet again, this time wrestling with
one of the tournament favorites in Great Britain which boasts Daryl Peach,
Karl Boyes, Chis Melling and Allison Fisher. Things got even more testy for
the Austrians as they found themselves down 3-1 with two matches to play. They
managed to win both and got a well-deserved tie and a point to keep their
hopes of qualifying alive.
Day
2 at the Tongzhou Luhe High School in Beijing saw 16 matches take place at the
World Pool Team Championship as the pretenders started to get weeded out of
contention for a coveted spot in the final 16 single elimination which begins
on Thursday. There were no surprises in either session but several teams
certainly impressed.
The Philippines, with heavyweights Dennis Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo
Biado and Rubilen Amit, continued their winning ways, staving off a feisty
Team USA to claim a 4-2 overall win. It was the Philippines second win of the
event and they will surely make it to the round of 16.
Sweden won its second straight match with a 5-1 thrashing of a very talented
up and coming Mongolian squad. Sweden made it to the quarterfinals here two
years ago and certainly has the talent to upset a favorite in the knockout
stage.
Both China squads won yet again but they have yet to be tested as they each
have had perhaps the easiest draws in the entire tournament. China 1, with Li
He Wen, Wu Jiaqing, Chu Bing Chia, Han Yu and Chen Siming thumped Croatia 5-1.
China 2 featuring Liu Haitao, Dang Ching Hu, Wang Can, Fu Xiaofang and Liu
Shasha beat Vietnam 5-1. Both China teams will definitely be seeing action in
the Final 16.
Chinese-Taipei, the defending champion, also won handily again, downing Russia
5-1. Japan, a runner up to Chinese-Taipei two years, won it's second straight
match.
Wednesday is Judgement Day here in Beijing, as the field will be whittled down
from 25 teams to 16, who will then compete in a single elimination knockout
which begins Thursday. The two semi-finals will be played on Friday, while the
Finals will take place on Saturday beginning at 2PM(GMT +8).
The knockout stage will give fans their first chance to see the exciting
shootout, a feature which is unique to the World Pool Team Championship. If
both squads end their six-match set tied at three, the winning team will be
decided by a shootout. Players will have to try and pot full table cut shots
into either corner pocket, with the first team to reach six points and get a
two point margin—i.e. 6-4, 7-5—declared the winner.
