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For Lee, he came within a whisker of nearly pulling off a comeback for the ages, and at the same time, earned for himself the admiration of legions of pool fans around the world who were in awe at the 31 year old’s tenacity and never-say-die spirit.
After splitting the first four racks, Appleton caught the type of gear every single pro player dreams about when they wonder how they would hope to play in a championship final. He had several break and run outs, he punished every mistake Lee made, and as he piled up the racks and his lead grew ever wider, he literally oozed confidence.
“At 11-3 down I lost my focus,” Appleton said. “That’s because I had played so good up to that point. I was anxious to get it over with. And I’m thinking, I can’t lose, he needs a miracle. At 12-6 I was sure it was over because I had the easiest clearance you could ever have. But I snookered myself because I had too much adrenalin. Then after that, nothing happened for me. Around 12-10 I started feeling the heat.”
For Lee he had figured the match was over when he was down 11-3 and he never considered he could come back until a few racks later, when he started to notice Appleton getting concerned.
“At first I didn’t think I could catch up,” Lee said through an interpreter. “Then at 12-6 I started to play well because it was like I had already lost the match so I was relaxed. When I started to get close to him I could feel that he was nervous and then I started to get excited, thinking I can win.”
But while Lee nearly made a miracle comeback, it was Appleton who pulled off the miracle win, at the very last chance, in the biggest match of his life.
“If I’d have lost that match I would have jumped off a bridge,” Appleton said. “But I played the best rack of my life that last rack. Incredible. I can’t believe what just happened.”
Its Dynamite in Dohahttp://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?storynum=10155
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
Leonardo da Vinci