Mika Immonen, Petri Makonnen bring World Cup of Pool title to Finland for the first time

With four balls remaining in the 18th rack of the 2012 World Cup of Pool Finals, it looked like Poland and Finland would battle it out in a hill-hill match. Poland was on the table after Mika Immonen missed a shot at the 2-ball, but Karol Skowerski overplayed the position after pocketing the 5-ball. His partner, Wojciech Szewcyk, was left with an awkward shot at the 6-ball, which he missed. Finland then had no problem cleaning the table up with Petri Makonnen sinking the 9-ball for the country’s first reign as World Cup of Pool Champions, winning it 10-8, Sunday at the Robinsons Place Mall in Ermita. It was the finale that nobody expected. Poland was ranked 10th in the lot while Finland was a lowly 16th but the two managed to go above and beyond expectations to arrange their 2012 World Cup of Pool Finals match to crown a new first-time champion. Finland had a tough path to the Finals. Immonen and Makonnen squeaked past a surprisingly tough South Korean team, then knocked off defending champion Germany in the Round of 16. Next up was a 9-5 drubbing of Philippines B, composed of the legends Efren Reyes and Django Bustamante. In the semis, they came back from behind to upset Team USA. Poland on the other hand defeated Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, and Chinese Taipei en route to the finals. The match started with a safety battle in the first rack with Finland pulling it out. However, the Polish duo of Skowerski and Szewcyk won three straight racks to take the lead. Finland played catch-up for most of the match. Poland threatened to break the game open when they led 7-5 thanks to a difficult 3-9 combination pocketed by Skowerski, but they came up dry on their next break to allow Finland to inch closer. Immonen and Makonnen finally broke through after Skowerski missed on a 6-ball in Rack 17. After the match, Imonnen hugged his much younger partner. The veteran carried the inexperienced Makonnen in the early stages of the tournament, but in this particular match, it was Makonnen who proved steadier. His pocketing was tremendous throughout the match, even as Imonnen committed a couple of unforced errors in the match. “I’m very proud of this guy. He’s a great shot maker,” Imonnen said about Makonnen. “He’s matured so much in this tournament.” Poland won $30,000 for their efforts while Finland will take home the $60,000 grand prize. “Mahal ko ang Pilipinas,” Immonen said. “It’s always a pleasure to come back here and play in the Mecca of pool.” - AMD/OMG, GMA News