Ralf Souquet
Ralf Souquet may have just snuffed the last bits of life out of Team USA at the 2013 Partypoker.net Mosconi Cup.
Team Europe started the day with a 5-0 lead, and got things off on the right foot as they raced to a 3-0 lead in the first match of the day. Things got a little rocky for the European duo of Niels Feijen & Karl Boyes, as they dropped the next three games to Team USA's Johnny Archer & Rodney Morris, who played with a new found confidence. That confidence would run out for Team USA as Europe won the next two games to get to the hill at 5-3. Team USA won a safety battle to get back within one at 5-4, but a dry break in rack ten led to a Team Europe table run and the score was 6-0 for Team Europe.
Things looked they were changing for Team USA as a noticeably subdued Dennis Hatch ran out to a 4-1 lead over Ralf Souquet. Souquet had been in that position before though, and his demeanor didn't change as he calmly won rack after rack to capture a 5-4 lead. The mood of the room changed in the next rack as Hatch made a 9-ball break to tie the score at 5-5. An extended safety battle in the final rack was finally won by Souquet when he navigated a window to pocket the 1-ball and ran out for the 6-5 lead, and a 7-0 lead for Team Europe.
Next up for Team USA will be arguably the best two players from day one, Earl Strickland & Shane Van Boening playing Darren Appleton & Mika Immonen for Team Europe.
