Rd 1 Matchups
#8 xl_bankqueen_lx vs #9 decent.shot - Here we have the always fun group stage rematch in the first round of the playoffs. Last time around Corey defeated Kerry with a decisive 6-3 win. Not sure what the actual statistics on this are but I think more often than not the winner from the group stage ends up losing the re-match in the playoffs. If I had been predicting the group stage matchup I probably would have thought that Kerry would have taken a slow set but Corey proved that he can definitely step his game up to deal with tricky opponents. Haven't seen Corey around in a bit so hopefully this set can get played. If it does get played I think it will play out in Kerry's favour this time.
8-6 Kerry Result - DQ win for Kerry
#5 en_dk vs #12 darth_v4der - Another first round rematch here. The first one was taken 6-3 by Nigel in the group stage. Nigel had a fairly impressive group stage, getting past good opponents to finish 4-1 with his only loss coming to the top seed Dorie. Jan just barely squeaked into the playoffs after his group stage finished with more losses than wins. Seemed like he got better as he went along finishing with a clutch set win against Chrissie to grab his spot in the playoffs. I think this set should be a little closer in the result this time with Nigel maintaining the advantage.
7-5 Nigel Result - 8-6 Nigel
#7 dr_papsmear_at_your_cervix vs #10 goodoldmrcheeseman - Seems as if we have nothing except group stage rematches in our first round here. This should prove to be one of the more entertaining first round matchups because both players are capable of playing well. The first time around Adam claimed victory in a tight set. Jason will definitely feel as if he should have won that set and will come back into this one expecting a victory. Adam is very inconsistent but I think he'll be able to hold it together a little better than Jason to advance another round.
7-5 Adam Result - 7-1 Adam
#6 CANUCK_59 vs #11 lvlanchester.l_lnited - This should be yet another competitive rematch between DJ and Nish. Nish is one of my favourites to win the competition this year and was only seeded this low because of his incomplete group stage. Finishing with a 3-1 record oddly enough the only loss came to his current opponent DJ in a 6-3 result. DJ is looking better than he has in previous seasons coming into these playoffs and really got an unlucky draw to have to play against Nish first. He's definitely proven that he can beat Nish but I think Nish won't allow a repeat performance this time.
7-4 Nish Result - 7-3 Nish
Rd 2 Matchups
#1 PROP37 vs #8 xl_bankqueen_lx - The #1 seed Dorie is finally getting a chance to play in these playoffs. After an impressive undefeated run through the group stage her first opponent in the playoffs will be Kerry who lucked out by not having to play in the previous round. Although Dorie hasn't lost yet up until this point I'm not sure that she's had to play an opponent with the abilities of Kerry yet. Kerry definitely possesses multiple dimensions to her game and will be able to slow things down if she has to. I believe that in table running Kerry also has a slight edge and that's what this set should come down to. Both players are solid and keeping the bad mistakes to minimum will be key to succeed. Again not sure if this is really much of an upset considering Kerry's previous set experience but I'm picking her to move on this matchup.
7-5 Kerry Result - 7-5 Kerry
#4 Top__Dawg__ vs #5 en_dk - Last season Sterlo showed us that he can finally compete in sets with his first playoff appearance being relatively successful. Nigel is back in sscam and moving along quite well so far with only one set loss in 5 matches. This could be an interesting clash of styles as Sterlo will often shoot for the run right away while Nigel can be more content to sit back and let things open up. In this match the difference will be that when the opportunities present themselves Sterlo is better at cleaning up tables and can hit better shots to bail himself out of tricky situations. Nigel will put up a fight and don't be shocked to see an upset here if Sterlo is really off his game.
7-4 Sterlo Result - 7-4 Sterlo
#2 SuGaRBa8y vs #7 dr_papsmear_at_your_cervix - We're into the quarter-final round with Jenni facing Adam. Jenni had her best group stage to date and should be helped out by her high seeding. Adam answered any questions about consistency in the previous round with a 7-1 beatdown of Jason. I think Adam really has as good of a chance as anyone to make the finals and maybe win outright with his improvements over the previous seasons. Jenni has a great seed which needs to be respected but I'm not sure that seed can be taken overly serious until some results are produced. Not sure how big of an upset this would be but I think Adam will advance.
7-4 Adam Result - 7-3 Adam
#3 PSYCHOJASON vs #11 lvlanchester.l_lnited - This should be a pretty interesting set. Nish was possibly a div A player before all the time he took off pool and he definitely showed he can still play well with a pretty comfortable round 1 win. Jason has been in this competition many times with this being his first playoff match. He's definitely gotten a lot better from previous competitions and I think Jason will take advantage if Nish doesn't bring his best game. I'd like to pick Jason but Nish can definitely lean on his safety game if he ever needs to which is sure to frustrate. I take Nish to win but Jason is a good enough runner to keep it close.
7-5 Nish Result - 7-2 Nish
Semi-Finals
#8 xl_bankqueen vs #4 Top__Dawg__ - Well at least one of the two semi-final matches should end up taking place. Kerry and Sterlo had both had good results to make it this far and now the run to the final ends for one of them. These two were always favourites to make it this far from the outset of the group stage so it's always nice to see them matching up in the important final rounds. Its hard to pick a winner between these two. I've never really seen much consistency from Sterlo's game in the past but that 7-4 win in the previous round was definitely a good sign. Kerry has a pretty solid game and she's been at this point before in competitions so she'll be hoping to take it one step further. Over the course of a race to 9 between these two it could really go either way but I think Sterlo will continue his run and have a chance to win it all in the finals.
9-6 Sterlo Result - 9-4 Kerry
#7 dr_papsmear_at_your_cervix vs #12 lvlanchester.l_lnited - Match will not take place as Adam will not be eligible.
Result - 9-DQ Nish
Finals
#8 xl_bankqueen_lx vs #12 lvlanchester.l_lnited - Well we've come a long way after after over a month of sets being played we finally have our finals matchup on the div B side. Seemingly neither player has been given a big test up until here. Kerry managed a fairly decisive win in the previous round over Sterlo which tells me she's meaning business in her efforts to take the title. Nish on the other side has lost only 4 games in 2 matches along with a DQ win to advance into the finals. If Nish had been playing a lot leading into this season he probably would have been slotted into div A and he's showing that it really doesn't take that long to get your game back up to speed with those results. Kerry is playing some pretty good pool as well and although the win against Sterlo is impressive, he is notorious for playing horrendous sets every seemingly pretty often. I think Nish is probably a better runner and also has a much more disciplined approach where he won't take risks if safeties will help make things easier for him. Unless Kerry is able to finish her more challenging runs with consistency I think Nish's style of play will carry him to the div B title here.
9-6 Nish
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