I'm in agreement with those who felt that Tony was mentally tired the last two hours of play, also I believe that the slow play that Dennis is exhibiting has bothered Tony. Tony has shown us that his style of play can beat anyone when he's playing his game, his ability and know how to move multiple balls has proven to be very effective and he must play the game that got him to where he is. Jerry hit the nail on the head when he said that Tony tried to win games too quickly the last several hours of the match and was lucky to end the day leading by six games-20 to 14.
Tony is a very confident player and his play reflects that, he shoots shots that only a hand full of players would attempt and hits them like a confident player would and some may mistake that as ..he's not playing the score. Players of Tony's caliber (upper echelon) plays more ball position then the score. (where the balls are positioned) There are times when the ball position is fairly easy to read the forecast, and in spite of certain leads playing a more aggressive shot would be the correct shot for upper echelon players playing his equal.
However, I do agree the last several hours of the match Tony didn't play the score and wanted to win fast by choosing the wrong shot and he paid for it. I expect Tony to play the same way he's been playing and the six game lead he has should put him into day four leading by the score of 30-26 or 30-27. The final day will be priceless for those who enjoy one pocket played the way champions play it, and i'm one of them.
Dr. Bill
