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FINAL MATCH: BUSTAMANTE
and ORTMANN AGAIN
By Kirstin
Pires
Wednesday, July 13, 7:35 PM
CST
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The final is set in the $50,000 2000 Challenge of Champions, and
it looks a lot like 1999. The players, Oliver Ortmann and
Francisco Bustamante are the same, the Mohegan Sun Casino is the
venue; in fact the only difference is that this year Francisco
Bustamante is the defending champion. But no matter who
wins, the Challenge of Champions will celebrate its 10th
anniversary with its first ever two-time champion.
Bustamante defeated Luc Salvas 5-4, 5-3 to earn a return
engagement with Ortmann, and the tight scores accurately depict
the tense play in the second semi-final. Neither man led by more
than one in the first set, and in the second, Bustamante went
ahead from a 3-3 tie.
A smiling Salvas just seemed glad to have been invited, "I
improved my game this weekend," Salvas said, noting the tough
competition.
Bustamante will take a TV time-out (all of today's matches will be
broadcast on ESPN in September) before facing Ortmann, who has had
two hours to watch Bustamante play and contemplate last year's
outcome. Both men are under tremendous pressure.
Bustamante's game plan? "I'm going to play good!"
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Bustamante will face a familiar face in the final:
Oliver Ortmann.
Machine Gun Luc Salvas was a blur at the table, but
Bustamante shot him
down.
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