Pressure Gauge: Jones, Pan Handle It

After a fast start, Kim fell flat with a string of loose safeties and bobbled shots.

The next to fall was Ouschan, who never seemed to have a handle on her semifinal with Kim. After she knotted the score at 2-2, a smattering of misses and inexact safeties allowed Kim to collect the next five racks for the victory.

"I have no idea what happened," a perturbed Ouschan said after the match. "I'm definitely not happy with it. I wasn't breaking well, compared to earlier. She just ran out and took the chances. When I got a chance, it didn't work out for me."

In first finals rematch between Kim and Pan since February 2007, their personalities and approaches were in stark relief. The prim Pan arrived on time for the late evening match, and practiced rack after methodical rack on the TV table. Kim rushed in late just as officials mentioned the possibility of putting her on the clock. She sped through a couple of practice racks, appearing irritated and anxious.

Although Pan fell into a quick 3-1 hole against Kim, she had superior focus. Pan punished Kim for erratic play during a 5-0 run, threading the cue ball through loose safeties and running out after misses. Kim had an opportunity to tie the match at 5-5, but inadvertantly nudged the 8 ball into a dead-scratch position after sinking the 7. Kim bleated something like "Why? Why?" and attempted a safety that Pan quickly converted into a runout. Pan broke and dismantled the final rack for the title - her second since joining the Classic Tour in 2006.

Afterward, Pan admitted to feeling nervous before the match, recalling her earlier loss to Kim in the fourth round and at the Carolina Classic last year.

"So I felt a lot of pressure and thought I might be able to win this tournament," Pan said through an interpreter after the match. "But I just played my game. I tried not to think about it and focused on the table."

The match finished and the work crews dismantling the arena, Pan app-eared to finally relax. Her shoulders loosened, and her faced widened with a bright smile - her first of the night. Take it from Jeremy Jones, enjoying the experience is its own reward.

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