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Schmidt Overcomes Defending Champion Archer in Puerto Rico
Jan 29, 2007, 9:46 AM

“Mr. 400” John Schmidt made his mark in his first trip to the island of Puerto Rico over the weekend at the Puerto Rico Challenge. He met two-time defending champion Johnny Archer in the final, and squashed the Scopion with his a big 6-4, 6-2 win. Schmidt put on a sizzling display as he overmatched Archer with his great shot-making skills.

The tournament started out with former PR Champ, Juan “Papin” Rodriguez beating “Mr. 8-ball” Wilfredo Camacho, 6-4. On the next match, Luis Cancel scored the upset of the night when he man-handled Edwin “Guimo” Garcia, the island’s top 8-ball player. Archer looked in top form while beating “Papin” Rodriguez, 8-2. Schmidt needed to shake off some jitters in his series against Cancel, but after a couple of games, he got his groove going, prevailing, 8-2.

The finals were set as a two-set race-to-6 with a Sudden Death final table if needed. Schmidt didn’t need it, as he got into a groove early on. After receiving the $1,000 first prize from Mr. Jaime Cintron, president of Yauco’s Municipal Legistlature, Schmidt addressed the crowd, thanking PR Pool for giving him the opportunity to come down to the island. Mr. Cintron, promised that Yauco’s Municipal Administration would continue to support big tournaments, while putting Yauco on the worldwide map.

Fans enjoyed a great show all weekend long, as Schmidt and Archer played amateurs from the crowd on Friday and Saturday.