“I’ve tried not to listen to anyone. I’m just focusing on my game.”
Daniel Sanchez (Spain, SY), the “Spain 3 Cushion Legend,” will try to win his first professional league title after recovering from a long slump.
Sanchez advanced to the semifinals by beating Lee Chung-bok (High1 Resort) 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the “2024 PBA SY Bazar Hanoi Open” held at the Grand Plaza Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam on the 25th (local time).
Sanchez was dubbed one of the “four kings of three cushions” in the amateur league, showing off her outstanding skills. However, she struggled in the PBA that she started after receiving huge stature. Her best performance in the 2023-24 season, which was her first season, was around the round of 32.
In his second season, Sanchez is gradually adapting to the PBA. At the second round (Hana Card PBA Championship), he advanced to the round of 16 best teams for the first time, and at this year’s championship, he beat Kang Dong-gung (SK Rent-a-Car) and Lee Chung-bok in succession to advance to the round of four best teams.
After the quarterfinals with Lee Chung-bok, Sanchez said calmly, “Nothing has changed much from last year,” adding, “I just keep practicing and trying to have a healthy mind.”
“Last season, I felt like a rookie. I had to adapt to the new system and the way I played, but that didn’t work out,” he said. “In the end, all I can do in the sport of billiards is practice. I kept practicing and focused on adaptation.”
Blocking reactions from others is what Sanchez paid most attention to. When Sanchez fell short of expectations last season, many fans around the world who liked him for a long time expressed their support in various forms. However, some anti-fans bullied Sanchez with outright criticism and mockery.
It was inevitable. Sanchez had to accept that, too. He was never used to such a situation because he was a billiard player who had been on a roll without a slump for most of his life.
Sanchez said, “I’m always grateful for the fans who always show interest and support,” adding, “But some people said sharp words such as ‘Sanchez is over now’ and ‘Go back to where you were’.”
“That’s why it was important to block what I heard and focus on practice. I tried not to care about anything good or bad,” he said. “I don’t even look at my phone as much as I can when the competition begins. I’m sure there are a lot of messages now, but I plan to reply after the competition is over.”
Sanchez will face off against Chenette in the semifinals. Chenette defeated Javier Palason of Spain (Huons) in the quarterfinals 3-1 to make it to the semifinals in 394 days. If Sanchez beats Chenette and reaches the final, she will have the final match with the winner of the semifinal match between Um Sang-pil and Kang Min-koo of Woori Financial Capital for the prize money of 100 million won. 스포츠토토
Sanchez, who makes subtle changes to hitting the ball by checking the humidity of the stadium, said, “I can’t guarantee victory unconditionally, but I expect it to be a good game if I prepare well mentally,” adding, “I want to say thank you to the fans who always believe in me and support me when it’s good or when it’s not.”