The shining 'supporting cast' of the PBA TeamLeague Finals

The supporting cast shines brighter than the lead?

That's one of the things to watch in the Professional Billiards Phoebe (PBA) Team League Finals between SK Rent-a-Car and Hana Card. It's said that big games need crazy players, and Kang Ji-eun (SK Rent-a-Car) and Sakai Ayako (Hanacard) have been the lifeblood of their teams with their subtle performances.

In Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2023-2024 Welcome Savings Bank Team League Finals (best-of-seven) at the Kintex PBA Stadium in Goyang, South Korea on Thursday, the duo helped tie the series 1-1 with their alto-like strokes.

It was Hanakad's Sakai who stood out first. Sakai spearheaded the team to a 4-2 victory in the first match of the day with two wins in the second-set women's doubles and fourth-set mixed doubles. Hanacard lost the first-set men's doubles and third-set men's singles, but balanced it out with Sakai-led wins in sets two through four, before clinching the first match with wins in the fifth-set men's singles and sixth-set women's singles from Shin Jung-ju and Kim Ga-young.

In the second match of the final, SK Rent-a-Car's Kang Ji-eun proved to be the difference maker. She teamed up with Hida Oriie for a two-set women's doubles victory, and capped off a long battle with a six-set women's singles victory over Kim Ga-young. SK Rent-a-Car took the first three sets and looked to be on their way to an easy victory, but Hana Card fought back to take the fourth and fifth sets before Kang Ji-Eun made a last-ditch effort.

In the final showdown between the two teams for the $100 million prize, all eyes are on the men, including Kang Dong-gung and Eddie Lepence (both of SK Rent-a-Car), Murat Naji Chokloo and Shin Jeong-joo (both of Hanacard), for their power and finesse.

However, the women are responsible for three of the seven sets, so their performance and chemistry with their teammates is often the deciding factor.

In the first match of the day, Sakai was on fire in the second set with Kim Ga-young, and in the fourth set of the mixed doubles, she teamed up with Chouklou to spark a come-from-behind victory (9-8).

Kang Ji Eun also teamed up with Hida to win the second-set women's doubles match in the second round, while in the sixth-set women's singles match, Kang Ho Kim rallied from a five-point deficit with a bold shot to reach the 메이저토토사이트 nine-point plateau and save match point.

Commentator Kim Hyun-seok said, "In team leagues, the tide of the match changes more. The second, fourth, and sixth sets, where the women play, are exquisitely arranged, giving the team hope or deciding the match at every juncture. The women are the ones who make the difference."

The final three and four matches will take place on Friday at 4pm and 9:30pm.