2011 WSOP: DREAM MATCHUPS AS FINAL FOUR SET AT 25K HEADS UP CHAMPIONSHIP

PHOTO/SOURCE: POKERNEWS.com

Eight players duked it out and only four have survived to the next round of the 25K NLH Heads Up World Championship at the WSOP - the first bracelet to be awarded this summer.

We had four great matchups on the board when Quarter-Final play began earlier today.

Yevgeniy Timoshenko defeats David Paredes
In what may have been the feature match in the Quarters, 2009 WPT World Champion Yevgeniy Timoshenko was the first to move onto the Final Four - defeating accomplished pro David Paredes.

Eric Froehlich defeats Nikolay Evdakov
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Eric Froehlich (pictured) was the next to move onto the Final Four, defeating Evdakov. Froehlich's bracelets came in 2005 and 2006 when he was in his early twenties - he actually became the youngest bracelet holder in WSOP history at the time ... but live results haven't come too easy for Froehlich since then - in fact, no live victories since the two bracelets. EFro is looking for redemption - and it may come very early at this year's Series.

Gus Hansen defeats Matt Marafioti
Gus is back at it - looking for his second WSOP bracelet - this time, on the Vegas side of the pond ... Hansen won the High Rollers Heads Up event at the 2010 WSOP Europe, earning his first bracelet. He is moving onto the next round with his win over Canadian Matt Marafioti.

Jake Cody defeats Anthony Guetti
Jake Cody is looking for the trifecta. Cody stormed onto the scene in 2010 by capturing EPT Deauville and WPT London. Cody is not hoping to add a WSOP bracelet to his collection following his Elite 8 victory over Anthony Guetti.

So, the Final Four matchups are now set and we're looking at two All-Star matches on the horizon...

Yevgeniy Timoshenko v Eric Froehlich
Gustav Hansen v Jake Cody


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2011 World Series of Poker
25K NLH Heads Up World Championship
May 31-June 3, 2011

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Buy-in: $25,000
Prizepool: $3,040,000
Entries: 128

FINAL RESULTS:
Bracelet Winner 126
Runner-Up 76
3rd place 41 (SEMI-FINAL LOSERS)
MATT MARAFIOTI 24
ANTHONY GUETTI 24
NIKOLAY EVDAKOV 24
DAVID PAREDES 24
TOM DWAN 9
STEVE BILLIRAKIS 9
JOHN DUTHIE 9
OLIVIER BUSQUET 9
RICHARD LYNDAKER 9
KUNIMARO KOJO 9
MIKHAIL SMIRNOV 9
JONATHAN JAFFE 9