It's my favourite tournament arc, ever! Marvel at the speed at which Mary smashes through opponent after opponent (while trying her best to lose and drop out as soon as possible)!
It's a big jump from the latest novel volume. We're back in the early days of the series where side characters had their own stories, and there was family drama and overcoming obstacles and emotions and stuff. Even though I like the newer novels, I still wish we got more of this early approach.
(The manga could have cut down on the little girls shower scene fanservice, though.)
I think the best part of the manga version is the amount of times Sacher's there in the background, totally nonplussed by whatever's happening at the moment. And I have to give extra points for the last page of chapter 8. Now that's how you use the angle of view for maximum dramatic moment.