by Lea Andrews

On the penultimate day of the 34th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, the final four on the winners’ side have come through, and on the one-loss side, Steve Moore came from behind two matches in a row to reach the final twelve. The remaining elite players are part of the original field of 216 who gathered October 18-24 at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA.

After falling to Ralf Souquet 11-4 on the winners’ side final eight, Moore faced Keith Bennett, who’d just edged out Kenichi Uchigaki 11-10. Bennett got to a 9-3 lead over Moore, who rallied to tie it up at 9, and the two traded off to make it hill-hill. In the final rack, Moore found himself sharked on the 5 ball by the red light on a spectator’s camera. “I got up and I got back down, and she did it again,” recalled Moore after the match. “I got up and I told her about it, but when I got back down, I was still thinking about it.” He missed. But he was back at the table after Bennett miscued on the 6, though he was looking at a kick. After Moore’s hit, Bennett was left with a shot, but his position was off on the 7 ball, and the cue ball found the side pocket. Moore was out, and his next match against Yukio Akagarivama was called nearly instantly.

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Once again Moore was down several games, then tied at 9 and at 10. After some safety play in the final rack, it was Akagarivama who had control, and he moved carefully through the rack. His shot on the 7 down the rail grazed the cushion, though, leaving the 7 hanging in the pocket and the crowd all gasping at once. Moore tapped it in for position on the 8 in the side, which he considered carefully before getting down on the shot. “There were so many options on the eight,” he explained afterwards. “And then I was like, ‘You know what? Just spin the ball in, three-rail it.’ It’s a pretty routine shot—I was just looking at all my options, and I hit it real well. I knew as soon as I hit it.” After getting perfect position on the 9, Moore dropped it in for the win and the right to face Imran Majid, who fell 11-7 to Lee Van Corteza on the winners’ side. About the rest of the tournament, Moore doesn’t care how the matches go—not exactly. “I don’t care if I’m behind and win or ahead and win—I just want to win. Whatever it takes.”

Morris admitted that he had a rather fortuitus set against Davenport.

On the other side of the bracket, 1996 U.S. Open champion “Rocket” Rodney Morris blew by Kim Davenport 11-2 on the TV table to reach the undefeated final four. Morris, who won his first match on the TV table 11-9 against Corey Deuel despite feeling nervous about the way it played, was prepared this time around. “My touch was better than his on the table, and it’s so lightning fast that it’s all touch,” he explained. “It’s easy to lose the cue ball on safeties, but mine were coming out perfect.” Morris faces Donnie Mills, who eased past Karl Boyes 11-3, while Souquet and Corteza round out the final four.

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by Lea Andrews

As day five of the 34th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships draws to a close, some former champions are saving their dreams of repeats for next year, while others continue their march towards the finish line and the green jacket and $40,000 that come with it. The field of 216 that arrived for the event, which is being held October 18-24 at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA, is growing steadily smaller as the end of the week draws near.

2002 winner Ralf Souquet is one such winner still marching on, having arrived in the winners’ side final eight following his victory over Steve Moore. After being tied up 4-4 with Moore, Souquet didn’t allow him to hit the string again. “Well,” acknowledged a modest Souquet, “he didn’t want to win it. Let’s put it that way,” he laughed. “He had some chances—he scratched twice, both times on the second-to-last ball. He could’ve won a lot more games. It could’ve been a much tighter game, because I didn’t play very well. I made several mistakes throughout the match. So did he,” conceded Souquet, “but I managed to get over my weak points and finish the match with quite a comfortable score of 11-4.”

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After his BCA Hall of Fame industion ceremony Archer was on fire and lit his next two opponents up as he moved into Friday's action.

1999 winner Johnny Archer had to go straight from his Hall of Fame induction ceremony to his west side match versus Stan Tourangeau, who managed to mark up two games only after Archer had already marked up nine, and Archer took the next two to close it out 11-2. “It felt good,” said Archer of his first win following his induction, which he called “a great experience.” About the remainder of the tournament, Archer is optimistic. “Just need a good couple of breaks and I think I could be right there at the end.” Also continuing through the left side of the bracket are former champions Shane Van Boening and Corey Deuel, while past champions now out of the competition include Nick Varner, Mike Lebron, and Gabe Owen.

Several players joining Souquet and Corteza in the final eight are “Rocket” Rodney Morris, who won 11-9 over British player Chris Melling; Kim Davenport, who defeated Mike Dechaine 11-8; Demetrius Jelatis, who sent Donnie Mills west 11-5; and Karl Boyes, who bested Jose Parica 11-4.

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by Lea Andrews

Niels Feijen, who fell in round one to Ramil Gallego 11-8, blew past Curtis Coleman 11-0 to face Raj Hundal in a tight elimination-round match on day four of the 34th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships. Feijen is one of the field of 216 that is gathered at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA, October 18-24, though that field is steadily dwindling.

Feijen opened up by getting ahead 3-0 over Hundal, but Hundal used some safety play to tie it up at three apiece. Feijen took rack seven, but his break, which is powerful and controlled, nevertheless did him no favors in the next three racks, though he was able to work around it with push-outs and safeties to make it 7-3. His break worked well for him in rack eleven, and he ran out to take a five-game lead. Rack twelve went to Feijen, but thirteen went to Hundal, and it was 9-4, at which point Hundal began putting the racks together. Three straight break and runs put Hundal on the path to a comeback 9-7, but he couldn’t see the 1 ball after the break in rack eighteen and chose a kick-safe, though it left Feijen a shot, which he pocketed and followed up with a safety on the 2 ball. Although Hundal managed to hit it, Feijen was out and on the hill, and a 9 ball that sailed into the head corner off of a ball sealed the match.

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Feijen, who fell in round one to Gallego 11-8, blew past Coleman 11-0 to face Hundal in a tight elimination-round match on day four of the 34th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships.

“It was nice,” said Feijen, who’d found himself in a similar situation in 2006 in the World Pool Masters against Hundal, though there situations were reversed—in 2006, it was Hundal on the hill. “It was the same nine ball break in the same corner, but his hit one more ball,” he explained. Feijen, who feels he’s getting more and more in stroke after getting some practice in the past couple of days, is ready to just “keep playing and keep enjoying it.” Hundal joins a growing list of those out of the running, including CJ Wiley, Jerry Calderon, and Shaun Wilkie, who fell 11-9 to Scott Tollefson after being up 9-8.

Upcoming winners’ side matches include Corey Deuel versus Rodney Morris, Roberto Gomez versus Kim Davenport, who sent Shawn Putnam west 11-8, Ralf Souquet versus Abdullah Alyousef, and Shane Van Boening versus Jose Parica.

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photo courtesy Rodney Andrews

by Lea Andrews

Day three of the 34th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships was the final day for some of the field of 216, while others, some of whom are responsible for the heavy hitters on the west side of the bracket, continue their quest for the title on the east. The event, which features a grand prize of $40,000, runs October 18-24 at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA.

One such giant slayer is British player Scott Higgins, who sent fellow Brit Raj Hundal to the left side 11-7 in the second round and followed it up with a hill-hill win over Filipino Warren Kiamco in the third. Higgins, who played in the Open last year but didn’t fare very well, has since improved and is currently ranked 16th on the Euro Tour. In a seesaw match against Kiamco, he found himself down 3-1, then up 6-3 and down 9-6, 9-8, and 10-8. Kiamco’s dry break in rack 19 left Higgins out, and Higgins’ break and run in rack 20 put the score at hill-hill. He played safe on the 2 ball, and Kiamco’s masse missed its mark, giving Higgins ball in hand. “He left me a 2-9 combo but I didn’t even see the shot,” said Higgins. “I just got focused on trying to clear the table.” When he did finally see the shot, “I started laughing,” he said.

Bennett is also moving quickly along, having notched matching 11-9 wins over Ortmann and Williams to go up against Majid in upcoming round four.

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Keith Bennett is also moving quickly along, having notched matching 11-9 wins over Oliver Ortmann and Charlie Williams to go up against Imran Majid in upcoming round four. Chris Bartram, who was responsible for sending defending champion Mika Immonen west 11-9 and David Alcaide west 11-6, will face Jason Klatt, who put Thorsten Hohmann on the left side 11-9.

Out of the running are CJ Wiley, who fell 11-8 to Tom D’Alfonso, and Bob Jewett, who fell 11-9 to Chris Futrell.

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by Lea Andrews

With second round winners’ side matches nearing completion, day two of the 34th annual US Open 9-Ball Championships, held October 18-24 at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA, saw its fair share of both hill-hill battles and lopsided blowouts. As a result, several of the well-known names that saturate the 216-man field are now on the left side of the bracket, while others continue their trek towards the far right.

Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant is one of the fortunate ones who sunk the 21st 9 ball of the match, as he moved past Jonathan “Hennessee” Pinegar 11-10. Topping the list of the less fortunate was Nick Varner, who tied it up at 10 with Michael Badstuebner after being down 9-2. Demetrius Jelatis made it by Marcus Chamat 11-10 to face Eric Moore, who put Mike Davis on the other side 11-8. Having gotten by Edmundo Ambrose 11-10, Ryan “The Genie Man” McCreesh will face reigning 10-ball world champion Darren Appleton, who sent Jordanian champ Zaid Thweib west 11-4.

Topping the list of the less fortunate was Nick "The Kentucky Colonel" Varner, who tied it up at 10 with Michael Badstuebner after being down 9-2.

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Mike Wong was another fortunate, getting past Mac Harrell 11-10, while Qi Liu edged out Matt Krah 11-10 to face Mike Dechaine, who was one of the victors by blowout, having sent Steve Jenkins to the one-loss side 11-1. Rodney Morris allowed his opponent, Greg McAndrews, just one game as well, as did Shane Van Boening against Marvin Davis, and Donnie Mills permitted Steve Sones just two games to earn the right to face 1992 U.S. Open champion Tommy Kennedy, who got past Jimmy Wetch 11-5. Kim Davenport, who breezed by Joe Keith 11-3, will face Shawn “Big Bubba” Putnam, who won 11-7 over Cliff Joyner.

Two-time runner-up Ronnie Alcano has joined the west side after running into Japanese player Tomoo Takano, who held him to six games. Meanwhile, five-time winner Earl Strickland displayed his true run-out colors by keeping Erik Hjorliefson away from the table after rack 10, closing out the match with a six-pack to advance 11-6.

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by Lea Andrews

With the action still going strong on day two of the 34th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, which is being held October 18-24 at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA, many big names remain undefeated after two rounds of play, while others have become early victims. All 216 players remain in the field, though elimination rounds begin Tuesday morning.

Still on the winners’ side is past champion Ralf Souquet, who notched up an 11-1 win over EJ Glode and an 11-4 win over Thomas Giddens. After shutting out Pat DiBuono, Steve Moore rolled over Stefano Ariavakis 11-1. Spain’s David Alcaide was almost as stingy with the 9 balls in his first two matches—he rode an 11-1 win over Scott Hershman to an 11-3 victory over Kaloyan Rusanov.

Bartram handed Immonen his first loss in his title defense.

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Defending champion Mika Immonen, who held Jerry Fitchett to six games in round one, will have to defend his crown from the left side of the bracket after running into a determined Chris Bartram in round two. Bartram got out ahead 2-0, 3-1, and 7-3, but Immonen managed to tie it up at eight games apiece. Talent and luck were both on Bartram’s side in the final racks, and he took racks seventeen and eighteen with a 2-9 combination and a 1-9 combination, respectively, and though Immonen claimed rack nineteen after Bartram left a safety on the 2 ball open, he couldn’t close rack twenty, which turned into a safety battle after Immonen missed position on the 6 ball. It was Bartram who came out on top, making a difficult shot on the 6 to earn the right to face Alcaide 11-9. Another fallen hero is 2004 U.S. Open champion Gabe Owen, who fell 11-9 to Abdullah Alyousef after being up 4-1. Runner-up that year, Thorsten “The Hitman” Hohmann also suffered a second-round loss to Jason Klatt 11-9. After falling 11-6 to Robb Saez, 2006 U.S. Open champion John Schmidt will face Don Steele on Wednesday, while Oliver Ortman , who fell 11-9 to Keith Bennett, will face Thorsten Hohmann, who managed just nine games himself against Jason Klatt.

Second round winners’ matches still to come are Jonathan “Hennessee” Pinegar versus Charlie Bryant, Tony Chohan versus Jose Parica, Darren Appleton versus Zaid Thweib, and Shane Van Boening versus Marvin Davis.

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by Lea Andrews

With day one action nearly complete at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA, most big names are still on the winners’ side, while some have yet to play and a few have found themselves on the wrong side of the bracket early on. Though the field of 216 is still intact, it will be dwindling as play continues October 18-24.
Quick wins came from five-time US Open winner Earl “The Pearl” Strickland, who breezed by Michael Yednak 11-2, and Corey Deuel and Stevie Moore, who had shutout wins over Frank Rolfe and Pat DiBuono, respectively.

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Manalo managed CJ Wiley in the 11pm televised match on day 1 at the 2009 U.S. Open.

CJ Wiley went west after his pushout left Omar Santiago a table-length one-nine bank carom, which he nailed to take the match 11-4. First round matches continue through Monday afternoon, and yet to play are Tommy Kennedy, who will face Robert Pole, and Daryll Peach, who will meet up with Randy Labonte. 2009 Predator International 10-Ball World Tour champion David Alcaide goes up against Scott Hershman Monday afternoon.

Charlie Williams dispatched Johnny Archer to claim the Lucasi Hybrid Classic title at Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville, FL.

Player and promoter Charlie Williams has won the Lucasi Hybrid Classic hosted by Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville, FL.  It’s been pretty rare lately for Shane Van Boening to be playing in the semi-finals and to not win the event. The “South Dakota Kid” was handed two close losses on his road to the finals. Van Boening stayed undefeated all the way to the semi-finals where he met up with Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer and in no time, found himself down 6-1.

Never giving up, Van Boening ran the next four racks to stop the bleeding at 6-5 before missing a 10 ball to make it 6-6. A miscue here and some bad position there would send Van Boening to the B-side.

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There, he met up with Charlie “The Korean Dragon” Williams for an ultimate hill-hill showdown. Williams was up 6-3 when Van Boening pushed out to a jump shot in the middle of the table, jumped in the 1-8 combo as the crowd went crazy, only to leave himself jumping again at the 1 ball. This time, he jumped and banked the 1 into the 10 ball to win that game. A dry break by Van Boening came at the most inopportune time. A couple safeties on the 1 ball and Williams was at the table facing a tricky out that he strategically picked through. Williams would move on the take Archer in the finals.

The finals match against kicked off with Archer immediately ahead 3-1 before Williams ran away with the match. Williams was fast, loose, and confident. Up until this point, Williams was making announcements and helping to run the tournament between matches, but it didn’t seem to hurt him one bit. Williams was breaking great and pocketing balls on the break while Archer was not having much luck or opportunities. In the end a 10-5 victory would leave Williams the champion of his own promoted event.

1. Charlie Williams $4,000
2. Johnny Archer $2,000
3. Shane Van Boening $1,300
4. Tony Crosby $1,000
5. Mike Davis $800
6. Mika Immonen $800
7. Santos Sambajon, Jr. $600
8. Dennis Orcollo $600
9. Butch Croft $325
10. Thorsten Hohmann $325
11. David Broxson $325
12. David Grossman $325

Asher Le

The Ozone Billiards U.S. Amateurs Open kicked off at Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville, FL, July 30.  Three divisions started today that included the Ladies’ 8-Ball Open, the Open 8-Ball, and the Seniors’ 8-Ball Open events.  In total, 60 amateur players hit the tables on the first day of play.

In the Ladies’ Open 8-Ball division, which featured 10 players, Samm Diep and Monica Riley are scheduled to play for the hot seat match Thursday.  David Ross and Tom Lapointe are scheduled to match up in the Seniors’ 8-Ball Open no-loss side action.  

The Open 8-Ball division, which started with 35 players, is down to 8 players on the winners’ side.  The most notable match scheduled for Thursday’s action is junior superstar Chad Behnke against Mike Fieldhammer. 

Thursday will see the start of the Lucasi Hybrid Classic.  On hand to play is an assortment of top professional pool players, such as Thorsten Hohmann, Tony Crosby, defending U.S. Open champion Shane Van Boening, and Charlie Williams.  Jeanne Seaver is the sole professional woman player competing in the event and is seeded seventeenth. 

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