by InsidePOOL Staff

Bill Duggan managed an undefeated run through the field at the January 14 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid Cues All-American Tour, eking out a 5-4 hill-hill thriller in the finals over Eric Moore. The stop was hosted by Inland Reef in Virginia Beach, VA, where the $1,000-added 9-ball scratch tournament on 7-foot Valley bar boxes drew 26 players.

On the A-side, Duggan bested Bill Mason 5-3, while Moore defeated Dave Perry. Duggan then took the hot seat with a 5-1 effort over Moore.

(L-R) Joey Glover (3rd), Bill Duggan (1st) and Eric Moore (2nd)

On the B-side, both Joe Hughes and Vern Steinke were relegated to seventh place by Ray Reyna 5-2 and Joey Glover 5-2, respectively. Reyna and Mason were eliminated in the next round by Dave Perry 5-4 and Glover 5-4, respectively. Glover then ousted Perry at fourth place by a score of 5-4, but Glover settled at third place in the next round with a loss to Moore in the B-side finals. The tournament finals almost went two sets, but Duggan hung on to victory by a 5-4 margin over Moore in the first set for the title.

Results:
1st Bill Duggan $400
2nd Eric Moore $300
3rd Joey Glover $175
4th Dave Perry $75
5th Bill Mason $50
Ray Reyna
7th Joe Hughes $40
Vern Steinke

by InsidePOOL Staff

Tony Piazza took first place at the January 28 installment of the Lucasi Hybrid Cues All-American Tour, besting Sam Cordova in the finals to remain undefeated. Greenfields Pool and Sports Bar in Lakewood, CO, hosted the $1,000-added 8-ball scratch tournament, which drew 49 players.

(L-R) Roy Yamane (3rd), Sam Cordova (2nd) and Tony Piazza (1st)

On the A-side, Piazza and Roy Yamane met for the hot seat after Piazza dispatched Andrew Pettinger 5-2 and Yamane upended Cordova 5-4 in the semifinals. Piazza then remained the lone undefeated player by outpointing Yamane 5-2.

On the B-side Jim Fraser and Ed Borrego were eliminated at seventh place by Kevin Williams 5-0 and Ron O’Meara 5-2, respectively. But in the next round both Williams and O’Meara were ousted, courtesy of Pettinger 5-4 and Cordova 5-1, respectively. Cordova kept up his momentum in the next round by stopping Pettinger at fourth place by a 5-1 margin. Cordova then avenged his only loss by taking down Yamane in the B-side finals 5-3. Cordova had to defeat Piazza two sets for the title, but Piazza was having nothing of that, and he dispatched Cordova 5-2 for the title.

Results:
1st Tony Piazza $790
2nd Sam Cordova $400
3rd Roy Yamane $200
4th Andrew Pettinger $150
5th Kevin Williams $75
Ron O’Meara
7th Jim Fraser $50
Ed Borrego
9th John Sandifer $35
Fred Vigil
Flats Lujan
Elliott Fields

by InsidePOOL Staff

Darren Appleton joined an elite group the eve of October 22—a group of only three 9-ball players, in fact. The players who have pulled off consecutive wins at the prestigious U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships now include Nick Varner (1989, 1990), Mika Immonen (2008, 2009) and now Appleton (2010, 2011).

At 1 p.m. Appleton faced off with the other undefeated player, Alex Pagulayan, in the hot seat match. Pagulayan, who won the Open in 2005 and was in the finals in 2002, staved off Appleton and held the lead at 6-4. But Appleton’s break was working, and so were his defensive moves. Though he had his chances, Pagulayan never won another rack in that match, as Appleton steamrolled through to an 11-6 win.

In the concurrent quarterfinal match, Dennis Hatch, who had played and won six matches Friday on the one-loss side to reach Saturday alive, and Shawn Putnam went up against each other. “Big Bubba” opened up the set with a four-pack and kept Hatch in his chair for most of the match. Finally Hatch won the eighth rack and raised his arms in the air to celebrate. Putnam took the next two and only allowed “The Hatchetman” one more game before breezing past him 11-2.

The Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship kicked off Thursday morning with a field that was expanded to 72 players.

Putnam went on to meet Pagulayan in the semifinal match, where the score remained even for the first few games, but it didn’t take long for Pagulayan’s little mistakes to catch up to him. Putnam reached a 6-2 lead, but Pagulayan fought back to 6-4. A scratch by “The Lion” gave Putnam the next rack, and then he broke and ran the following one. However, Pagulayan wasn’t done—he took the next four racks to knot the score at 8.

Live real time scoring and tournament brackets were provided by Propool.com at Inside POOL TV.

An empty break, though, spelled doom for him as Putnam was gifted a 4-9 combo to go up one and then employed his jump cue to win the next rack to reach the hill 10-8. The last rack was pure heartbreak for Pagulayan fans: A safety battle led to Pagulayan kicking in the 3 ball and hanging the 9 at the same time. He got out of line for the 6 and even worse position on the 8, which he and Jimmy Wych attributed to the balls skidding. A long sharp cut shot on the 8 ball was missed, giving Putnam the table with two balls left and the match 11-8.

The final match was a reversal for Putnam and his match with Hatch, as Appleton raced to a 6-0 lead in the extended race to 13. His break was dialed in, and Putnam really wasn’t allowed to the table too often. In the seventh rack Appleton scratched on the 4, and Putnam got on the board and won the next two as well. But when Putnam scratched on his next break, Appleton cleared that table and then broke and ran the next … and the next, with a long-rail bank on the 9 to top things off and bring the score to 9-3 in his favor.

They traded the next four racks, with a great deal of defensive play occurring. Appleton made three balls on his next break, and though they both missed the 3 ball, Putnam lucked in the 7 ball and ran out. But again, his problems with the break came up again and he scratched, and Appleton cleared the table to reach the hill 12-6. In the last rack, Appleton made one ball on the break—but it was all he needed. He broke apart the 2-8 cluster when he shot the 2, and as sparkling wine corks popped in the background, he coolly pocketed the remaining balls to take his second U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in a row.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Defending champ vs. the world’s best woman player in the history of pool. Who would win? That was the big question and it got answered in a big way as Allison Fisher took the title from 2-time U.S. Open Champion Ga Young Kim in a heated battle that Allison won 7-4.

Fisher won the opening break, but couldn’t capitalize, giving the first game win to Kim. But Allison quickly tied things up after Ga Young missed a jump shot, then broke and ran the next two racks to lead 3-1 in the race to seven.

In game five, players traded safes for a few shots until Kim got the first clear look at a shot and ran out to trail 2-3. In game six, a missed bank on the two by Kim again put Allison in the driver’s seat. She ran the rack… to the nine… and uncharacteristically missed, leaving Ga Young Kim an easy nine to tie the match 3-3. She broke and ran to the five, nearly missing it but slopping it in the other corner (with apologies to her opponent), then made a 6-9 combination to pull ahead 4-3.

Fisher won the opening break, but couldn't capitalize, giving the first game win to Kim. But Allison quickly tied things up after Ga Young missed a jump shot, then broke and ran the next two racks to lead 3-1 in the race to seven.

Breaking in game eight, Kim ran to the three, played safe, but the cue ball slow rolled its way into the corner pocket. Fisher played safe and Kim kicked and made a ball, but missed a bank. Allison played a long six ball and caromed in the nine to tie it up 4-4!

A scratch on a safety attempt in the next game might have resulted in a runout for Kim, but missed position on the five ball caused a miss on a tough five. Allison ran out to again lead the match, 5-4. Fisher broke in game ten and played safe on the one. Ga Young made the hit with her jump cue, but left Allison a clear shot on the one. She executed a perfect runout to get to the hill 6-4!

Allison broke, pocketed the five on the break, made the one ball and then… made a 2-9 combination for the WIN! Visit wpba.com/2011usopen.pdf for a blow by blow of the final match!

About the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA)

The WPBA was established in 1976 as the Women’s Professional Billiard Alliance, and celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2011 as the oldest pro player organization in the sport. The WPBA sanctions and produces the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, which features ESPN-televised events with the world’s greatest women players. Visit www.wpba.com for more. The WPBA Classic Tour is sponsored by the American Poolplayers Association, Diamond Billiards, Iwan Simonis, Cuetec Cues, Delta 13, Pooldawg, Mueller Recreational Products and Aramith.

About River Spirit Casino
River Spirit Casino, Tulsa’s $195 million casino project at 81st & Riverside, showcases 300,000 square feet of gaming space and is one of the largest gaming floors in Oklahoma. With over 2,600 high-tech electronic machines, 24 table games and 15 poker tables, River Spirit Casino offers the most current technology and latest games available. The facility features four world-class dining and beverage venues including the largest casino buffet in Oklahoma, a fine dining establishment, a 24-hour café, lounge and sports bar. For more information on River Spirit Casino please visit the website. www.riverspirittulsa.com
As an active community partner, River Spirit Casino provides a positive economic impact for Tulsa and surrounding towns, adding 450 new jobs to the city. Proceeds from gaming operations help to fund a variety of Muscogee (Creek) Nation service programs such as housing, education, elderly assistance and healthcare. For more on the tribe’s history and government, visit the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s site at www.muscogeenation-nsn.gov

About River Spirit Event Center
The newly renovated River Spirit Event Center is located at the site of the former Creek Nation Casino – Tulsa at 81st and Riverside Drive. The venue has nearly 20,000 sq. ft of useable space for sporting events, entertainment, conventions and meetings and all amenities.

By CSI Staff

Efren “The Magician” Reyes went undefeated through the full 64-player field to become the 12th U.S. Open One Pocket Champion at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Produced by CueSports International, the $10,000 added event drew the finest one pocket players from around the world as well a sophisticated room full of spectators. Reyes defeated poker star Chris Gentile in the single set finals 5-2. This was Gentile’s first U.S. Open One Pocket and his most successful finish in a major one pocket event.

Gentile had an impressive showing, besting Mike Davis 4-1 and Rafael Martinez 4-3. To enter the semi-finals, Gentile narrowly avoided a loss to “The Pearl” Earl Strickland when he came back from being down 3-0 to win 4-3. In the a-side finals, Gentile’s run was halted by Reyes. Reyes took a quick lead 3-1 after an unfortunate scratch by Gentile. After an aggressive cut shot on the 3 ball, Reyes gave up game five but had the break up 3-2. Gentile chipped away at the stack and responded to Reyes’s moves but in the end, the magician worked his magic and closed out the set.

Reyes went undefeated through the full 64-player field to become the 12th U.S. Open One Pocket Champion at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alex Pagulayan had a rough start, losing 4-0 to Jeremy Jones, only pocketing two balls the entire set. “I’m just not feeling it. I better figure it out,” he said after the match. Pagulayan went on to win nine straight matches on the b-side before meeting up with Gentile in the semi-finals early Sunday night. The players exchanged moves and put on a clinic for the fans but Gentile would advance to meet Reyes in the finals.

With a game like one pocket, predicting match times and schedules can be tricky. This event ran smoothly under the direction of Bill Stock, Ken Schuman, and John Leyman. With the U.S. Open One Pocket now concluded the 3rd U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship swings into gear starting Monday, May 16th with the player’s meeting at 4 pm and two rounds scheduled at 6 pm and 8:30 pm.

Once again The Action Report (TAR) will be live streaming the great action from the CSI pro arena via PPV at the Riviera Hotel & Casino Convention Center at www.theactionreport.com. To view the full detailed brackets, payouts and live scoring for both the 12th U.S. Open One Pocket and the 3rd U.S. Open 10-Ball Championships visit CSI’s CueSports Tournament System (CTS) at www.ctsondemand.com.

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial, the U.S. Open One Pocket Championship and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

Photo courtesy of Dale Shank of ShankShotMedia.com

by InsidePOOL Staff

Jasmin Ouschan swept through the 48-player field at the inaugural WPBA Masters tournament held January 6-9 to defeat the tour’s number-three-ranked player, Karen Corr, in the finals in a close 7-6 victory. The event was hosted by the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant, MI.

Ouschan swept through the 48-player field at the inaugural WPBA Masters tournament held January 6-9 to defeat the tour’s number-three-ranked player, Corr, in the finals in a close 7-6 victory.

Corr went undefeated into Sunday’s matches after having dispatched the tour’s former number one, Ga Young Kim, in a delicate hill-hill match the evening before. In her semifinal match against Monica Webb, the score seesawed to 2-all in the short race to 7. Despite the crowd’s hopes of a close battle, it was all Corr as Webb was forced to sit in her chair and watch “The Irish Invader” run out time and again. The final score was 7-2 in Corr’s favor.

View the tournament brackets

The other semifinal match featured Ouschan going up against Kelly Fisher, the other undefeated player among the four. An unexpected scratch by Fisher gave Ouschan the first rack, and the Austrian ran with that momentum until she reached a 4-0 lead. But Fisher dug deep and fought her way back into the match, and soon the score was knotted at the hill 6-all. Despite that, though, it was Ouschan who advanced to the finals against Corr with a 7-6 win.

A cloud of tension surrounded the final match. Corr broke and ran out the first two racks to make her presence known. Ouschan countered by taking the next two—one after a miss by Corr on a 3-9 combo and one after Corr scratched on the 7 ball. They split the next two games, and then Corr took another two-rack lead after a couple of errors by Ouschan, making it 5-3. Another error by both players led to the score moving to 6-4 in Corr’s favor. At that point, though, Ouschan bore down. When Corr scratched on her next break, Ouschan swiftly dished up to draw within a game. She then broke and ran out to make it a hill-hill encounter. In the final rack, Ouschan smashed the rack and pocketed three balls on the break. Coolly she ran the remaining balls in under a minute to win the match 7-6 and take the title. With this victory Ouschan clinched the tour’s number-one spot on the rankings as well.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Rikki Ragoonanan went undefeated through field at the Tri-State Tour’s June 19 stop, defeating Raphael DaBreo to take the title. Hosted by Sandcastle Billiards in Edison, NJ, this $750-added stop attracted 26 players.

Pat DiBuono made it through the winners’ side final four without a scratch, defeating George Osipovitch 7-2 to reach the hot seat match. Meeting him there was Ragoonanan, who had just bested Troy Deocharran 8-6. The hill-hill battle saw Ragoonanan take the hot seat 7-6, while DiBuono went west.

On the left side, Raphael DaBreo, a recent winner on the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour, ousted Osipovitch 7-6 at fifth place, while Allen Wong tied with Osipovitch after a 6-4 loss to Deocharran. The quarterfinal match was a close one, with DaBreo the one to advance after a 7-5 victory over Deocharran. DaBreo kept the momentum going with a hill-hill victory over DiBuono in the semifinals 7-6. But in the finals, another nail-biter, it was Ragoonanan who took the last rack and the victory 7-6.

Rikki Ragoonanan went undefeated through field at the Tri-State Tour’s June 19 stop, defeating Raphael DaBreo to take the title.

Efren Reyes has been considered the best pool players alive for the last decade or so, give or take a few. As the 12th Annual Derby City Classic kicked off, many top handicappers asked if Reyes had what it took to take down yet another All-Around title. There question was answered Saturday evening as Reyes n ot only won the 9-ball division but sealed the All-Around title several rounds before the end of the event. The All-Around

The $25,000 added 9-ball division kicked off on Wednesday, January 27 with 257 of the world’s finest professionals vying for the $16,000 first place prize.

The semifinals witnessed a great match between Shannon Murphy and Efren Reyes. At one point, Reyes was trailing in the match, 4-1. Reyes would parlay a few good rolls in to a lead and victory to earn his shot at the 9-ball title against “Rocket” Rodney Morris.

As the finals kicked off, the scuttlebutt around the arena was split between to the two players. The stands filled to see who would win the rematch of the 1996 U.S. Open finals that saw Morris emerge as the victor.

The match went back and forth for a few games until Reyes gradually eraned a lead. The turning point came when Morris won a game only to be a victim of a freakish scratch on the break. Though the b attle dragged on for a few more shots, Reyes came through in the end and sealed the victory, 7-4.

For Reyes , this is his fifth trip to the winners’ circle as the All-Around champion in twelve years. His name litters the roster of past champions in all three divisions. His sucess this year is not limited to the 9-ball and All Around though. Reyes snapped off Fatboy 20-Ball event and added $8,500 to his total winnings of $44,500 for the span of the 9 day event, excluding the proceeds picked up during his one-on-one matchups.

Reyes claimed his fifth Derby City Classic All-Around title Saturday. He also picked up titles in the 9-ball division and the Fatboy event.

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by Lea Andrews

Mika “Iceman” Immonen tied with Nick Varner when he took his second U.S. Open Championships title in a row, winning 13-10 over Ralf Souquet in the extended final match. The Open began October 18 with 216 players and wound down a week later with the crowning of the Finnish champion, who earned $40,000 for his top showing.

Souquet and Immonen were both past champions of the event, with Souquet winning his green jacket in 2002 when he bested Alex Pagulayan in the finals. Immonen earned his first title last year over Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines.

Souquet faced Mills first in the match for the hot seat and got out ahead of him 9-5. Souquet’s scratch on the break in rack 15 put him in his chair until the score was tied at 9, though, and Souquet came to the table only once in rack 19 to face a two-rail kick shot. Mills closed out that rack to reach the hill first 10-9, but he made nothing on the break in rack 20. Souquet was out, and then a break and run in rack 21 earned him the hot seat.

Almost immediately, Mills had to face Immonen, who’d put Lee Van Corteza in fourth 11-8 after being down 8-5. “It’s not a good habit to get into, but it’s good to be able to come back from a deficit,” said Immonen, who’s had several comebacks this tournament and ended the Corteza match with a break and run. “It’s nice to end with style,” he commented. Against Mills, Immonen opened with a break and run but soon found himself down 5-2 and 7-4. When Mills scratched on the 8 ball in rack 12, Immonen made it 7-5, and three break and runs in a row gave him the lead 8-7. Mills tied it up at 8 after Immonen left a safety on the 1 ball open, but Immonen took the next two to get on the hill 10-8. Immonen missed a delicate safety on the 1 in rack 19, hitting the 9 instead and leaving Mills out. Rack 20 went to Mills after Immonen kicked at the 3 ball and left it hanging, and it was hill-hill. Mills had been breaking very well all day, and there was a good chance Immonen would not get out of his chair again. But the cue ball found the side pocket on Mills’ break, and Immonen navigated a tricky rack down to the winning 6-9 combination.

View the U.S. Open 9-Ball Final 8 Players Tournament Brackets

View the U.S. Open 9-Ball Double Elimination Tournament Brackets 1 (updated continuously)

View the U.S. Open 9-Ball Double Elimination Tournament Brackets 2 (updated continuously)

View the 2009 U.S. Open image gallery

View the LIVE STREAM from ACCU-STATS

Immonen defeated Souquet in the finals of the 2009 U.S. Open to become the second player in history to win back-to-back U.S. Open 9-Ball titles.

Having successfully negotiated through 13 matches on the one-loss side, more than anyone ever had before, according to event promoter Barry Behrman, Immonen now faced former Mosconi Cup teammate Souquet in the extended race to 13. There was a massive $25,000 difference between first place at $40,000 and second at $15,000. Souquet drew first blood when Immonen broke dry, but Immonen took the next three in a row to gain a 3-1 advantage. When the score seesawed to 4 apiece, Souquet surged ahead, winning the next rack with a break and run. Immonen had a chance in the next after Souquet missed a jump shot, but he missed a straight-in 6 ball, and Souquet was out. Instead of being tied at 5 apiece, it was 6-4 Souquet.

Another miss by Immonen in the next, and Souquet put another game under his belt. But the tides turned again when Souquet hooked himself for the 6 and was forced to kick at it. He hit it but left the Finn a shot, and Immonen took that rack. And the next. And the next. Immonen won six racks in a row to bring the score to 10-7 in his favor, an astonishing change from being down 7-4. When he scratched on the 1 ball in the following rack, Souquet dished up, and though Immonen was back at the table in the next rack, he missed an 8-9 combination, and Souquet drew within a game at 10-9.

A delicate safety on the 3 ball by Souquet saw Immonen flail at it without success, and Souquet drew even at 10 each. A safety battle over the 1 ball ended when Souquet left it dangling in the corner pocket, with Immonen clearing that rack. Immonen completely missed the 2 ball after his next break, handing Souquet ball in hand, but Souquet lost that advantage when he scratched after shooting the 6 ball for position on the 8, and Immonen took the hill 12-10. In the final rack, Immonen broke and immediately eyed the 1-9 carom. He lined up, made it cleanly, and collapsed on the floor in a heap.

Footage from the finals and awards ceremony.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Nevel ousted defending champion Van Boening in a tight match at the U.S. Open Championship.

The evening rounds have wound down at the 33rd Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships in Chesapeake, VA, leaving eight players in the winners’-side bracket and eight in the one-loss bracket.

Defending champion Shane Van Boening was eliminated early in the 11 p.m. round by Larry “The Truth” Nevel. Nevel reached the hill but scratched on the 6 ball to give Van Boening another chance at it. “The South Dakota Kid” collected the next two racks to make it 10-9, but he had to jack up on the 7 ball to miss the scratch in the side pocket. Instead, he scratched off the 9 in the corner, and Nevel took the 11-9 victory.

Another elimination match featured Northeastern player Brandon Shuff versus Tyler Edey of Canada. The players traded racks through the first eight games, and then Edey went up to 7-4. Shuff took a quick break and came back to string three racks together. Dry breaks or scratches on the break plagued both of them, bringing the score to 9-all. Edey reached the hill first, and in the final rack, both players traded jump shots on the 4 ball, but Edey prevailed to win 11-9.

View the 2008 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship tournament brackets (updated after each round)

View the 2008 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship image gallery

  

See the 2008 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship Live

See the 2008 U.S. Open live

Adam “GQ” Smith went head to head with Warren Kiamco in another one-loss side match. A dispute about Kiamco’s “soft break” marred the beginning, but the score was soon tied at 4-all. Then Smith missed a combo shot, leaving Kiamco an out, which he took advantage of to win the next five racks. Smith collected one more game before Kiamco ran out the set 11-5.

On the Accu-Stats table, Raj Hundal and Donnie Mills matched up. Mills took a commanding 9-4 lead, never leaving Hundal a shot. Mills broke and ran out to reach the hill and then played safe on the 1 ball after his next break. Hundal pocketed the 1 and 2 balls but missed a 3-9 combination and scratched. Mills had little trouble clearing the table to win 11-4.

Tony Chohan went up against former champion Ralf Souquet in the winners’ side, with Souquet taking a strong 6-2 lead. However, Chohan fought back to bring the score to 10-9 Souquet. Chohan pocketed a 2-9 combo to make it hill-hill. He almost scratched on the 1 ball in the final game but pulled it off with a 11-10 win.

Friday’s matches on the winners’ side will feature Filipinos Ronnie Alcano versus Francisco Bustamante, Thorsten Hohmann versus Rodney Morris, Daryl Peach versus Johnny Archer, and Mika Immonen versus Jose Parica. In the one-loss side, Corey Deuel will play Larry Nevel, Donnie Mills plays Tyler Edey, Tony Chohan plays Warren Kiamco, and Ralf Souquet plays Oscar Dominguez.

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