Defending Champion Johnny Archer

Las Vegas, NV - 128 of the world's best professional 9-Ball players descended upon the Top of The Riv ballroom at the Riviera Hotel and Casino today to begin competition for the coveted BCA Open 9-Ball Championship title. The international field of competitors includes entries from 13 different countries and features such favorites as Efren Reyes, Jeanette Lee, Allison Fisher, and Earl Strickland, as well as BCA hall of fame entrants Buddy Hall, Nick Varner, and Lou Butera.

Defending champions Johnny Archer and Gerda Hofstatter are among the contingency of international competition. They will each be competing against 63 other entrants in hopes of maintaining their title as well as the top cash prize of $15,000.

After a brief morning players' meeting, tournament director, Steve Tipton, held the bracket draw for remaining non seeded players during this double elimination competition. Matches promise to be both intense and exciting throughout the week.

Defending Women's Champion Gerda Hofstatter

The first round of afternoon competition saw 8 players in each division fall to the one loss side to start their grueling week of competition. Among them, Hall of Fame entrants Nick Varner and Lou Butera.

In other matches:

Men's Division:

Hall def. Butera 11-9
Luat def. Vickery 11-8
Okumura def. Ingnacio 11-4
Watson def. Stephen 11-9
Kucharo def. Varner 11-4
Feijen def. Pruden 11-4
Potier def, Deuel 11-9
Engert def. Glass 11-1

Women's Division

Lee def. L. Smith 9-4
Hurst def. Merkin 9-0
Dodson def. Yurino 9-2
Barnes def Carter 9-4
Hofstatter def. Gray 9-1
Mayet def. Biddle 9-6
Little def, Webb 9-8
Mason def. Dokovic 9-6

Jennifer Chen will face off with Ying-Ya Lin in the first round

Evening competition was held over three rounds resulting in 12 more players moving to the one-loss bracket before the night was over. Features for the evening included an all Taiwanese match of Jennifer Chen vs. Ying-Ya Lin and Shannon Daulton vs. Jose Parica. The evening had a disappointing ending for defending champion Johnny Archer when he was defeated by Mario Morra of Canada 11-8.

In other matches:

Men's Division

Souquet def. Michaels 11-3
Davenport def. Hopkins 11-4
Immonen def. Brienza 11-6
Hernandez def. Coulter 11-5
Horsfall def. Chamat 11-8
Medina def. Wells 11-6
Morra def. Archer 11-8
Boon def. Budd 11-7
Jones def. Martinez 11-9
Martel def Robles 11-3
Parica def. Daulton 11-6
Ortmann def. Dominquez 11-8

Women's Division

Kjorsvik def. Schwartzreich 9-5
Nakagawa def. M. Smith 9-6
Chen def, Lin 9-6
Pippin def. Dawson 9-3
Thornfeldt def. Vaillancourt 9-6
Huang def. Seaver 9-4
Nelson def. Tidwell 9-5
White def. McWorter 9-7
Benish def. Villareal 9-5
Stinson def. O'Hare 9-4
L.J. Jones def. Stauch 9-5
Rim def. Sessions 9-7

Mondays competition features Ewa Laurance, Jeanette Lee and Allsion Fisher as well as Earl Strickland, Efren Reyes and Troy Frank among others.

To purchase photos featured and other competition photos contact Carla Bonner Promotions: cbpromos@bellsouth.net