Khan stops loss-side bid by Sookhai to go undefeated on Tri-State

Basdeo
Atif Khan worked his way through a field of 46 entrants to go undefeated on the Tri-State Tour stop held on the weekend of August 27-28. He was challenged in the finals by Basdeo Sookhai, who was sent to the loss side in a winners' side quarterfinal and won five on the loss side to challenge him in the finals. The $838-added, B/D event was hosted by Amsterdam Billiards in New York, NY.
 
Khan advanced through to a winners' side semifinal against Bob Toomey, as Kirril Safronov, fresh off his double hill win over Sookhai, was challenging Ron Chau. Khan and Chau advanced to the hot seat match with double hill wins over Toomey and Safrinov. Khan stepped into the hot seat with a 7-4 win over Chau, and waited for Sookhai to complete his loss-side run.
 
Sookhai opened that loss-side run with a 7-4 victory over Erick Carrasco. A subsequent double hill win over Roy Zornow set Sookhai up to face Toomey. Safrinov, in the meantime, drew Carl Yusuf Khan, who'd defeated Aurelia Romero 7-5, and Xavier Romero 7-4. Khan and Sookhai, both B+ players, advanced to the quarterfinals; Khan, spoiling a Safronov/Sookhai rematch with a 7-3 win over Safronov and Sookhai 7-4 over Toomey.
 
In a straight-up race to seven, Sookhai downed Khan in the quarterfinals 7-5. Sookhai moved on to face Chau in the semifinals and defeated him 7-4. Atif Khan, though, was not having anything to do with a deep-from-the-loss-side win by Sookhai and gave up only a single rack to him in the opening and only set of the true double elimination final.