As he sat in the hot seat, watching the semifinals, Emit Yolcu had to be wondering whether he would prefer to meet the opponent he'd defeated in the hot seat match (Keith Diaz), or the guy who was in the midst of a nine-match, loss-side winning streak (Jamie Polito). He drew Diaz, and though Diaz, with an early 4-0 lead, would give him pause to think that maybe he would have preferred Polito, Yolcu fought back to win, completing an undefeated run through the field of 36. The $1,250-added, C-D handicapped event was hosted by Gotham Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.
Following victories over Charles Slatter, Kyle Bubet, and a double hill win over Linda Cheug, Yolcu moved among the winners' side final four and squared off against Nicholas Chan. Diaz, in the meantime, met Jay Chiu. Yolcu got into the hot seat match 6-4 over Chan, and was met by Diaz, who'd sent Chiu west 7-4. Yolcu took the first of two against Diaz 6-4 and waited in the jot seat for him to get back.
Polito, in the meantime, who'd been sent to the loss side in the opening round of play by Tony Ignomirello, was in the midst of his nine-match winning streak. With five down and five to go, he got by Cheug 8-6 and shut out Kim Meyer-Gabia, to hook up with Chiu. Chan drew Brendon Holluck, who'd survived a double hill match against Luis Jimenez and defeated Paulo Valverde 6-2.
Polito survived a double hill match versus Chiu, and in the quarterfinals, met up with Chan, who'd also prevailed in his double hill battle against Holluck. Polito's loss-side winning streak was concluded with a 6-3 win over Chan. Diaz took him down 6-1 in the semifinals to earn a second shot against Yolcu.
As noted, Diaz opened the final proceedings with a four-pack, but watched, as Yolcu took the next three to draw within one. They traded racks to first, a 6-6 tie, and then, a double hill 7-7 tie. Yolcu took the final game to complete his undefeated run through the field and claim the event title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Gotham Billiards, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Poison Cues, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour will be a $1,000-added, A-D handicapped event, scheduled for Saturday, March 9, at Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ.
