Kelly Fisher and Margarita Fefilova-Styer
In representing women’s pool here in the US of A, the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) has a way of making members of its regularly scheduled events more cohesive than their male counterparts. There is no comprehensive, similar organization in men’s or Open pool that comes close to recreating the same sense of family that’s prevalent in the WPBA; a solid core of women, who welcome new members, while maintaining a sense that when they gather to play, they all know each other and share a sense of camaraderie that rides a notch or two above the underlying fierce competition. They are universally having a good time playing the game.
For the second time this year, members of the WPBA came together in Birmingham, AL for a good time playing the game at an Iron City Billiards (ICB) Invitational. In June when they met, Kelly Fisher came from the loss side, winning seven in a row and defeated Kristina Tkach to win ICB Invitational I. This past weekend (Sept. 30-Oct. 1), Fisher went undefeated to claim the $15,000-added ICB Invitational II that drew 80 entrants, in a unique two stage format, to Iron City Billiards.
It was Fisher’s third 2023 WPBA win and her eighth in the past year. Fefilova was looking for her first WPBA win and there were signs this weekend that she’ll be chalking that up some time soon.
Following an opening-round bye, Fisher ran into two Texas-affiliated opponents; Jennifer Kraber from Austin, who battled her to double-hill before she gave way and The Pink Dagger, 15-year-old Sofia Mast (from Land of Lakes, FL), who’d won the Texas Open a little over a month ago and was runner-to April Larson at the Big Tyme Classic back in May. It was not the first meeting between Mast and Fisher and one suspects it will not be the last. The ‘Dagger’ came within a game of double hill (8-6), but Fisher advanced again, to shut out Teruko Cuccelelli, send Kaylee McIntosh to the loss side 8-4 and pick up Canada’s Brittany Bryant in one of the winners’ side semifinals.
In the meantime, at the opposite end of the bracket, Margarita Fefilova opened up her campaign by giving up only two racks in her first 18 games; one each to Sara Rocha and Veronique Menard. Fefilova then ran into Chinese Tapei’s Meng-Hsia Hung, who battled her to double hill before giving way and sending Fefilova to the other winners’ semifinal against Kristina Zlateva.
Fisher and Bryant went back and forth to double hill before Fisher advanced to the hot seat match. She was joined by Fefilova, who’d defeated Zlateva 8-4.
The last time Fisher and Fefilova met up, back in June at the first WPBA Iron City Billiards’ event of the year, both were on the loss side; Fefilova playing in her third, loss-side match, Fisher in her fourth. Fisher ended Fefilova’s loss-side streak, leaving her tied for 7th/8th. Fisher went on to win the event.
Though Fisher would win the opening rack of this hot seat match, Fefilova, perhaps from experience and mindful of the importance of staying out in front of Fisher, went on a six-game run. She took advantage of a few unforced errors by Fisher and some ‘not too shabby’ efforts of her own, to include a 1-9 combination in the 7th rack that put her one game off the hill at 6-1. Fisher, as she is wont to do, began her work on a comeback with three racks, after which Fefilova reached the hill at 7-4.
Fisher kept at it and won the three she needed to force a 15th deciding game. Two balls into that rack, she was looking at the 3-ball, with two balls in the way. She jumped and dropped the 3-ball. Not only did the cue ball back up and come to rest in perfect position to make the 4-ball, but it set the table up, allowing her to make the rest of the balls, too. She got ‘em all and claimed the hot seat.
On the loss side, Bryant picked up Tzu-Chien Wei, who’d followed her winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Zlateva by defeating Turkey’s Eylul Kibaroglu 8-6 and surviving a double-hill challenge from Meng Hsia-Hung. Zlateva drew Kristina Tkach, who’d been defeated in the second round by “The Grinder,” April Larson 8-6 and set out on an eight-match, loss-side streak that had recently eliminated Allison Fisher 8-5 and Veronique Menard 8-3.
Tkach made it seven in a row on the loss side with an 8-6 win over Zlateva, as Wei defeated Bryant 8-3. Tkach took the quarterfinal match against Wei 8-6 and then, had her loss-side streak ended at eight by Fefilova 8-4 in the semifinals.
The finals lacked the drama of its hot-seat-match predecessor. Fefilova won the opening rack, igniting hopes for another nail-biting, double-hill match, but with each succeeding rack through the first six, Fisher made it clear that she was in command. She won five of the first six before Fefilova put two racks together, renewing hope for a dramatic comeback.
Not to be. At 5-3, Fisher took the next four, putting Fefilova’s hopes of winning her first WPBA event out of reach. Testifying to her continued engagement and ability, Fefilova won the next two, bringing it to 9-5. Fisher closed it out to claim her second Iron City Billiards Invitational title.
Fisher remains atop the WPBA rankings, with Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan right behind her. Tzu-Chien Wei maintained her third spot in the rankings, with Fefilova in fourth place and Allison Fisher in fifth.
WPBA representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Iron City Billiards for their hospitality, along with sponsors Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith Balls, Servitude Photography, Simonis Cloth, Jam Up Apparel and Outsville.
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