Lukas Fracasso-Verner
As a matter of circumstance, almost anything that happens at Amazin’ Billiards in Malden, MA is going to take something of a ‘back seat’ to the room itself and the man who owns it. Mazin Shooni is an Iraqi-born American three-cushion billiards player who came to America at an early age. Settling at first in Detroit, where he learned to play snooker and pool and later, to develop an interest in three-cushion billiards, otherwise known as ‘the pool discipline that is nothing BUT controlling the cue ball.’ He won his first tournament at the age of 22 in Lansing, MI, has gone on to win more than 90 USBA tournaments and become known as ‘Amazin’ Mazin.’ Thus, the name of the pool room in Malden.
It is a remarkable room because in addition to its 14, 9-ft. tables and four 10-ft Three-Cushion tables, there is one 12×6 snooker table, nestled in a room all its own. Amazin’ Billiards will utilize its 9-ft tables to host the 2024 McDermott Classic Matchroom 9-Ball Ranking event from March 12-17, 2024.
And so, moving on to that ‘back seat,’ this past weekend (Sun., Dec. 17), Amazin’ Billiards played host to one of its monthly 10-Ball Tournaments which caught our eye because the event drew 54 entrants and was won by Lucas Fracasso-Verner. He went undefeated to the hot seat and was unchallenged in the finals because the semifinalists opted out of playing their match.
Fracasso-Verner came into the ‘call shot, call safe, no early 10-Ball’ event sporting its highest Fargo Rate (741) and didn’t run into another ‘700’ (David Hall, 704) until he reached a winners’ side semifinal. F-V opened with victories over Zac Wells (1), Dev Bhattacharya (double hill), Kyle Ferris (0) and Luca Bares (1) to arrive at that winners’ side semifinal versus Hall.
Curtis Wright, in the meantime, sent Troy Fortin (2), Mike Sousa (double hill), Bochen Jiang (1), and Ivaylo Petrov (5-5, Petrov racing to 7). Wright drew Alex Gurevich in the other winners’ side semifinal.
F-V got into the hot seat match following a 7-5 win over Hall. Wright joined him after downing Gurevich 5-3. In what would prove to be his last match, Fracasso-Verner claimed the hot seat 8-1 over Wright, who was racing to 4.
Hall moved over to the loss side and was met by Jimmy Nou, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal to Gurevich and then defeated Donna Switzer 7-1 and Tian Ruan, double hill. Gurevich picked up Jay Aliomer, who’d lost his third match, double hill to Jimmy Nou and set out on a four-match winning streak that had recently eliminated Mike Selig 4-2 and Luca Bares, double hill.
Gurevich and Nou battled their way into a quarterfinal rematch; Gurevich shutting out Aliomer, as Nou downed Hall 3-1. It what proved to be the final match of the event, Nou successfully wreaked his vengeance on Gurevich, allowing him only a single rack in those quarterfinals. Nou and Wright negotiated their split of the 2nd and 3rd place prizes and brought the event to a close. As the undefeated occupant of the hot seat, Fracasso-Verner was declared the official winner.
Tour director and Amazin’ Billiards Manager Beau Powers thanked all the players who attended the event and directed those with inquiries about upcoming events to Amazin’ Billiards Facebook page the room’s Web site – http://www.amazinbilliards.com.
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