Tschudi takes J. Pechauer SE stop

Six-time Swiss champion Marco Tschudi won his first major US event with an undefeated weekend on the J. Pechauer Southeast 9-Ball tour on August 1-2. The $2,000-added event featured a host of marquee matchups, including Corey Deuel battling Steve Moore, Mike Davis and Tony Crosby, as well as Donnie Mills versus Manny Chau, Richie Richeson, and Crosby. The field of 35 entrants was hosted by Capone's Billiards in Springhill, FL.

Tschudi was joined by Moore, Crosby and Jerry Calderon among the winners' side final four. Calderon sent Moore west 9-7, as Tschudi was doing likewise by the same score to Tony Crosby, who would return to face him in the finals. Tschudi gained the hot seat with a second straight 9-7 score, this one over Calderon.

Deuel and Mills were awaiting Moore and Crosby on the one-loss side. Deuel had dropped Davis into the tie for 9th and then defeated Rodney Morris 9-7 to face Moore.
Mills sent Chau to join Davis in the tie for 9th place and then got by Richeson 9-6 to square off against Crosby. In one of the more highly anticipated matches of the weekend, Deuel and Moore battled for the right to advance to the quarterfinals, with Deuel prevailing 9-7. Crosby dropped Mills into the tie for 5th place 9-5 and joined Deuel in the quarterfinal match. In yet another anticipated matchup, Deuel and Crosby battled to double hill before Deuel succumbed and Crosby moved to the semifinals against Calderon.

Crosby got the opportunity to avenge his earlier defeat at the hands of Tschudi with a 9-6 win over Calderon. Tschudi took an early 3-0 lead in the finals that followed and by the 11th rack was up by four, 7-3. Crosby fought back to tie it, however, and the two traded racks to tie it again at 9-9. Crosby reached the hill first, but Tschudi battled back to take the 20th game of the match and then broke and ran to complete his undefeated weekend run through the field.