Kevin Clark, Karen Corr, Darren Appleton and Jason Klatt
If the barrier separating men and women on the felt fields of pool is ever going to be permanently removed, Karen Corr is as likely a candidate as any to be the movement's poster child. Corr joined 39 men competing for the 10th Annual American Straight Pool Championship over the weekend of September 12-14, and came within a single match of winning the whole thing. She was defeated, soundly, one might add, by Darren Appleton in those finals. The $13,000-added event (originally the Maryland 14:1 Open) was hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
The event began with eight, round robin flights, consisting of four matches for each of five players in races to 100. At the end of those flights, 24 of the 40 players were seeded into a single elimination bracket, with the top eight seeds receiving byes in the opening round. The players were seeded by virtue of their total match victories and point differentials in the four matches they had played.
The top seed for the single elimination bracket was Tom Walter, who went undefeated, with a point differential of 319 (an average score of 100-20 in those opening rounds). Jason Klatt, playing in his fist straight pool tournament was the # 2 seed, also undefeated with a point differential of 305. In order, the other players receiving byes were Darren Appleton (290 point differential), Brandon Shuff (264), Kevin Clark (256), Johnny Archer (231), Mika Immonen (220), and Mike Dechaine (205). Corr was seeded at #9, having dropped one of her four matches (to Kevin Clark), though her point differential was stronger than Archer's at 252.
The top names in the event were spread out over the eight round robin flights, so that Appleton, Dechaine, Archer, Immonen, and Corr (as examples) did not compete in the early rounds of play. Each of those five faced strong players in their respective round robin matches.
The point differentials tightened immediately in the opening round of single elimination, with races to 125. On average, the point differential in the eight matches was decimal points over 56, with Robert Madenjian chalking up the largest difference (125-40 over Jeff Crawford) and Mike Davis battling in the tightest race (125-20). The top nine seeds in round robin play had averaged point differentials of just over 65.
In the second round, the top eight seeds joined in and increased the differential point average by about 13; from 56 in the opening rounds to 69 in the second. Contributing to this increase was Karen Corr, who not only eliminated Mike Dechaine in this second round, but did so by a score of 125 to minus 2. The closest race in this round was won Huidji See, who eliminated Johnny Archer 125-110. Corr had collected $100 by recording the highest run over Friday and Saturday of the event (83), which bested Dechaine's run over the same period by a single ball. In effect, she stomped on him twice.
Gone with Archer and Dechaine were Mike Davis, Shaun Wilkie, Danny Mastermaker and Holden Chin, who fell to Appleton 125-21; 32 down and eight to go. Corr battled Tom Walter. Shuff faced Kevin Clark (the only person at this stage to have defeated Corr), The Iceman (Mika Immonen) squared off against Jason Klatt and Appleton took on Huidji See.
The point differential in this quarterfinal round, with races to 150, averaged out at just over 63 balls, with Corr defeating Walter 150-122, Clark besting Shuff 150-75, Klatt getting by Immonen 150-88, and Appleton checking in with the largest differential, eliminating See 150-62.
Klatt would now face Appleton, as Corr turned to do battle against the only opponent who'd defeated her to that point, Kevin Clark.
The somewhat insignificant differential in the event semifinals was just over 50. It was brought about by Appleton's 150-50 victory over Jason Klatt, and the tightest race of the entire event that saw Corr advance to the finals by a single ball over Kevin Clark – 150-149. It was followed by the largest point differential recorded in the entire tournament; a gap of 122 balls, as Appleton claimed the event title with a 150-28 victory over Corr.
Peter Burrows, chairman of the American Straight Pool Championship, said that the 11th annual event is "likely" to be back at Diamond Billiards, and is being scheduled to precede the US Open 9-Ball Championships in 2015, so that players in attendance for the straight pool event can travel just a few miles to begin play in the US Open.
According to Burrows, a difficult time identifying a room willing to hold the 10th Annual 14:1 Maryland Open led to the search beyond the state of Maryland and into Virginia, where Diamond Billiards agreed to host.
Tour director Megan Fort thanked Thomas Dorsey and his staff at Diamond Billiards, Iwan Lee with Simonis Cloth and Aramis Balls, Nathan Sulinski, Pete Burrows, Michael Frank, Shaun Wilkie, Andy Lincoln, QPod (who donated raffle cues, as well as the cue presented to Appleton as the winner), Brian Russell of Focus Apparel (designer of the logo for the new American Straight Pool Championships), Lucasi Cues (Jamie and Wes Bond), John Berton and Kamui Tips.
Jayson Shaw only had to win three matches to claim the Predator Open/Pro title at stake during the tour's September 6-7 stop at The Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY. Chris Derewonski, working the Amateur side of things, had to win twice that (and then some) to claim the amateur title. The $1,000-added ($500 each) events drew 53 entrants – eight to the Open/Pro, and 45 to the amateur event.
A victory in the opening match put Shaw into a winners' side semifinal against tour director Tony Robles. Jeremy Sossei faced Frankie Hernandez in the other. Shaw and Sossei moved into the hot seat match after identical 8-3 wins over Robles and Hernandez. Shaw took the winners' side final 8-6 and waited on what turned out to be the return of Hernandez.
On the loss side, battling for 7th/8th, Nigel Francis and Jerry Tarantola defeated Eugene Ok and Jonathan Russell, both 8-1. Francis and Tarantola were then eliminated by Robles and Hernandez by the same 8-2 score. Hernandez then shut out Robles in the quarterfinals and got a second shot at Sossei in the (1st money round) semifinals. They battled to double hill before Hernandez prevailed for a chance against Shaw. Shaw completed his short, undefeated run with an 8-3 victory in the finals.
In the Amateur event, eventual winner, Chris Derewonski made it to the winners' side final four, before being sent to the losers' bracket 7-5 by Alex Osipov. By the same score, Kyle Bubet defeated Ron Mason in the other winners' side semifinal. Another 7-5 win put Bubet in the hot seat, and sent Osipov to the semifinals.
Derewonski advanced to the quarterfinals 7-5 over Meyer, and met up with Valverde, who'd survived a double hill battle against Mason. Derewonski went on to defeat Valverde in the quarterfinals (10-7), and Osipov in the semifinals (8-6). He claimed his second Predator Tour title of the year by defeating Bubet 11-6 in the finals.
Both the Amateur and Open/Pro side of the March 29-30 stop on the Predator Tour saw the same two players face each other in the hot seat match and finals. In both the $500-added Amateur event, and $500-added Open/Pro event, the hot seat occupants (Amateur Mike Harrington and Open/Pro Jorge Rodriguez) failed to win a second time, leaving Amateur Chris Derewonski and Open/Pro Jayson Shaw to claim the respective titles. The concurrently-run dual events were hosted by Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.
In the short field (11) Open/Pro event, Rodriguez advanced to the hot seat match with a winners' side semifinal victory over Earl Strickland 7-4, while Jayson Shaw advanced to meet him with a 7-2 win over tour director Tony Robles. Rodriguez took the hot seat battle 7-2 and waited on Shaw's return.
Strickland and Robles moved to the loss side where they met up with young Thomas Rice and Hunter Lombardo, respectively. Rice had gotten by Larry Ross and Steve Kalloo, both 7-3, to draw Strickland, while Lombardo had defeated Joe Gibbons 7-1 and Jeremy Sossei 7-5 to pick up Robles. Strickland downed the youngster 7-3, and in the quarterfinals, drew Robles, who'd ended Lombardo's day by the same score.
Strickland and Robles hooked up in a double hill quarterfinal match, which ultimately advanced Strickland to meet a familiar foe, Shaw, in the semifinals. Shaw downed Strickland 7-3 for his second shot against Rodriguez. In an extended race to 11, Shaw claimed the event title 11-6.
In the 59-entrant Amateur field, Derewonski and Harrington met up in the hot seat match, once Derewonski had dispatched Brooke Meyer to the loss side 8-4 and Harrington had taken command of a match against Sookeeo Ramkissoon 7-1. Harrington took his first against Derewonski 10-3, and waited in the hot seat for him to return.
Meyer and Ramkissoon's event day would end in their first loss-side matches. Meyer fell victim to Steve Astashen, who, after being defeated by Emily Duddy, was in the midst of a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals. Wins #5 & #6 came against Dave Ascolese 7-3 and Brian Russell 7-2. Ramkissoon picked up Gail Robles, who was on a four-match, loss side winning streak of her own that would take her as far as the semifinals. She'd gotten by Patrick Meyers and Meshak Daniel, both 7-4, to draw Ramkissoon.
Robles defeated Ramkissoon 7-4, as Astashen was eliminating Meyer 7-3. With both of their loss-side winning streaks on the line, Robles shut Astashen out in the quaterfinals, before she had her own loss-side run stopped by Derewonski 9-7 in the semifinals. Derewonski earned his rematch and took full advantage, defeating Harrington in the finals 12-6 to capture the event title.
Wellington Reyes won three straight double hill matches to finish an undefeated, March 24-25 weekend on the A-D handicapped Predator Tour. In a concurrently run Open/Pro event on Sunday, Mika Immonen stopped a loss-side challenge from Tour Director Tony Robles to also go undefeated. The $500-added handicapped event drew 52 entrants, while the $500-added Open/Pro event drew 14 to Carom Cafe and Billiards in Flushing, NY.
The first of Reyes’ final double hill wins came among the winners’ side final four, when he sent Lidio Rasta to the loss-side 7-6. Andrew Cleary, in the meantime, defeated Wilfredo Albay 7-4 to join Reyes in the battle for the hot seat. Reyes chalked up his second straight double hill win with a 10-9 victory over Cleary that left him in the hot seat.
Albay and Rasta moved to the loss side and lost no time getting back into the swing of things. Albay shutout Hector Ruiz, and was joined in the quarterfinal match by Rasta, who’d eliminated Tony Liang 7-4. Rasta then squeaked by Albay double hill and defeated Cleary in the semifinals 9-7. Reyes, though, ended Rasta’s three-match, loss-side bid with his third double hill victory in the finals to complete his undefeated weekend.
The Iceman’s journey through the short field on-hand for the Open/Pro event went through Robb Saez among the winners’ side final four. Saez moved west on the heels of a 7-5 Mika victory, as Jeremy Sossei was busy sending Zion Zvi over, 7-4. Immonen and Sossei battled to double hill before The Iceman sunk the 9-ball that left him in the hot seat.
Over on the loss-side, Tony Robles, who’d been sent over by Zvi, was at work on a five-match streak that would set him up against Immonen in the finals. He got by Brian Russell 7-1 and Frankie Hernandez 7-3 to pick up Saez. Zvi drew Jorge Rodriguez, who’d defeated Jennifer Baretta 7-2 and Greg McAndrews double hill. Robles gave up only a single rack against Saez, and a Zvi/Robles re-match was avoided when Rodriguez eliminated Zvi 7-5.
Robles downed Rodriguez in the quarterfinals 7-3, and then survived a double hill semifinal match against Sossei for a chance against The Iceman. Immonen allowed Robles only a single game in the match that completed his undefeated day.
Tour director Robles thanked the owners and staff of Carom Cafe and Billiards, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, Delta-13 racks, Poison Cues, PoolOnTheNet.com, and NYCGrind.
They’re friends, the two of them – Mika Immonen and Zion Zvi – and as it turned out, they faced each other twice in the Open/Pro event of the Predator Tour stop on the weekend of March 3-4. The Iceman won both times, once early, and again in the finals to finish undefeated. The $500-added event drew 11 entrants to Mr. Cue in Lindenhurst, NY.
As Zvi idled with a bye in the opening round, Immonen defeated Greg McAndrews 7-3. They met in the second round, and Immonen won his first of their two 7-3. Immonen moved among the winners’ side final four to face tour director Tony Robles. In the second pairing, Frankie Hernandez squared off against Jennifer Barretta. Immonen sent Robles to the loss side 7-2, as Hernandez downed Barretta 7-5. Immonen got into the hot seat with a 7-4 victory over Hernandez and waited for his friend Zvi to complete a four-match, loss-side winning streak to meet up with him in the finals.
Zvi drew a bye on the loss side and then shut out Brian Russell, to pick up Barretta. Robles drew McAndrews, who after being sent west by Immonen, defeated Steve Wright 7-3 and Scott Murphy 7-4. Zvi finished Barretta’s day with a 7-4 victory and was joined in the quarterfinals by McAndrews, who downed Robles 7-3.
Zvi and McAndrews locked up in a double hill battle in those quarterfinals, but Zvi prevailed and advanced to meet Hernandez in the semifinals. A 7-4 win there gave Zvi the chance he’d been working for all along – a second chance against the Iceman. Immonen took their second set in the potentially extended race 9-4 to complete his undefeated day.
Tour director Tony Robles thanked the owners and staff of Mr. Cue, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, Delta-13 racks, Poison Cues, PoolOnTheNet.com, and NYCGrind.
Though challenged by Junior Sanchez, who won five on the loss side to face him in the finals, Brian Russell hung on to go undefeated in the Amateur event of the Predator Tour stop on the weekend of February 11-12. The $500-added Amateur event drew 59 entrants to The Cue Bar in Bayside, NY.
From among the winners’ side final four, Russell defeated Charles Young 7-5 to get into the hot seat match against Matthew Harricharan, who, from among the final eight winners, had sent Junior Sanchez west and then defeated Rafael Ortiz 7-2. Russell got into the hot seat with a 7-5 win over Harricharan, and awaited the return of Sanchez.
Sanchez began his five-match, loss-side journey with a 7-4 victory over Coco Davladze, followed up with a 7-5 win over Billy Santiago, and picked up Ortiz. Young drew Kelly Wong, who’d advanced past Ray Lee 7-4 and Meshak Daniel 7-2. Sanchez gave up only a single rack versus Ortiz and moved into the quarterfinals against Young, who’d downed Wong 7-4.
Sanchez then won two straight double hill battles; versus Young in the quarterfinals, and then, in a re-match, over Harricharan in the semifinals. Sanchez got into his third straight double hill match in the finals against Russell, but it was Russell prevailing to capture the event title.
Tour director Tony Robles thanked The Cue Bar owner, Sam An and his staff, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, Delta-13 racks, Poison Cues, PoolOnTheNet.com, and NYCGrind.
Brian Hunter was sent to the loss-side early in the January 14-15 stop of the Predator Tour and clawed his way back through 11 matches to get into the finals, where he first, forced an extension to 10 games and then prevailed over hot seat occupant, Ray Feliciano to capture the event title. The $500-added, A-D handicapped event drew 81 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria, NY. A concurrently running, Open/Pro event was still underway, when the handicapped event came to a conclusion after midnight Sunday.
As Hunter was battling his way through the loss-bracket, Feliciano was moving among the winners’ side final four to face Junior Singh. Joining them were Dave Ascolese and Wellington Reyes. Feliciano downed Singh 7-5 to get into the hot seat match versus Ascolese, who’d defeated Reyes by the same score. Feliciano got into the hot seat with an 8-3 victory over Ascolese.
Hunter, in the meantime, who would not be afforded the opportunity to face the player who’d sent him to the loss side (Ricky Ragoonanan), was in the midst of his 11-match winning streak. With six behind him, Hunter defeated Steve Wright, double hill, and Lionel Rivera 7-2 to draw Reyes. Singh picked up Bob Schlott, who’d defeated Mike Fisher 7-3 and Brian Russell 7-2 to reach him. Hunter and Schlott advanced to the quarterfinals with identical 7-5 victories over Reyes and Singh.
Hunter then survived a double hill battle versus Schlott to get into the semifinals against Ascolese. A 7-4 victory over Ascolese put him into the single, potentially extended-race finals, where he would first need to reach eight games ahead of Feliciano, and then win two more to secure the event title. He did both, reaching eight games, ahead by two already. Feliciano, though, fought back to win three of the next four and knot things at double hill. Hunter won the final game to bring home the top prize.
Tour director Tony Robles thanked Manny Steinway and his staff at Steinway Billiards, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, Delta-13 racks, Poison Cues, PoolOnTheNet.com, and NYCGrind.
