As he did last year, the Philippines’ Zoren “James” Aranas took advantage of some geography to compete in a pair of events that he’s won over the past couple of weeks. Last year, he followed up on his victory at the Super Billiards Expo’s ProAm Bar Box Championships to compete and win the 2nd Annual Barry Behrman Memorial, downing its inaugural champion Brandon Shuff twice. This year, Aranas won the Super Billiards Expos’ Diamond Open 10-Ball Pro Players’ Championship on the last weekend in March, and this past weekend (April 6-7), went undefeated to defend his Barry Behrman Memorial title, downing separate opponents in the hot seat and finals. Already over halfway to earning what he made in 2018, his best earnings year to date, he’s on track to make 2019 another good year.
Aranas’ opponent in the finals, Reymart Lim, stepped to the tables at Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA for the $1,500-added 3rd Annual Barry Behrman Memorial having already won two of the three events on the 2019 Action Pool Tour (APT). Lim lost his opening match (to Shaun Wilkie 9-7) in a preliminary round, designed to put 32 of the 37 registered players into a double elimination bracket. He then won nine on the loss side to meet Aranas in the finals. He didn’t get to meet Wilkie a second time, because as he was facing Tuan Chau in the first money round (9th/12th), the Behrman Memorial’s inaugural champion, Brandon Shuff, was busy meeting and defeating Wilkie 9-7.
Aranas’ path went through Liz Taylor 9-3, Shuff 9-6 and Chris Futrell 9-3 to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against RJ Carmona. His future hot seat opponent, JT Ringgold, winner of the APT’s Season Finale, got by Gage Turner 9-4, Bruce Reed 9-3 and Wilkie 9-4 to arrive at his winners’ side semifinal matchup against Nilbert Lim (no relation, but a close friend of Reymart Lim).
Aranas downed Carmona 9-2, while Ringgold and Lim locked up in a double hill fight that eventually allowed Ringgold to join Aranas for the hot seat match. Aranas claimed the hot seat 9-3 over Ringgold and waited on what turned out to be the return of Reymart Lim.
Meanwhile, over on the loss side, Reymart Lim was hard at work, advancing to a meetup with Nilbert Lim. Reymart opened his loss-side campaign with a 9-3 win over Rob Wilkins and followed it with victories over Paul Swinson 9-4, Gary Ornoff 9-6, Dave White, 9-1, Tuan Chau 9-3 and Chris Futrell 9-5 to draw Nilbert Lim. Carmona, in the meantime, picked up Brandon Shuff, who, following his defeat at the hands of Aranas, had shut out Mark Lacson and eliminated Alvin Thomas 9-2, Wilkie 9-7 and Greg Sabins 9-3.
Shuff and Reymart Lim advanced to the quarterfinals; Shuff 9-7 over Carmona and Reymart Lim 9-3 over Nilbert Lim. Reymart ended Shuff’s loss-side winning streak at five with a 9-7 victory in the quarterfinals and then ended JT Ringgold’s bid for a second shot at Aranas with a 9-2 win in the semifinals.
As it turned out, Reymart Lim got as close (in game count) to defeating Aranas as any of his previous opponents. Lim and Brandon Shuff both got as close as three games. Aranas completed his undefeated run 11-8 against Lim to capture his second straight Barry Behrman Memorial title.
In a Second Chance Tournament that drew eight entrants, Bernard Andico downed Jared Pitts twice 5-4 (hot seat) and 6-3 (finals). Graham Swinson finished third.
Eric Moore, the 2016 VA State 10-Ball and 8-Ball Champion, finished the 2016 Action Pool Tour (APT) as its top player, capping that feat with an undefeated run at the Tour Championships last December. Until this past weekend (June 17-18), he'd appeared in only two APT stops this year, finishing 7th in March, and, in February, finishing 13th in defense of his VA State 10-Ball title, which was claimed by Dennis Orcollo. Moore also finished fourth in the inaugural Barry Behrman Memorial Spring Open. At this most recent 10-Ball event, the sixth stop on the APT, he went undefeated through a field of 48 at Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.
In a concurrently-run Ladies event, Tina Malm worked her way, undefeated, through a short field of eight to claim that title. It was Malm's second win on this year's inaugural series of Ladies tournaments, having won the season opener in January. Malm also appeared in the Open event, finishing in the tie for 33rd. In a ranking system that rewards a combination of performance and participation, Judie Wilson, who's appeared in all six of the Ladies tournaments, remains atop the APT's list of female competitors.
Moore's run in the Open event began with back-to-back shutouts versus Tina Malm and Toby McGovern, before Chris Futrell, his eventual opponent in the finals, gave him a double-hill run for his money in the third round. Moore survived, advancing to defeat Shaun Wilkie (currently at #3 in the tour rankings) 7-3, which set him up in a winners' side semifinal against Mike Davis. Chuck Sampson, in the meantime, met up with Nilbert Lim in the other winners' side semifinal.
Moore survived his second double hill fight, downing Davis, and advanced to the hot seat match versus Sampson, who'd sent Lim to the loss side 7-3. Moore claimed his first hot seat since the Tour Championships and waited there for Futrell to finish his seven-match, loss-side winning streak.
Over on the loss side, it was Davis who ran into Futrell, four matches into his loss-side streak, which began with a 6-4 win over the APT's top-ranked player, Christopher Wilburn, and was followed by a shutout over Steve Freeman, and 6-3 wins over TJ Moore and Steve Fleming. Lim picked up Greg Sabins, who'd defeated Mat LeMire 6-2 and (significantly) eliminated Shaun Wilkie 6-3.
Futrell defeated Davis 6-3, while Sabins and Lim locked up in a double hill fight that eventually advanced Sabins. Futrell took the quarterfinal match that followed 6-4, and completed his loss-side run by giving up only a single rack to Sampson.
The 'finals' re-match was on. The result would do little to change the relative tour rankings of the two opponents (Moore, entering the tournament at #29 and Futrell a few spots above him at #23), but in keeping with their first, double hill meeting, the two played 15 of a possible 17 games. Moore completed his undefeated run 9-6 to claim the title.
Malm downs Duggan twice to claim Ladies title
Tina Malm's four-match, undefeated run in the Ladies event went through Jacki Duggan twice. They met first in the second round (which was the winners' side semifinal) and fought to double hill, before Malm prevailed. Cheryl Pritchard, in the meantime, having shut out Nicole King, faced Gwen Townsend in the other winners' side semifinal and defeated her 6-4. Malm claimed the hot seat with a 6-2 win over Pritchard and waited on Duggan's return.
On the loss side, Duggan picked up Nicole King, who'd just survived a double hill battle against Wilson. Townsend drew Meredith Lynch, who'd defeated Cabatit 6-4 to reach her. By identical 6-4 scores, Duggan and Townsend advanced to the quarterfinals over King and Lynch.
Over the next 15 games, encompassing the quarter and semifinals, Duggan gave up only three racks; two to Townsend in the quarterfinals, and one to Pritchard in the semifinals. Malm ended Duggan's short, three-match, loss-side run with an 8-3 win in the finals.
After being edged out by Dennis Orcollo in the 2017 VA State 10-Ball Championships last month (Feb.), Shaun Wilkie returned to the tables with a vengeance and went undefeated at the March 11-12 stop on the Action Pool Tour. On his trip to the hot seat (racing to 8), only one of his six opponents (Reymart Lim) got within two racks of him, giving him a win percentage to that point of 77% (48-14). Only his opponent in the finals (racing to 10), Chris Futrell, got as close as three racks, knocking his overall percentage down to 73% (58-21). The event drew 54 entrants to Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.
In a concurrently-run Ladies event, Nicole King came back from a double hill loss to Barbara Yeager in the battle for the hot seat to defeat her in the finals and claim the title. The ladies' event drew eight entrants to the same location.
In the main event, Wilkie faced four opponents to get into a winners' side semifinal against Reymart Lim. He shut out two of those four opponents (Jose Vega-Hernandez and Troy Simmons), after giving up two racks to Nilbert Lim (no relation to Reymart) and sandwiching an 8-3 win over Corey Bress into the middle. Futrell, in the meantime, found himself facing Bill Duggan in the other winners' side semifinal.
Reymart Lim chalked up more racks against Wilkie in their winners' side semifinal (six) than all of Wilkie's previous opponents combined, but it wasn't enough. By the same score, 8-6, Duggan sent Futrell to the loss side. Wilkie sent Duggan west 8-3 to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Futrell picked up Brian Dietzenbach, who, after being defeated by Reymart Lim in his first match, arrived at the 5/6 matches on the heels of a six-match, loss-side winning streak, including a shutout victory over Troy Simmons and a 7-2 win over Eric Moore. Reymart Lim drew RJ Carmona, who'd been sent west by Futrell in a winners' side quarterfinal. Carmona got by Corey Bress 7-4 and just did defeat Nilbert Lim 7-6.
Carmona completed back-to-back victories over the Lims with a 7-5 victory over Reymart. In the quarterfinals, he faced Futrell, who'd ended Dietzenbach's loss-side winning streak 7-1. Futrell then eliminated Carmona 7-5 to face Duggan a second time in the semifinals. Futrell gave up only two racks to earn a second shot against Wilkie. Wilkie completed his undefeated run with a 10-7 victory over Futrell in the finals.
In the Ladies' event, five of the 14 total matches played went to double hill. Three of those five were played by Nicole King, who won two of them. She played back-to-back double hill matches to get into the finals. Following a 6-4 victory over Cheryl Pritchard, King defeated Daisy Lim, double hill, in one winners' side semifinal, as Barbara Yeager was busy downing Gwen Townsend 6-4. Yeager claimed the hot seat, double hill over King and waited for her to return.
On the loss side, Lim picked up Meredith Lynch, who, following a defeat at the hands of Yeager in the opening round, had survived a double hill match against Jacki Duggan to draw Lim. Townsend drew Judie Wilson, who'd eliminated Pritchard, double hill.
Lim and Townsend advanced to the quarterfinals, having given up only a single rack between them against Lynch and Wilson (Wilson chalked up the solo rack, against Townsend). Townsend then defeated Lim 6-3 in the quarterfinals before being defeated in a double hill match by King in the semifinals. King came back and downed Yeager 8-4 in the finals to claim the event title.
Only two of the four finalists on-hand for the Open and Ladies' 2016 VA State 10-Ball Championships made it to the 2017 Championships, held on the weekend of February 11-12. In 2016, Janet Atwell and Jacki Duggan chalked up their second straight winner/runner-up (Atwell/Duggan) titles, and though Duggan competed in this year's event, finishing in the tie for 7th place, Atwell didn't play. Eric Moore and Brandon Shuff battled in the 2016 finals, and though Moore competed, finishing in the tie for 13th place, Shuff didn't play this year.
The Open event drew 60 entrants, while the Ladies' event drew 14, both to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
Orcollo and the 2015 VA State 10-Ball Champion, Shaun Wilkie, battled twice in this year's event. Wilkie won their first match (one of the winners' side semifinals), and Orcollo won their second, in the finals.
Orcollo's position as the #3-ranked player in the world, may have led some to believe that he'd cut through this field like a hot knife through warm butter, but 'butter' fought back a bit in this event. Through his opening four matches, Orcollo was giving up between three and four racks per match; four each to Max Schlothauer and Jarrod Clowery, and three each to Chris Bruner and Reymart Lim. Orcollo was still a 'hot knife,' but his opponents in this event were doing a good imitation of butter just out of the refrigerator. In the winners' side semifinals, the 'hot knife' ran into some fresh-out-of-the-freezer butter, in the person of Shaun Wilkie, who defeated him 8-4 to get into the hot seat match. Wilkie was joined by Larry Kressel, who'd sent John Newton to the loss side 8-3 in their winners' side semifinal. Wilkie claimed the hot seat 8-4 over Kressel, and waited (the butter approaching room temperature) for the return of the 'hot knife.'
On the loss side, Orcollo picked up Mike Davis, who'd been defeated by Bobby Stovall in the second round and was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him just as far as Orcollo. Newton drew Reymart Lim, who'd gotten by Chris Futrell 6-2, and Sean Sporleder 6-4 to reach him.
Orcollo cut through Davis without giving up a single rack, and in the quarterfinals, faced Lim, who'd given up only one rack to Newton. In the quarterfinals and semifinals, Lim and then, Kressel, put up back-to-back, three-racks-against fights, but were eliminated, sending Orcollo back for a re-match against Wilkie.
It wasn't looking good for the 'knife' in the early going of the finals, as Wilkie took a 5-2 lead. Orcollo, though won eight of the next nine games to claim the event title.
Lynch goes undefeated to claim VA State Ladies' 10-Ball title
[photo id=45763|align=right]It took Meredith Lynch just five matches to claim the 2017 VA State Ladies' Championship title. She got into the hot seat with an aggregate score of 24-11. Once by Sierra Reams and Lisa Cossette, she faced Bethany Sykes in a winners' side semifinal, as Cheryl Pritchard squared off against Nicole Fleming. Lynch downed Sykes 6-3, and in the hot seat match, in their first of two, faced Pritchard, who'd sent Fleming west 6-4. Lynch gave up four of the 11 racks she'd given up to gain the hot seat by defeating Pritchard 6-4.
On the loss side, Sykes picked up Tina Malm (winner of the APT's Ladies' season opener in January), who'd been defeated by Cossette in the opening round, and gotten by Sierra Reams 5-3, Melissa Mason 5-2, and last year's runner-up, Jacki Duggan, double hill, to reach her. Fleming drew Daisy Lim, who, like Malm, had lost an opening round match (to Fleming 6-1) and downed Terry Stovall, double hill; Cossette 5-3, and Gwen Townsend, double hill to earn a re-match against Fleming.
Sykes and Fleming advanced to the quarterfinals; Sykes 5-2 over Malm, and Fleming 5-3 over Lim, a second time. Three straight double hill battles marked the end of the Ladies' event. Fleming downed Sykes in the quarterfinals, and then, Pritchard eliminated Fleming in the semifinals. Pritchard put up a double hill fight in her second match against Lynch, but Lynch hung on to win 8-7.
Shaun Wilkie and Brandon Shuff were back at it on the weekend of May 14-15, battling for ranking supremacy on the Action Pool Tour. They, along with Eric Moore (the tour's top three-ranked players), had missed the tour's fourth stop in April, but all were on hand for this latest stop and all finishing among the top four. Wilkie went undefeated, downing Shuff twice – in the hot seat and finals – to claim the title. Reymart Lim kept Eric Moore from a third place finish. The event drew 43 entrants to Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.
In the early rounds (first through third), Wilkie was sending opponents to the loss side by an average score of 7-1 (7-0, 7-1, 7-2). In a winners' side quarterfinal, Reymart Lim chalked up four against him, but Wilkie advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Eric Moore. Shuff, in the meantime, had two relatively easy opening rounds (7-0, 7-1), but ran into a Battling Benji (no last name indicated), who forced a case game, won by Shuff, who advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Greg Sabins.
Shuff sent Sabins to the loss side 7-3, as Wilkie was downing Moore 7-2. In the hot seat match that followed, Shuff, like Lim before him, managed four racks against Wilkie, but moved to the semifinals.
On the loss side, Sabins picked up Lim, who'd gotten by Chris Futrell 6-3 and survived a double hill battle versus RJ Carmona. Moore drew Dave Hunt, who'd eliminated Doug Hornsby, double hill and defeated Kenny Miller 6-3.
Moore and Lim advanced to the quarterfinals, both 6-2, over Hunt and Sabins, respectively. Lim edged Moore out of advancement with a double hill win in those quarterfinals, before himself being eliminated 6-4 by Shuff.
In something of a Virginia-centric Clash of Titans, Wilkie and Shuff went at it again, competing not only for the event title, but for the top spot in the tour rankings, which, at the end of the tour season, could earn the top player roundtrip plane fare, hotel and free entry into all three divisions of the US Bar Table Championships in Las Vegas (the #2-ranked player earns the same, less the roundtrip airfare). Wilkie completed his undefeated run with a 9-6 victory over Shuff. At this midway point in the APT season (five down, five to go), Shuff remains at the top of the rankings list, with Eric Moore (who defeated Shuff in the finals of stop #2) behind him. Wilkie, who's currently among the top 10 competitors in the rankings race for inclusion on the Mosconi Cup's USA team, is in third place in the APT rankings.
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, we were reporting on Shaun Wilkie‘s sixth straight win on the Action Pool Tour at the 2015 VA State Open 10-Ball Championships, in which he defeated Matt Krah in the finals to claim the title. A year later, two competitors who weren’t even involved in last year’s championship, emerged from the pack to battle twice for the 2016 title; Eric Moore and Brandon Shuff. And in what could only be termed a surprise ending, it was Moore who bested Shuff, twice, double hill, to claim the title. The 2016 VA State Open 10-Ball Championships drew 59 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA. A concurrently-run Women’s event (separate story), drew 18, and saw Janet Atwell defend her title, with, for the second year in a row, Jacki Duggan as the runner-up.
In the Open event, four of the five matches that Brandon Shuff played on the winners’ side went double hill, including his first two versus Shane Wolford and Rich Glasscock. Shuff got by APT Tour Director Ozzy Reynolds 7-2, before engaging in his fourth and fifth double hill battles. He won the fourth over Bill Duggan before running into Moore in a winners’ side semifinal. Moore had some early trouble against Sean Sporleder in his opening round, but advanced 7-5 to defeat three straight opponents (Rick Senter, Nilbert Lim and Rick Scarleto) 7-2. He capped this with the double hill win that sent Shuff to the loss side. Chris Futrell and RJ Carmona, in the meantime, squared off in the other winners’ side semifinal, won by Futrell 7-3. Moore claimed the hot seat over Futrell 7-3 and waited on Shuff’s return.
On the loss side, Shuff walked right into his sixth double hill match; this one, against Reymart Lim, who’d defeated Christopher Wilburn and Adam Kielar, both 6-4, to reach him. Carmona picked up Scarleto, who, following his winners’ side defeat at the hands of Moore, had defeated Rafael Reyes 6-4 and eliminated last year’s champion, Shaun Wilkie, in a double hill match.
Shuff won his sixth double hill match (over Lim), as Scarleto eliminated Carmona 6-2. Perhaps in preparation for what was to come, Shuff bore down and took the quarterfinal match over Scarleto and the semifinal match against Futrell, both 6-3.
In the finals, Shuff and Moore locked up in what was Shuff’s seventh double hill match, out of eight played. Moore prevailed to claim the 2016 VA State 10-Ball Championships.
Whether it's a back-and-forth contest through multiple ties or a situation in which a player comes back from a significant deficit, double hill pool matches are the Cadillacs/Mercedes-Benz/Jaguars of billiard competition. Add a degree of previous performance context to these double hill battles and you've got yourself what's known as a 'thriller.'
Case in point: The finals of the 3rd Annual VA State 10-Ball Championships, held under the auspices of the Action Pool Tour on the weekend of February 7-8 at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA. The Context: A field of 70 was on hand for the competition, including last year's runner-up, Shaun Wilkie, who, less than a month ago (January 18) had chalked up an unprecedented fifth straight win on the Action Pool Tour. Last year's winner, Adam Kielar, did not compete.
Wilkie went on, undefeated, to claim the VA State 10-Ball title, but not before he had first, shut Matt Krah out in the battle for the hot seat, and then, was challenged by Krah in a double hill finals thriller that eventually gave Wilkie his sixth straight APT victory.
It took Wilkie four matches to reach a winners' side semifinal match against Chris Bruner; four, race-to-7 matches in which he gave up, on average, only two racks, including none in a match versus Nathan Childress and one in a victory over Mike Davis. Krah, in the meantime, chalked up three 7-3 wins and a 7-2 victory to reach the winners' side semifinal and a matchup against Greg Taylor.
Bruner got as close to Wilkie as anyone up to that point with five racks in the winners' side semifinal, but Wilkie won it and turned to face Krah, who'd sent Taylor west 7-3. Wilkie shut Krah out to claim the hot seat and waited on his 'loaded with context' return.
Over on the loss side, Bruner picked up Mike Davis, who'd won four on the loss side, including a 6-4 win over Chris Futrell and a 6-2 win over David Hunt to reach him. Taylor drew Chris Loar, who'd gotten by Jimmy Varias 6-2 and survived a double hill fight against Kenny Miller.
Loar and Bruner squared off in a 'Chris' quarterfinal, once they'd defeated Taylor and Davis, both 6-3. It was Bruner who advanced to meet Krah in the semifinals with a 6-4 victory over Loar.
Seemingly determined to earn himself a second shot against Wilkie in the hot seat, Krah gave up only a single rack to Bruner in those semifinals and with the sting of a hot seat shutout on his mind, got that chance. Krah put up a double hill fight, but Wilkie prevailed to win the VA State 10-Ball title and his sixth straight victory on the APT.
In the Action Pool Tour's (APT) season finale, held on the weekend of December 6-7, Shaun Wilkie completed what tour director Ozzy Reynolds described as "a record that may very well never be broken," by winning his fourth straight stop on the tour. Wilkie's undefeated run through the field of 30 entrants at Long Shot Billiards in Chesapeake, VA left him at the top of the year-end APT rankings, which, in turn, earned him entry into all three divisions of the US Bar Table Championships in February, the airfare to get there, and hotel accommodations during his stay.
According to Reynolds, Wilkie started the year determined to win that first place prize. Then, he broke his foot.
"What would have sidelined most players, only made Wilkie more determined," said Reynolds, in announcing the victory and first place ranking prize. "For several events, he showed up and competed while hopping around the table on one foot."
Wilkie didn't win any of the events he spent hopping around on a broken foot, but he placed relatively high enough in all of them to stay competitive in the rankings with last year's tour champion, Brian Deska. Going into the season finale, the two were only separated by about 300 points, but Deska didn't compete, leaving the door open for Wilkie to march into the top spot on the tour, which he did.
Following victories over Chris Futrell, Kenny Miller, and Reymart Lim, during which he steadily reduced the number of racks being chalked up against him – from six to four to three – Wilkie moved into a winners' side semifinal against Joey Mastermaker. Joey's brother, Danny, in the meantime, squared off against Mike Davis in the other. Wilkie and Davis spoiled any hopes for a sibling hot seat match; Wilkie downing Joey 9-3, while Davis sent Danny loss-side packing 9-5. Wilkie completed his march to the hot seat with a 9-6 win over Davis and waited on his return.
On the loss side, things were shaping their way toward a sibling quarterfinal match. Joey drew Greg Sabins, who'd defeated Nick Turner 7-5 and survived a double hill fight against Kenny Miller. Danny picked up Reymart Lim, who, following his defeat at the hands of Wilkie in the third round, went on to victories over Shawn Carlson 7-3 and Chris Futrell 7-6.
The Mastermakers advanced. Joey survived a double hill struggle against Sabins, while Danny was busy eliminating Futrell 7-4. In a quarterfinal matchup that isn't likely to be the subject of a family conversation any time soon, or too often thereafter, Danny shut his brother out and turned to face Davis in the semifinal match. Davis gave up only two in the match and got his second shot at Wilkie in the hot seat. The two duplicated their hot seat scores 9-6, giving Wilkie his fourth straight, the tour ranking title, and tickets to Reno in February.
Shaun Wilkie started his November 8-9 weekend on the Action Pool Tour against two women. He did well against the first one, Kia Sidbury, giving up just a single rack in their race to seven. Then he ran into Karen Corr, who, in defeating him 7-5, sent him on a ten-match winning streak that culminated in a finals victory over Chris Futrell. Stop # on the Action Pool Tour drew 59 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
With Wilkie, the tour's top-ranked player, at work on the loss side, some of the lower-ranked players, with fewer appearances on this year's tour, were able to advance. RJ Carmona (#72), Mike Davis (#140), Chris Futrell (#200) and Karen Corr (#100), for example, who advanced to to play in the winners' side semfinals; Carmona against Davis, Futrell against Corr. Davis defeated Carmona 7-3, while Futrell fought and prevailed in a double hill match over Corr, who hadn't given up more than three racks since defeating Wilkie in the second round. Futrell, no doubt feeling real good, sent Davis to the semifinals 7-4 and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Wilkie.
On the loss side, Wilkie started his nine-match trek to the finals with four wins in which he gave up only six racks (26 games). This put him into the first money round (9/12). He then defeated Joey Mastermaker 5-3 and Nilbert Lim 5-1 to pick up Carmona, coming over from the winners' side semifinal. Corr, in the meantime, was facing Danny Mastermaker, who'd gotten by Larry Kressel 5-2 and Dave Hunt 5-3.
Wilkie eliminated Carmona 5-3 and in the quarterfinals, faced Corr, who'd defeated Mastermaker 5-1. It was not only a re-match with the woman who'd sent him to the loss side, it would also be Wilkie's fifth match, out of 10 total, against a female. He was taking no chances, apparently. He allowed Corr only a single rack and advanced to the semifinals against Davis, who put up more of a fight, a double hill fight, in fact, but to no avail. Wilkie prevailed, and got his shot against Futrell. Futrell put up a fight, too, and came within a game of forcing Wilkie into his second straight double hill match, but Wilkie finished it at 9-7 to claim the event title.
Thursday brought us another host of excellent matches at the 39th Simonis/Aramith U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships at the Marriott Hotel in Chesapeake, Virginia. With a field this strong we have many big names storming through the one-loss bracket. All of these are perform or go home matches and experience under pressure is proving its value here.
World number one Niels Feijen was behind in most of his match with Jin Hu Dang but came back from a two-game deficit to win the match 11-9. Johnny Archer had to face young sharpshooter Skyler Woodward but his composure and confidence won the day as he overcame the up and comer 11-5. Feijen next faces Jonathan Pinegar and he better be ready as Pinegar eliminated Johnny Archer (11-6) in his final match of the night. Upcoming Hall of Famer Jose Parica had his exit ticket punched today in a double-hiller with Le Quang Trun of Viet Nam and Imran Majid gave Oscar Dominguez a pass to the stands 11-7.
Justin Bergman doesn't ever seem to consider the possibility that he could miss. He plays with a solid and sure pace and just had his way today with a tough Danny Mastermaker. Mastermaker just could not stay up with the firepower of Bergman. Begman then went on to take out Brad Shearer (11-3). He ran a four pack against Shearer and that is the most racks anyone has been able to manage consecutively this week as the new racking rule of the 9 on the spot has really put a halt to long runs. The games are more about strategy this year and Bergman's main strategy is to smother opponents with firepower until they cannot lift their heads.
Chris Bruner had a match today he can put in the proud section of his memory banks. He showed no apprehension at all in his match against Russian great Konstantin Stepanov. He played what the table offered and ducked effectively when that was the proper option. The match was close but Bruner never showed any nerves as he took the bout 11-9.
Alex Pagulayan is the first to admit that his record against Ralf Souquet is less than stellar. But he must have forgotten about that in their match today. Pagulayan looked truly solid as he ended the run of Souquet 11-7. In the next round, however, Pagulayan ran into prospective Mosconi Cupper Justin Hall and Hall played well beyond his years as he dismembered Pagulayan 11-4. Whatever magic dust coach Mark Wilson is using on his charges seems to be working very well this week. Wilson has to pick five of the eight prospects to make the team and they are not making his choice easy.
Jeremy Sossei had a real hill to climb. He was matched up against Max Eberle and Max had already beaten the aforementioned World number one Niels Feijen earlier in the week. Eberle is in total control of the mental side of the game now and when you couple that with his considerable table skills you have a guy you just don't really want to play. But Sossei gets better every time we see him and he stayed calmly within himself throughout the match and took it down 11-9. The new table habits Sossei has picked up of late are certainly working for him. After the Eberle match he went on to take down Albin Ouschan (11-8) and Friday must face his fellow Mosconi Cup prospect Justin Hall. It will be curious to find which of these players will be afraid of making the first big mistake and which will put all that away and play aggressive 9-Ball.
On the winner's side Ernesto Dominguez just keeps setting them up and knocking them down. He beat Ralf Souquet earlier in the week 11-7 and today never gave Chris Futrell a chance as he rolled over him 11-5. His next opponent is Francisco Bustamante. Bustamante manhandled a clearly not on his game Thorsten Hohmann. Both men had a lot of trouble with the break shot and we witnessed six scratches on the break shot during the match as Bustamante managed Hohmann 11-5.
Former Mosconi Cup member Nikos Ekonomopoulos is threatening the field this week. He has already tromped Dennis Grabe 11-3 and Mario He 11-4 and today he showed his endurance as he never tired in his 11-10 win over another former Mosconi Cup member, Corey Deuel.
Nick Van Den Berg is here on a mission and he is getting there. Every match he has had has been against a champion and he just continued to prevail until Warren Kiamco put him over to the left side 11-9. Prior to that he had won over Stevie Moore (11-6), Matt Haines (11-5), and Mika Immonen (11-2).
Late evening matches of interest included a match between Shane Van Boening and Do Huang Quan where the pool gods showed their undying love for Van Boening. Quan had him in the vise twice and let him out. Quong was running out when he led the match 10-8 but dogged an easy 5 ball and then dogged another golden opportunity in the hill match to ran the victory to Van Boening 11-10.
Karl Boyes is a study in contrasts. Off the table he is gregarious and a lot of fun to be around. He has one of those personalities that easily charms and wins friends and he can be the life of the party. But when he gets on a pool table he flips the switch and focuses internally and does a fine job of living inside the rails. He showed off his true power Thursday night as he crushed none other than Darren Appleton 11-1. With that kind of performance on his record he will bring out the cautious side of his opponents and that advantage alone is worth a couple of racks.
There are now only eight undefeated players and they are going to provide us with a marvelous show today as Shane Van Boening must face Karl Boyes, Mike Dechaine takes on Dennis Orcollo, Nikos Ekonomopoulos challenges Warren Kiamco and Ernesto Dominguez does battle with Francisco Bustamante. Watch the best of the action on Accu-Stats and follow all of the action here on AZB.
