Admittedly low on confidence, Karl Boyes and Mark Gray burst out of the gates of the World Pool Series’ RYO Rack Classic in New York.
Can a player win a tournament even if they are not playing their best pool?
Generally when you have the best pool talent in the world under one roof for four days, the answer is usually a resounding no. But sometimes in pool, those that have the least expectations can do the most damage, especially players that have entered the winner’s circle more than a few times in their career.
Take Englishmen Mark Gray and Karl Boyes. The two Brits arrived in New York City for the third leg of the World Pool Series, The Ryo Rack Classic Championship, admittedly in the dumps. Gray just came off a miserable performance at the scotch doubles World Cup of Pool in London, and hasn’t had a solid finish in all of 2017. Boyes, a former World 8-ball Champion, has barely touched a cue over the last six months and came to the Big Apple with a confidence level near the bottom of the Hudson River.
But both players, playing without a shred of expectation, each put in two impressive performances at Steinway Billiards Café in Queens on Wednesday, and have put themselves within one of reaching the final 16 single elimination stage of this 8-ball extravaganza.
The usually reliable Gray first thrashed American Greg Mitchell, 11-0. Later in the day on the TV table, in front of an audience that reached over 50,000 viewers courtesy of social media giant Unilad Sport, Gray faced off with American Dennis Hatch. The talented and passionate Hatch has had a good year so far and is close to getting back on the Mosconi Cup for Team USA.
After a slow start by both players, Gray picked up the pace and played some of his best pool this year. He broke well, played solid positions, and kept the game simple. The result was a scintillating 11-3 thumping for the Brit.
“I played better in the second half of the match, but I still don’t think I played very good” Gray said afterward, trying to downplay any possible resurgence in his game. “I haven’t had a good year, haven’t had any good results and it’s just been awful. I don’t think I’ve turned things around yet. But I guess I have to just take things one game at a time and see what happens.”
Boyes, who won the World 8-ball Championship in 2010, had an even better day than his mate Gray. The Blackpool native first manhandled Qatar’s Waleed Majid, 11-5. Then in his next match he downed American great Johnny Archer, 11-8. It was as good a start as anyone could ask for, but afterward Boyes was having none of it.
“ I have no chance to win,” Boyes said in jest, obviously trying to project a care free attitude that he hopes might actually generate a few more wins and a shot at the crown on Saturday. “I played terrible. I have no clue what I’m doing out there. But, hey, maybe I’ll get lucky.”
The two Englishmen will actually face each other in the next round so at least one of them will have an excuse to keep their expectations down low.
And while both Englishman are clearly keeping their expectations justifiably low, some players here in New York clearly showed up with every intention to win this third leg of this fledging 8-ball tour.
Austria’s Mario He recently won the World Cup of Pool with his partner Albin Ouschan and came to New York brimming with confidence. It showed on Wednesday as He outlasted 19 year old American Manny Perez, 11-7. He then went on to bury German legend Ralf Souquet, 11-3. The big Austrian needs one more win to reach the final 16 single knockout stage.
American Skylar Woodward also has been riding a wave of good vibes lately after his runner up performance with Shane Van Boening in the World Cup of Pool. Woodward, who is hoping to move into the top 10 in the Mosconi Cup rankings for team USA ,had a good start to the event with wins over Blair Levandowski and Tommy Tokoph.
Albanian Klenti Kaci, who won the second leg of the World Pool Series in April, the Aramith Masters, had a bye in the first round and then took down American Jorge Rodriguez , 11-7. Ireland’s Hall of Famer Karen Corr, who resides in Philadelphia, looked the goods today with two solid victories, including a round-two victory over talented Spaniard Mark Vidal. England’s Imran Majid continued his fine play this year with two wins, first by a hill-hill shootout over Raymond Linares and then Korea’s Lee Kang.
Singapore’s Sharik Sayed had a confidence boosting day. In round one Sayed and the Philippines’ Warren Kiamco took their match to a shootout, which Sayed won handily. Sayed then sent German great Thorsten Hohmann over to the losers side of the bracket with an impressive 11-4 win.
Israel’s Zion Zvi, who is the house pro at Steinway and lives just down the street, took advantage of his home knowledge and won twice on Wednesday, including an 11-8 win over talented Estonian Dennis Grabe. Mult-world champion and Hall of Famer Mika Immonen, who lives in New York, won twice. World Pool Series founder Darren Appleton had a walkover in the first round, then went the distance with American Corey Duel in round two, and stayed on the winners side by winning a shootout.
Play continues on Thursday for the RYO Rack Classic Championship beginning at 10:30am Eastern Time in the US. By the end of play on day 2, the field will be paired down to the final 16 where the format will become single elimination knockout.
The winner of the RYO Rack Classic Championship will take home $10,000.
For the complete draw and live scoring please CLICK HERE.
DaBreo comes from the loss side to down Davladze in Amateur finals
Jeremy Sossei and Zion Zvi battled in the finals of the June 10-11 Pro event on the Predator Tour. Sossei was in the hot seat, when Zvi completed a five-match, loss-side run to face him. Sossei won to claim the $1,500-added Pro event that drew 12 entrants to Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY. In a concurrently-run, $1,500-added Amateur event that drew 51 entrants, Raphael Dabreo recovered from an early loss at the hands of Koka Davladze, and won seven on the loss side to eventually meet and defeat him in the finals.
Sossei advanced through the short Pro field to face Michael Wong in a winners' side semifinal. Wong had just sent Sossei's eventual finals' opponent, Zvi, to the loss side. Joey Korsiak, in the meantime, met up with Chris Derewonski in the other winners' side semifinal. Wong put up a double hill fight, but it was Sossei who advanced to the winners' side final against Korsiak, who'd sent Derewonski to the loss side 7-4. Sossei claimed the hot seat 7-3 and waited on Zvi.
Zvi opened his loss-side campaign with a 7-3 win over Frankie Hernandez (runner-up on Memorial Day weekend's Ginky Memorial), following it with a 7-3 win over Shawn "Alaska" Morgan, which set him up for a re-match versus Wong. Derewonski drew Greg Mitchell, who'd defeated tour director Tony Robles 7-5 and Jorge Texeira 7-2.
Zvi successfully negotiated the vengeance match 7-3 over Wong, as Derewonski eliminated Mitchell 7-2. Zvi took the quarterfinal match over Derewonski 7-1 and then, downed Korsiak 7-5 in the semifinals. In the finals, by the same score, Sossei stopped Zvi's run to claim the event title.
DaBreo comes back to 'haunt' and defeat Davladze in Amateur event
You'd have to think that downing an opponent 7-2 in a winners' side match would allow a competitor to think that he (or she) would have few worries about that individual coming back for a second challenge, especially when you've advanced beyond that match to the hot seat. Pool, though, is a funny kind of game and nobody knows that better than pool players, particularly Koka Davladze, who won that early match during the Predator Tour's Amateur event, and Raphael DaBreo, who lost in that matchup and eventually won seven on the loss side to meet and defeat Davladze in the finals.
With DaBreo at work on the loss side, Davladze advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Dan Faraguna. Daves Callaghan and Weinstein met in the other one. Davladze moved into the hot seat match 9-4 over Faraguna, and met up with Callaghan, who'd sent Weinstein over 7-4. In spite of a match that went one game shy of double hill, Davladze won his last match, claiming the hot seat over Callaghan 11-9.
On the loss side, DaBreo chalked up victories #3 & #4 against Roberto Hung (9-7) and Thomas Rice (8-5) to draw Faraguna. David Weinstein picked up Emit Yolcu, who'd eliminated Xavier Romero, double hill, and Ambi Estevez 7-1, to reach him. Yolcu and DaBreo advanced to the quarterfinals; Yolcu in another double hill win, over Weinstein, and DaBreo 9-4 over Faraguna.
Callaghan put up a double hill fight against DaBreo in the semifinals, but it wasn't enough, as DaBreo advanced to a long-awaited second shot against Davladze. He took full advantage, downing Davladze 9-5 to claim the title.
Tour director Tony Robles extended special thanks to Kevin and Isabel Buckley, along with their staff at Gotham City Billiards, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, Ozone Billiards, Poison Billiards, PlayNAPL.com, The Devito Team, PoolOnTheNet.com, Capelle (BilliardsPress.com), AZBilliards, Billiards Digest and Pool & Billiard Magazine. The next stop on the Predator Tour, scheduled for June 17-18, will be hosted by Raxx Billiards in West Hempstead, NY.
The stars came out to play on the weekend of July 11-12, as High Pockets in Memphis, TN played host to the $4,500-added Memphis Open, featuring a $4,000-added Pro 10-Ball event with races to 15 (11 on the loss side) and a $500-added Pro-Am 9-Ball tournament (races to 7 on both sides). Ray Hansen, with guest commentary from many of the Open-Pro players, was on site, throughout the weekend, streaming the event on PoolActionTV.
Both winners went undefeated through their fields. Justin Bergman spoiled a six-match, loss-side bid by Shane McMinn in the Pro 10-Ball event that drew 16 entrants, including last year's winner, Jason Klatt, as well as McMinn, Johnny Archer, Dennis Hatch, Larry Nevel and Skyler Woodward (among others). Like Bergman, Kenny Loftis survived a loss-side bid (by Scott Rabon; seven on the loss side) to go undefeated in the Pro-Am 9-Ball tournament that drew 64 entrants.
Bergman's undefeated run was almost sidetracked by Johnny Archer in one of the winners' side semifinals. Archer battled to double hill before giving way to Bergman. John Morra, in the meantime, sent Larry Nevel to the loss side 15-7. Bergman claimed the hot seat 15-11 over Morra and waited for Shane McMinn to finish his loss-side run.
On the loss side, McMinn, who'd been defeated earlier by Skyler Woodward, had eliminated Drake Neipotter 11-4, and last year's winner, Klatt, 11-7, to draw Archer. Nevel faced Dennis Hatch, who'd defeated Danny Olson 11-4 and Jeremy Jones 11-7 (Jones had previously eliminated Woodward 11-8). McMinn handed Archer his second straight, double hill loss, while Nevel advanced to the quarterfinals 11-6 over Hatch.
McMinn then won two straight 11-7 matches; over Nevel in the quarterfinals, and Morra in the semifinals, setting up what proved to be an epic race to 15 against Bergman that went to 28 games. The larger, more deliberate McMinn took an early, slim lead, 4-2, before the rail-thin, highly-energized Bergman settled in to win four in a row. The two battled back and forth with Bergman never extending that two-game lead, though not for lack of trying. They were tied at 13-13, when Bergman won two straight to claim the event title.
In the Amateur 9-Ball tourney, Loftis and Nick Evans advanced to the hot seat match; Loftis, having sent Mark Cavalier to the loss side 7-4, while Evans sent Greg Mitchell over 7-5. Loftis moved into the hot seat with a 7-4 win over Evans, and waited for the return of Scott Rabon.
Rabon had been sent to the loss side by Greg Mitchell, and was Mitchell's first loss-side opponent. Rabon, with two loss-side wins to his credit, had eliminated Brian Woodward 7-4 and Kevin Hutson 7-3 to reach Mitchell. Cavalier picked up Dale Neipotter, who'd defeated Paul Dodge, double hill, and Johnny Box 7-4. By identical 7-5 scores, Cavalier and Rabon defeated Neipotter and Mitchell and turned to face each other in the quarterfinals.
Rabon downed Cavalier 7-4 and earned his shot at Loftis in the hot seat with a 7-5 win over Evans in the semifinals. Loftis ended Rabon's seven-match, loss-side winning streak with a 7-5 victory in the finals.
