Already having his best earnings year to date, Ryan Dayrit added his first major tournament win by going undefeated* on the Tri-State Tour’s second stop of its 2019-2012 season on Sunday, July 21. At the end of the $1,000-added event, which drew 41 entrants to Cue Bar in Astoria (Queens), NY, Dayrit and his opponent in the finals, Lidio Ramirez, opted out of a final match, leaving Dayrit, the undefeated occupant of the hot seat as the official winner.
Dayrit faced different opponents in the hot seat and finals of this one. After victories over Chris Schmidt, Sabrina Sherman and Luis Jimenez, he advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against DeMenthris Hudson, as Tony Kuo squared off against Kapriel Delimelkonoglu in the other one; Delimelkonoglu had just sent Ramirez to the loss side 7-2. Dayrit got into the hot seat match with a double hill win over Hudson, as Kuo downed Delimelkonoglu 7-5. Dayrit claimed the hot seat 7-5 over Kuo and waited for Ramirez to complete his three-match, loss-side run.
Delimelkonoglu moved to the loss side, where he ran into an immediate re-match against Ramirez, who’d defeated Basdeo Sookhai 7-5 and Amanda Andries 10-7 to earn the rematch. Hudson drew Luis Jimenez, who’d lost to Dayrit in a winners’ side quarterfinal and had defeated Sabrina Sherman 7-4 and Michelle Brotons, double hill.
Ramirez and Jimenez handed Delimelkonoglu and Hudson their second straight loss; Ramirez successfully wreaking his vengeance on Delimelkonoglu 7-2 and Jimenez sending Hudson to the figurative ‘showers’ 7-3. Ramirez then defeated Jimenez 8-6 in the quarterfinals.
By the same score (8-6), Ramirez then defeated Tony Kuo in the semifinals in what proved to be the last match of the event. Ramirez and Dayrit agreed upon a split, with Dayrit claiming the event title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Cue Bar, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Liquid Weighted Cues, Bloodworth Ball Cleaner, Quick Stik, Phil Capelle, Pool & Billiards, Bender Cues, Dayton Cues, and Romer Trophies. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, July 27, will be hosted by Shooters Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
Luis Lopez, Jason Sheerman, Greg Matos and Jimmy Acosta
No one has ever repeated as the champion of the annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial’s Amateur Tournament. Raj Vannala was the event’s inaugural champion in 2011, and after that, it was won by Daniel Dagotdot, Michael Yednak, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, Rhys Chen, Tony Liang, and Phil Davis. Last year, Lukas Fracasso-Verner won the title and was the only one of the previous eight champions to compete this year. Delimelkonoglu and Yednak competed in the Open/Pro event. The amateur event maintained its ‘unique winner’ tradition at the 9th annual Ginky Memorial, held this past Memorial Day weekend (May 25-27). Jason Sheerman, defeated in an early round by Jimmy Acosta, won seven on the loss side to meet and defeat Acosta in the finals and become the 9th unique amateur to win the Ginky Memorial. Sheerman had cashed in two previous Ginky Memorial appearances, finishing 25th in 2017 and 17th in 2016. The tournament’s namesake would be proud to know that his annual memorial tournament has crowned a new amateur winner every year since the event was inaugurated. This year’s $2,000-added Amateur event, held under the combined auspices of the Predator Pro Am, Tri-State and Mezz Pr Tours, drew a record 169 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
The Open/Pro side of the 9th Annual Ginky Memorial was won by Alex Kazakis, who went undefeated through a field of 36 entrants, downing Jayson Shaw in the finals (see separate story). Shaw, by the way, was looking for his third Ginky Memorial title, having been one of only two competitors to have won the Open/Pro side of the event twice, in 2015 & 2017. Mike Dechaine won the inaugural Open/Pro event in 2011, was runner-up to Earl Strickland in 2012, and won it a second time in 2014.
In this year’s Amateur event, the 169 entrants were initially divided into upper and lower handicap brackets, merging only as the event drew near the end. With Sheerman already at work on the loss side, Acosta advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Mike Saleh. Greg Matos, in the meantime, squared off against Jim Gutierrez.
Acosta got into the hot seat match with a 7-4 victory over Saleh and was joined by Matos, who’d sent Gutierrez to the loss side 7-3. Acosta claimed the hot seat 8-6 over Matos and waited (though not for very long) on what turned out to be the return of Sheerman.
It was Saleh who picked up Sheerman, four wins into his loss-side streak that had most recently included a 7-4 win over Juan Guzman, and 8-5 win over Andrew Lee. Gutierrez drew Luis Lopez, who’d defeated Mac Jankov 6-4 and Bob Mapes 7-5 to reach him.
Sheerman chalked up his fifth loss-side win 7-1 over Saleh. He was joined in the quarterfinals by Lopez, who’d eliminated Gutierrez 6-3.
Win #6 for Sheerman sent Lopez to the figurative showers 10-5. Win #7 did the same to Greg Matos, who was eliminated 9-7.
As it turned out, the quarterfinals and hot seat match were happening simultaneously in this event, going into Monday evening. So, when Matos fell to Acosta in the hot seat match, the semifinals started immediately (this was happening just as the finals of the Open/Pro event were getting underway). So, Acosta didn’t have a lot of time in the hot seat to think about the fact that the competitor he’d sent to the loss side in what must have seemed like a lifetime ago, was on the verge of earning a rematch. And earn it he did.
Sheerman took full advantage of his second chance against Acosta. He defeated him 9-7 to become the 9th different player to capture the George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial Amateur title.
Event director Tony Robles thanked Manny Stamatakis and his entire Steinway Billiards staff, who worked tirelessly, professionally and with remarkable grace throughout a long weekend with over 200 pool players and a contingent of venue regulars who spent time playing chess and backgammon at nearby tables. Robles also acknowledged his regular tour sponsors, including Predator Cues, Ozone Billiards, PlayNAPL.com, Capelle (Billiards Press.com), PoolontheNet.com, The DeVito Team, as well as the cooperation of the other sponsoring tours (Tri-State and Mezz Tours) and the tireless, non-stop live stream operated by Upstate Al and his broadcast team.
Robles also made note to all in attendance of the defining fact that this annual event is held each year in memory of George “Ginky” Sansouci, who passed away in 2011, and whose legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of innumerable players in the New York area and wherever “Ginky” played. The event was attended by members of the Sansouci family, who were accorded ‘front row’ seating privileges for all of the live-streamed matches and remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Ginky’s life with a living, breathing memorial to his influence on the game and the people who continue to play it.
Duc Lam, who won the 2017 Empire State Amateur 10-Ball Championships and finished the 2017-2018 Tri-State season as its #4-ranked A+/A player opened the Tri-State’s 2018-2019 season with an undefeated run that saw him face separate opponents in the hot seat match (Philip Pearce) and finals (Mike Mele). The $1,000-added event, held on Sunday, July 15, drew 48 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
Lam’s path to the winners’ circle ran through Lidio Ramierez, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, and Ron Gabia to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match against Patrick Myers. Pearce, in the meantime, faced off against Ryan Dayrit in the other winners’ side semifinal. Two double hill matches sent Lam and Pearce to the hot seat match; Lam, 9-8 over Myers and Pearce, 7-6 over Dayrit. A third double hill match, battling for the hot seat, sent Pearce to the semifinals, as Lam waited on the return of Mele.
On the loss side, two competitors were working on a collision course that would put them against each other in the quarterfinals. Max Watanabe, sent to the loss side by Ron Gabia in their opening round (both had been awarded opening round byes) was working on a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that had included a double hill, re-match win over Gabia and an 8-6 win over Jason Goberdhan. Watanabe then drew Meyers, coming over from the winners’ side semifinals. Dayrit picked up Mele, who’d been sent to the loss side by Pearce in the third round, and was on a six-match, loss-side streak that would take him all the way to the finals. Mele had most recently eliminated Eddie Medina and Daniel Feliciano, both 7-5.
Watanabe fought a double hill battle against Meyers, which eventually advanced him to the quarterfinals. He was met by Mele, who’d defeated Dayrit 7-2. Watanabe’s loss-side streak came to an end in those quarterfinals, with Mele’s second straight 7-2 win.
Mele leap-frogged over his semifinal re-match against Pearce (by forfeit), and went straight into the finals. Mele put up a double hill fight, but Lam ended it to claim the first title of the Tri-State Tour’s 2018-2019 season.
Tour representatives thanked Manny Stamatakis and his Steinway Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, Pool & Billiards, Professor Q Ball, Bender Cues, and DIGICUE OB. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, July 21, will be a $1000-added, 8-ball event, to be hosted by Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ.
Three years ago, during Miguel Laboy’s best earnings year at the tables, he won four stops on the Tri-State Tour, and was among the top 10 finishers in 12 of the 13 events in which he competed on both the Tri-State and Predator Pro Am Tours. Since that time, he’s continued to chalk up wins on both tours, and has maintained that ‘top ten finisher’ pace every year. On Sunday, December 10, he added another victory on the Tri-State Tour to his growing list of accomplishments, coming from the loss side to meet and defeat Kapriel Delimelkonoglu in the finals of a $1,000-added event that drew 34 entrants to Cue Bar Lounge and Billiards in Bayside (Queens), NY.
Laboy and Delimelkonoglu met twice in this event, first, in a winners’ side semifinal, won by Delimelkonoglu 7-5 that sent Laboy to the loss side, and later, in the finals. In the hot seat match, Delimelkonoglu faced Juan Melendez, who’d sent Luis LaPuente over 6-3 in the other winners’ side semifinal. Delimelkonoglu claimed the hot seat with a 9-7 win over Melendez and waited on Laboy’s return.
On the loss side, Laboy opened his trip back to the finals against Jimmy Martinez, who’d defeated Thomas Schreiber 7-2 and Carl Yusuf Khan 7-3 to reach him. LaPuente drew Matt Klein, recent winner over Mac Jankov 6-3 and Ilija Trajeski 6-4.
Laboy advanced to the quarterfinals 8-5 over Martinez and was joined by LaPuente, who’d eliminated Klein 6-4. Laboy moved on to defeat LaPuente 10-6 in the quarterfinals, and Melendez 11-8 in the semifinals.
Laboy reversed his hot seat fortunes in the finals. He defeated Delimelkonoglu 9-4 to claim his first Tri-State title of the year.
Tri-State representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Cue Bar for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling Billiards, John Bender Custom Cues, Kamui, Digicue, Billiards Digest, Human Kinetics, Blue Book Publishing, Joe Romer Trophies and Phil Capelle Publications. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, the last of 2017, is scheduled for Sunday, December 17, and will be hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
For reasons that probably elude even him, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu has had a bit of a hard time winning events on the Tri-State Tour. Since 2010, he's cashed in 38 events between the Tri-State and Predator Tours (19 on the Tri-State, 23 on the Predator, including appearances at the Ginky Memorial, which is administered by both tours). He last won an event on a strictly Tri-State Tour stop in 2011 and won the 2014 Ginky Memorial's Amateur event, which technically counts as a win on both tours. On Sunday, August 27, at an A/B/C/D, $1,000-added event, which drew 43 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY, Delimelkonoglu came back from a hot seat loss to Ray Lee, and downed him in the finals to capture his first exclusively Tri-State title in six years.
Following wins over Jud Parker, and Jaydev Zaveri, Delimelkonoglu moved into a winners' side semifinal match against Duc Lam. Lee, in the meantime, faced Daniel Feliciano in the other winners' side semifinal. Delimelkonoglu sent Lam to the loss side, double hill, as Lee was busy sending Feliciano over 6-2. Lee claimed the hot seat 7-4 and waited on Delimelkonoglu's return.
On the loss side, Lam picked up Alex Osipov, who'd defeated Zaveri 7-4 and Parker 8-5 to reach him. Feliciano drew Matt Klein, who'd eliminated Tony Ignomirello 6-2 and Bob Toomey 6-4. Osipov and Feliciano advanced to the quarterfinals; Osipov 7-1 over Lam, and Feliciano 6-3 over Klein.
Osipov and Feliciano locked up in a double hill quarterfinal that eventually sent Osipov to the semifinals against Delimelkonoglu. A second double hill fight followed, this time with Osipov falling to Delimelkonoglu 7-6. The finals between Delimelkonoglu and Lee see-sawed back and forth until Delimelkonoglu pulled out in front to win it 9-6, capturing his first exclusively Tri-State title in six years.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Steinway Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics , Pool & Billiards, Professor Q Ball, Bender Cues, Joe Romer Trophies and DIGICUE OB. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for September 10, will be hosted by Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY.
Shawn Jackson cut through a 44-entrant field, on-hand for the August 19-20 stop on the Tri-State Tour, and went undefeated to claim the event title. The $1,000-added event was hosted by Amsterdam Billiards in Manhattan, NY.
Jackson battled Sal Neljkovic twice; once in the hot seat match and again, in the finals. Following victories over John Stiles, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, and Bob Toomey, Jackson met up with Suzzie Wong in a winners' side semifinal. Neljkovic, in the meantime, having defeated Raymond Lee, Nancy Chung, Tony Ignomirello and Thomas Schreiber, faced Dave Shlemperis in the other winners' side semifinal. Jackson sent Wong to the loss side 10-6, as Neljkovic downed Shlemperis in a double hill fight. Jackson claimed the hot seat 7-3 over Neljkovic, and waited on his return.
Over on the loss side, Abel Rosario was working on a nine-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the semifinals. With five of those wins already chalked up, he shut out Bob Toomey, and downed Craig Rempfer 8-5 to draw Shlemperis. Wong, in the meantime, drew Dave Weinstein, who'd defeated Dany Recinos 7-2 and survived a double hill fight against Jaydev Zaveri to reach her.
Weinstein and Rosario advanced to the quarterfinals; Weinstein 9-6 over Wong and Rosario 7-5 over Shlemperis. Rosario then chalked up what would prove to be his last win, allowing Weinstein only a single rack in those quarterfinals. He came within a game of forcing a deciding game in the semifinals against Neljkovic that followed, but Neljkovic edged out in front to win it 7-5.
In spite of the wait, Jackson came out strong in the finals re-match. Neljkovic chalked up only two against Jackson's 7 in those finals, allowing Jackson to complete his undefeated run and claim the event title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Amsterdam Billiards, as well as sponsors John Bender Custom Cues, Ozone Billiards, Sterling Billiards, Kamui, Digicue, Billiards Digest, Human Kinetics, Blue Book Publishing, Joe Romer Trophies, and Phil Capelle Publications. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for August 27, will be hosted by Steinway Billiards, in Astoria (Queens), NY.
In the absence of Amir Uddin, Steve Kaminow further solidified his spot on the Tri-State Tour's B+ player list with an undefeated win on Sunday, June 11. Kaminow, who picked up a tour win last July and most recently, in March, has now moved into second place in that class behind Carl Yusuf Khan. The $500-added event drew 24 entrants to Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY.
Following victories over Lidio Ramirez 7-2, Eugene Ok 7-6, and Thomas Schreiber 7-3, Kaminow advanced to a winners' side semifinal against David Leggat. Esteban Morrell, Jr., in the meantime, squared off against Adrian Daniel. Kaminow moved into the hot seat match 7-3 over Leggat, and was joined by Morrell, Jr., who'd shut Daniel out. Kaminow claimed the hot seat 7-5 and waited on Morrell, Jr.'s return.
On the loss side, Leggat picked up Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, who'd gotten by David Shlemperis, double hill, and Lidio Ramirez 7-5. Daniel drew Zouraiz Ellahi, who'd eliminated Alberto Sanchez 7-4 and Erick Carrasco 6-3.
Delimelkonoglu downed Leggat 7-2, as Daniel squeaked by Ellahi 6-5. Daniel took the subsequent quarterfinal match 7-5 over Delimelkonoglu, before having his short, loss-side trip terminated by Morrell, Jr. in the semifinals 6-4.
Morrell, Jr. came into the finals with two on the wire, and Kaminow took the opening match to half that handicap lead. Morrell, Jr. came back with two racks to go ahead by three, before Kaminow chalked up a pair to draw within one at 4-3. Morrell, Jr. won the next two to reach the hill for a possible extension to nine games. Kaminow put a stop to that with four in a row to win it.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Cue Bar for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, June 17, will be hosted by Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
(l to r): Chumreon Sutcharitakul & Kapriel Delimelkonoglu
By virtue of having gone undefeated, Chumreon Sutcharitakul will go into the record books as the official winner of the Sunday, May 4 stop on the Tri-State Tour. He and his opponent-that-might-have-been in the finals-that-didn't-happen, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, did not compete at the tables, at all. Delimelkonoglu won seven on the loss side to meet Sutcharitakul in the finals-that-didn't-happen, laying claim to the "most matches played" title, as well as the distinction of having, by a single letter, the longer last name (their full names tied at 21 letters). The $1,000-added event drew 47 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
With Delimelkonoglu (a B+ player) already at work on the loss side, following his loss to Amir Uddin, Sutcharitakul (an A) advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Thomas Schreiber (the #4-ranked B player on the tour). Jonathan Gravreilof, in the meantime, squared off against Ronald Bernardo in the other winners' side semifinal. Sutcharitakul sent Schreiber to the loss side 7-5, and in the hot seat match, faced Gravrielof, who'd defeated Bernardo 6-3. Sutcharitakul chalked up his last win, 9-7 over Gravrielof, and waited in the hot seat for Delimelkonoglu to complete his loss side run.
On the loss side, Schreiber ran into Delimelkonoglu, who was five matches into his seven-match, loss-side winning streak, having most recently defeated Cesar Tucios 8-5 and Pascal Dufresne 7-3 (Dufresne had spoiled any thoughts that Delimelkonoglu might have been entertaining about a rematch versus Uddin, by defeating Uddin in his previous match). Bernardo drew Bob Toomey, who'd eliminated Naoko Saiki 6-3 and Nathaniel Raimondo, double hill.
Delimelkonoglu and Schreiber locked up in a double hill fight, before Delimelkonoglu finished it, advancing to the quarterfinals. He was joined by Bernardo, who rebounded from his winners' side loss to Sutcharitakul, with a double hill win over Toomey.
By a score of 8-6, Delimelkonoglu defeated Bernardo in the quarterfinals and, in what would prove to be his last match of the event, Gavrielof in the semifinals. Sutcharitakul and Delimelkonoglu opted out of the final match, leaving the undefeated Sutcharitakul to claim the event title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Steinway Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, June 11, will be hosted by Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY.
Junior Singh, Ramon Rodriguez, Amy Yu and Phil Davis
Phil Davis became the 7th different player to win the Amateur event of the Annual George "Ginky" Sansouci Memorial Tournament, held this past weekend – May 27-29 – at Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY. Held under the combined auspices of the Predator Pro Am, Tri-State and Mezz Tours, the event featured its usual array of amateur-status talent. Last year's winner, Tony Liang, was out of this one early, leaving the door open for Davis to go undefeated and follow (in order) Raj Vannala, Daniel Dagotdot, Mike Yednak, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, Rhys Chen and Liang into the Ginky Memorial history book.
Attendance at this annual event has grown steadily over the years, although the numbers did drop a little this year; from 190 to 165 in the $2,000-added Amateur event, and from 54 to 44 in the $2,000-added Pro event, which, by the way, was won by Jayson Shaw (see separate story). Last year's winner, Zion Zvi, like Tony Liang in the Amateur event, was knocked out early.
Both events were streamed live throughout the weekend by AZBTv, sponsored by Blatt Billiards, and featuring the commentary of Upstate Al and a host of guest commentators.
The 165-entrant Amateur tournament divided the players up into two separate brackets of A players and B-D players. They did not meet until the very end. Amy Yu won the B-D bracket, while Ramon Rodriguez won the A bracket. Davis, defeated early by Rodriguez, came back on the loss side to defeat him and advance to the finals against Yu.
As the event moved into the 9/12 matches, only one previous Ginky Memorial champion remained, Rhys Chen, who, after a 7-5 victory over James Conn, was knocked out by Koka Davladze 8-6. Davladze, who'd previously eliminated James Stevens 9-6 advanced to meet Davis in the 5/6 matches. Junior Singh, in the meantime, having defeated Neven Lipovac 7-4, and Benny Rosado 7-5, picked up Gary Bozigian.
Davis and Singh advanced to the quarterfinals; Davis 7-1 over Davladze, and Singh 7-5 over Bozigian. Davis took the quarterfinal match over Singh 9-5, and then, in a re-match against Rodriguez, downed him 7-5 for a shot at Amy Yu.
He took full advantage. Giving six racks to Yu in a race to 13, Davis completed his loss side run with a 13-8 victory to claim the 7th George "Ginky" Sansouci Memorial title.
Event director Tony Robles, as he is every year at this time, was demonstrably appreciative of the effort put forth by representatives from the Tri-State and Mezz Tours, as well as the ownership and staff at Steinway Billiards. In addition to thanks offered to Blatt Billiards (BlattBilliards.com) for their sponsorship of the live stream, Robles also thanked sponsors Predator Cues, Ozone Billiards, PlayNAPL.com, PoolOnTheNet.com, Cappelle (BilliardsPress.com), and the DeVito team.
According to our database records, Elvis Rodriguez made more money shooting pool last year than he has in the previous dozen years his name has been showing up on the payout lists of varied tours from Florida to (more recently) the Tri-State and Predator Tours. He opened his 2017 campaign with a come-from-the-loss-side win on the Tri-State Tour, on Sunday, February 5. The $693-added event drew 33 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
Rodriguez' loss-side trip began, following a 7-4 defeat at the hands of Henry Hernandez, who moved on to a winners' side semifinal match against the event's eventual runner-up, Lidio Ramirez. Qian Chen and Ryan Dayrit squared off in the other winners' side semifinal. Ramirez survived a double hill fight against Hernandez, and in the hot seat match, faced Chen, who'd downed Dayrit 6-4. Ramirez claimed the hot seat 10-6 and waited on Rodriguez.
On the loss side, Rodriguez got by Mike Pruitt 7-4 and Kapriel Delimelkonoglu 7-3 to earn himself a re-match against Hernandez. Dayrit drew Tony Ignomirello, who'd eliminated Mike Montalbano 6-4, and Marisol Palacios 8-5.
In a slightly tighter match than their previous encounter, Rodriguez downed Hernandez 7-5. Ignomirello survived a double hill match against Dayrit to face Rodriguez in the quarterfinals. Ignomirello came out on the losing side of his second straight double hill match, advancing Rodriguez to the semifinals against Chen.
Rodriguez ended Chen's day 9-6 to face Ramirez in the finals. In the extended-race-to-9 finals, Ramirez reached 7 first, forcing the extension, and added two more to defeat Ramirez 9-2 and claim the event title.
Tour representatives thanked Manny Stamatakis and his staff at Steinway Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, February 12, will be hosted by Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
