Standing in the arena at the conclusion of the women’s Alfa Las Vegas Open, South Korea’s Seo Seoa didn’t hold the championship trophy as much as she cradled it.
“I am really happy,” she said. “This is my first champion title.”
The 21-year-old has reason to be excited, having endured a final two days of play that included taking down reigning World Women’s 9-Ball champion Chieh-Yu Chou in straight sets in the quarterfinals, then surviving the semifinals against Indonesia’s Silviana Lu. Seoa may have saved some of her best play for last, coming from behind to defeat Australia’s Meng-Hsia Hung in three sets at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino Monday night.
The Australian drew first blood in the opening set, taking advantage of a scratch and missed 1 ball by her opponent to build a 2-0 lead. The South Korean was able to climb onto the board in the third rack after her opponent scratched on the break but Hung stole the next game thanks to a successful jump shot on the 1 ball after a push out to increase the lead back to two games. Hung allowed Seoa to hang around tie the set when she fouled in the fifth game while attempting to tie up two object balls then missed a combination shot in the following rack but was able to use a sharp cut shot on the 2 ball and a table-length shot on the 3 ball to clear the table and secure the first set, 4-3.
“She played very good in the first set but I was thinking, it’s okay because it’s three sets,” said Seo. “I was thinking to try hard and stay focused.”
After Hung again won the opening rack in the second set, Seoa tacked on two wins of her own thanks to her opponent failing to land a ball on the break in the second game then leaving an opening after a safety attempt on the 8 ball in the following game. Hung tied the match at two games each after Seoa scratched but the South Korean capitalized on another misplayed safety and a missed 3 ball by her opponent to secure the set, 4-2, and tie the match.
“That’s the turning point,” said Hung of the missed shot. “I didn’t take my time to think about how to run out the table.”
The wheels really started to come off for Hung in the deciding set. After Seoa failed to pocket a ball on the break in the first rack, the Australian appeared to be in position to secure the win but missed the 5 ball in the corner pocket, allowing Seoa to return to the table and climb onto the scoreboard. Hung experienced a similar fate in the next rack when she missed the 6 ball and in the third game when she pushed the 2 ball wide of the mark. Each time, Seoa cleared the table and increased her lead.
“I lost a little bit of concentration and I wasn’t so sure,” said Hung. “And she played really well.”
Hung had one last chance in the fourth game but missed the 4 ball. With the object ball at one side of the table and the next shot at the opposite end, Seoa cleanly pocketed the ball and drew the cue ball backwards between the 6 and 7 balls for a shot on the 5 ball, then closed out the rack for the win and let out a joyous shriek in triumph.
Seoa reached the finals by taking advantage of a handful of safeties and unforced errors to edge past Yu in straight sets in the semifinals, 4-1, 4-2.
Hung had a bit more of a fight against Bulgaria’s Kristina Zlateva. After losing the opening set, 4-2, the Australian held a 3-1 advantage in the second set until her opponent snagged a win then used a table length one rail kick in of the 7 ball and a long cut of the 9 ball to tie the set. After Hung missed the 4 ball in the set-deciding game, Zlateva had an open table but overplayed position on the 5 ball. While she tried to pocket the object ball and hold cue ball positioning for a shot at the 6 ball that was at the same end of the table, the Bulgarian missed and handed her opponent the 4-3 win.
Hung was dominant in the deciding match, winning four straight racks to seal the victory and a spot in the championship game.
While the women completed the final day of their 64-player event, the men were preparing for the start of the WPA World 10-Ball Championships which are scheduled to begin Tuesday at 11 a.m. local time.
This 128-player event, which was won last year by Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk, will begin with 17 matches, including a battle of fellow Filipinos Roberto Gomez and Lee Vann Corteza. Other notable matches of the day include two-time Alfa Las Vegas Open champion Wiktor Zielinski taking on Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Alex Pagulayan and American Skyler Woodward facing 2019 World 10-Ball champion Ko Ping-Chung. Reigning World Pool champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz will face Denmark’s Mickey Krause while Szewczyk meets Saudi Arabia’s Khalid Alghamdi.
Matches can be watched on Billiard.TV and on World Billiard TV, the official YouTube channel of CueSports International. A schedule of televised matches will be posted daily on the Pro Billiard Series and CSI Facebook and Instagram pages.
Heading into this year’s Alfa Las Vegas Open, Wiktor Zielinski said the fact that he won last year’s event wasn’t even registering in his mind.
“To be honest, I didn’t even think about it,” said the 22-year-old from Poland. “I just wanted to play my best and see what happened.”
What happened was he took opportunities when they arrived and battled through tough layouts and breaking woes when they didn’t, as Zielinski won his second consecutive Alfa Las Vegas Open, defeating Sanjin Pehlivanovic in straight sets in the finals Sunday at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Zielinski, who picked up $25,000 for the victory, needed to survive a shootout against Duong Quoc Hoang in the semifinals to reach the finals and repeat as champion.
“I wanted so bad to win this one,” said the Pole. “Hopefully, I showed my best game.”
He certainly showed perseverance, battling back from a lack of open shots in crucial situations.
After splitting the first two games of the opening set of the semifinals, Hoang reclaimed the lead with a break-and-run but allowed Zielinski to tie the match when he missed the 1 ball. The 36-year-old from Vietnam reclaimed the lead with a one rail kick in on the one ball and had a chance to increase his lead but misplayed position on the 4 ball then left an opening on a safety attempt. The Pole tied the match, then took his first lead of the set after his opponent fouled but Hoang evened the score again when his opponent missed a jump shot on the 3 ball in the following rack. The Pole recovered and sealed the first set victory when he won a safety exchange in the deciding game, 4-3.
After Hoang jumped out to a 2-0 advantage and sailed to a 4-1 second set win,
the two players split the first four games of the deciding set before Zielinski finally got a ball to fall on the break – two, to be exact – then ran out and take the lead. His opponent used a push after his break followed by a safety to tie the match 3-3 and force a shootout.
Even in the extra frame, Zielinski struggled to catch a break.
After pocketing the first two spot shots while his opponent missed the first two, he had a chance to close out the match. Zielinski made the match-winning shot then watched as the cue ball scratched in the opposite corner pocket. He recovered in the next inning, rolling in the game-winner to set up a matchup with Pehlivanovic.
Both players solved their breaking issues early in the championship match, with Zielinski building a 2-0 advantage with back-to-back breaks and runs before failing to pocket a ball on the break in the third game. The 21-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina cleared the table to climb onto the scoreboard then added a break-and-run of his own to tie the score. He had a chance to take the lead but missed a makeable combination shot on the 1 and 8 balls. Zielinski cleared the table but his opponent tied the match in the next game when the Pole scratched while attempting a safety. Now at the table with the break and a chance to win the set, Pehlivanovic failed to pocket a ball on the break and his opponent used a safety on the 1 ball to find and opening and run out to secure a 4-3 victory.
After splitting the first two racks of the second set, the match was all Zielinski, who went from not being able to buy a break to catching multiple good rolls down the stretch – including a missed 7 ball in the third game and a misplayed safety in the fourth game by Pehlivanovic to help build a 3-1 advantage. Zielinski got one more piece of good fortune in the fifth game when his opponent missed a bank shot of the 2 ball into the side pocket which left a wide open table. After pocketing the 9 ball and leaving a mostly straight in 10 ball for the game winner, the Pole raised a fist and looked to the sky in triumph.
“I knew that it was going to be tough,” said Zielinski. “Sanjin is a world class player. I knew that it wouldn’t be easy. I played almost perfect in the first set and the second one I was a bit more lax.”
Monday will see the conclusion of the women’s Alfa Las Vegas Open with two semifinal matches beginning at noon followed by the championship at 4 p.m. local time. Sunday night saw defending champion Kelly Fisher reach the quarterfinals with a shootout victory over reigning Puerto Rico Open champion Wei Tzu-Chien only to fall in three sets Silviana Lu of Indonesia. Lu will face Seo Seoa, who defeated reigning World Women’s 9-Ball champion Chieh-Yu Chou in straight sets, 4-3, 4-3. The second semifinal will involve Bulgaria’s Kristina Zlateva matching up against Meng-Hsia Hung of Australia, who staged an epic shootout with Turkey’s Eylul Kibaroglu in the quarterfinals, needing seven innings in the extra frame to win, 7-6.
Room owners Kim and Tracy Sanders welcomed pool aficionados to Round Rock, TX for their inaugural $14,000 added Skinny Bob’s Nine Ball Classic.
It was noted that in addition to the Americans, the field had players from all over the world representing Canada, Poland, Bulgaria, Mexico, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Venezuela, Switzerland, Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Players and fans were treated to three main championships in addition to a banks ring game, a ladies ring nine ball game and an opening night nine ball mini. When the smoke cleared in the $500 added event, Fedor Gorst and Jeff de Luna chopped the cheese.
The event continued the following day with the $4,000 added One Pocket Tournament. Thirty seven players posted a $200 entry fee to compete – the format was double elimination with races to three.
Hot off claiming the Bayou State Classic One Pocket title, Roberto Gomez was still on fire. After receiving a first round bye and then dispatching Kristina Zlateva 3-0, Kash Keeton 3-0, Jerry (Alex) Calderon 3-2 and Roland Garcia 3-1, Roberto arrived at the hot seat match.
Meanwhile, Fedor Gorst was taking no prisoners as he tore through the bottom half of the chart. Mark Nanashee 3-0, Chip Compton 3-1, Billy Thorpe 3-0, Jeff de Luna 3-0 and Raed Shabib 3-0 were all sent west by the Russian.
The hot seat match was close but in the end, it was Gorst who edged out Gomez 3-2 to take his seat in the finals.
After being sent to the one loss side by Calderon 3-2, Roland Garcia eliminated de Luna 3-1 and Tommy Tokoph 3-2 to take on Roberto. Neck and neck, in the end it was Roland who won the match 3-2 and moved on to the finals.
Although he put up a good fight in the finals, Roland went down 3-0 and Fedor claimed another title!
Later that night, another $500 was added to the banks ring game and finalists Fedor Gorst and Blaine Barcus decided to split the cash.
The $300 added Ladies Ring Nine Ball game also began. Bulgaria’s Kristina Zlateva took top honors over Michelle Corteza with Jennifer Kraber and Kim Pierce taking third and fourth places.
The following day, the $7,000 added Open Nine Ball began. A full field of 128 players posted their $150 entry fee to play in this double elimination, winner breaks tournament – races were 7/7.
Although the field was packed with champions, it didn’t seem to matter to young Gabriel Martinez. He won his first match against Daniel Schneider 7-2 and barely survived against current Texas Open champ Vitaliy Patsura 7-6. Down went Steve Sheppard 7-5, Jon Demetand Joey Torres – both 7-2. Next was Blaine Barcus 7-4 – Gabe had arrived at the hot seat match.
However, in the other portion of the bracket, Fedor Gorst was on his way to the hot seat. He barely broke a sweat as he defeated Bart Czapla 7-4 and skunked Eric Aicinena and Roberto Gomez 7-0. Next was Naoyuki Oi who went down 7-2, Jesus Atencio 7-3 and Michael Schneider 7-1.
Gorst steamrolled Martinez 7-0, locked up his seat in the finals and sent Gabe west to await an opponent.
After being beaten by Gorst, Michael Schneider beatreigning Bayou State Classic 9 Ball champ, Roland Garcia and Blaine Barcus – both 7-4 – to face Martinez for the other slot in the finals.
Looking for a rematch with Fedor, Gabe eliminated Michael 7-3 and moved into the finals.
Since this was true double elimination, Gabe would have to win two matches to claim the title. Fedor was having none of that as he took the match & title 7-4.
Sakura Muramatsu
The final division of this event began on Saturday. A full field of thirty two players posted their $100 entry fees to play in the $2,500 added Ladies Nine Ball Championship. This was also double elimination with winner breaks and races to 7/5.
Known as “The Roadrunner,” young Savannah Easton shot out of the gate and without looking back, ended up in the hot seat match. On her way there, she defeated Crystal Jones 7-1, edged out Sakura Muramatsu 7-6, Kennedy Meyman 7-2 and Kim Sanders 7-4.
In the other portion of the bracket, Tara Williams survived two squeakers against Liz Galvan and Jennifer Kraber 7-6. She then spanked former Texas Open champ Ming Ng 7-2 and the always tough April Larson 7-4 on her way to the hot seat match.
The hot seat match was all Savannah as she cruised past Tara 7-3 and waited for a finals opponent.
Meanwhile, after losing her second match to Savannah, Sakura mowed down both Melissa Smith and Ada Lio 5-1, Ming 5-2, Angie Payne 5-1, Kim Sanders 5-0, Music City Open champ Tina Malm 5-3 and Tara 5-0 to reach the finals.
Since this was true double elimination, the current Texas Open 9 Ball champ would have to beat Savannah twice – and she did. Sakura won the first set 7-5 and the second one 5-1 to take the title!
And, as usual, thanks again to everyone at Skinny Bob’s for a first class event! Big thanks to the local sponsors – they included Austin Pro, Diamond Billiard Products, GAF, Hanshew Custom Cues, Sanders Roofing & Exteriors, ABC Supply Co, Inc., Simonis, Aramith, Savage Billiards and Mints Amusements.
Thanks to Tournament Director Jason Hill for doing an exemplary job juggling multiple events.
And, as always, we’d like to thank our fans and sponsors! They include JB Cases, Hanshew Jump Cues, Lomax Custom Cues, Aramith, Simonis, Diamond Billiard Products, Durbin Custom Cues, Savage Billiards, the Action Palace of Dayton, OH and the Fort Worth Billiards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX.
Our next event is the $12,000 added Midwest Open Billiards Championship III to be held at Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, OH. Featuring six events – one pocket, 9 ball banks, open nine ball, a bank ring game, ladies 8 ball, a pro ten ball invitational and mini tournaments galore – Michael’s will also crown an all around champ! Dates are March 20th-26th – hope to see you there!
Four-time Predator Pro Billiard Series champion Kelly Fisher had to come from 3-2 down to eventually win the second set against 12-year-old American Savannah Easton and move to the winners’ qualification stage of the Medalla Light Puerto Rico Open.
At the impressively set-up Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, 192 pro players from 44 countries opened the 2022 Caribbean CueSports International Expo on Tuesday. With $100,000 in the prize pot of the 128-player Open, and $75,000 for the 64-player Women’s event, the Medalla Light Puerto Rico Open is the final stop of the 2022 Predator Pro Billiard Series and will be followed in Puerto Rico by the Predator World Junior 9-Ball Championships and Predator World 8-Ball Championship.
After beating Elise Qiu on a shootout at the start of the day, Fisher faced Easton on the TV table in her hunt for an unprecedented fifth Predator Pro Billiard Series title. Easton has been making waves this year, most recently taking fifth in the WPBA’s Sledgehammer Open in Bristol, TN last month.
The 12-year-old had seen off Emilyn Callado in straight sets in the opening round and earned a huge ovation from the Puerto Rican crowd for her efforts against Fisher, who was almost taken to shootout by the youngster nicknamed ‘Roadrunner’.
Having won the first set 4-2, Fisher took a 2-0 lead in the second. However, the American youngster, who will take part in the Predator World Junior 9-Ball Championships starting Friday, cut that lead in half after making the 5 with the bridge. Easton then leveled the set at 2-2 after a safety battle with just the 9 and 10 remaining and a long 8 opened up the fifth game of the set for the junior, who took a 3-2 lead.
A dry break from the hill allowed Fisher to play a safety which Easton couldn’t escape but ball in hand was returned by the Brit when she completely missed the 7. However, Easton left a long 9 in the jaw and Fisher was finally level again at hill-hill in the second set.
The final rack brought more drama as Easton battled for the shootout but the pressure showed as she overcut the 10. Both players had another chance to close out the set but it was Fisher who got over the line to advance to winners qualification tomorrow.
“What a great player, she has nerves of steel and definitely one to watch for the future,” said Fisher. “She should have had me there, it should have been a shootout. I was all over the place but she missed some crucial balls at the end.
“What a great future she knows she must have, she is a great player and we are going to see her in the future. I, personally, don’t want to play her again; she put me under pressure, she got me, could have had me, and I don’t want to play her again until she’s 18!”
“I was this close, I was so close,” said Easton. “In the first set when I was 2-2 I thought I might be able to beat her, and in the second set when it was 3-2 and I took that break, I was so excited but I tried to hold it in as much as I could. It was so fun, I couldn’t believe it.”
In the men’s tournament, local favorite Alan Rolon was well-supported as he Wu Kun Lin by shootout and then Alex Montpellier to earn a day off and set up a winners’ qualification match against Badar Alawadhi on Thursday morning.
A strong field spelt early casualties as the likes of Ko Ping-Han, Aloysius Yapp and Ko Pin-Yi all lost in the first round and now face a long road to reach the last 32 and single elimination.
From 37 players, the Predator Slovenian Open is now down to the final four as three further rounds were completed today (Sunday). The tournament reconvenes on Monday morning with the two semi-finals set to start at 10.00 with the final starting at 12.00 midday.
Eyllul Kibaroglu, the No.1 ranked player on tour, is still in with a shout of winning back-to-back Euro Tour titles as she leads the field going into day three. A winner last time out in Petrich, Bulgaria, where she beat Pia Filler 7-4 for the title, Kibaroglu will be up against the rising young German talent once again.
Kibaroglu, like Filler, is undefeated in the event this far and today she enjoyed wins over young Norwegian, Nina Torvund by 7-2 and then took a 7-4 victory over Hannan Memic (BIH) in the quarter-finals.
Filler, who is looking for her maiden Euro Tour title, beat a brace of youngsters today to cement her spot in the final four. First, she despatched Alara Ghaffari (TNC) who had grabbed a silver and a pair of bronze medals at the recent European Junior Championships. Then she beat Austria’s talented Lena Primus by 7-2 in the last eight.
The second semi-final is an all-German affair, giving that nation three of the four semi-final players. Melanie Sussenguth, currently ranked No.11, will face Ina Kaplan (No.14) for a place in the final. Kaplan, who won on the Ladies’ Euro Tour in Austria in June, went to the one-loss side earlier in the tournament following a defeat to Chantal Stadler in the winners’ qualification round.
She bounced back though with wins over Anna Riegler (AUT), Bojana Sarac of Serbia and then local hero Ana Gradisnik in her quarter-final match. Sussenguth, who has already made her best finish of the year here in Slovenia will be hoping to carry today’s form into tomorrow.
She beat Poland’s Monika Zabek by 7-5 and then followed that up with a 7-3 win over Kristina Zlateva of Bulgaria. Both matches are played simultaneously at 10.00 with Eyllul Kibaroglu v Pia Filler a Facebook Live presentation. Melanie Sussenguth against Ina Kaplan will be available to Kozoom subscribers.
All Predator Euro Tour Women tournaments are 9-ball and the field contest a double-elimination format, playing down to the last 16 competitors, and then single elimination until the finish. All matches are a race to 7 racks with alternate break.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Eylul Kibaroglu
Ina Kaplan
Melanie Sessenguth
Pia Filler
Eylul Kibaroglu
Ana Gradisnik
Pia Filler
Pia Filler
Pia Filler
Joshua and Pia Filler
Pia Filler
Ina Kaplan and Pia Filler
Pia Filler with Luke Riches
Pia Filler is congratulated by Joshua
Pia Filler
Pia Filler
Pia Filler
Ina Kaplan
Pia Filler
Ina Kaplan
Pia Filler
Ina Kaplan
Pia Filler and Ina Kaplan
Pia Filler and Ina Kaplan
Melanie Suessenguth
Ina Kaplan
Pia Filler
Eylul Kibaroglu
Pia Filler
Eylul Kibaroglu
Pia Filler
Melanie Suessenguth
Ina Kaplan
Pia Filler
Ina Kaplan
Ina Kaplan and Melanie Suessenguth
Eylul Kibaroglu and Pia Filler
Ina Kaplan and Melanie Suessenguth
Pia Filler and Eylul Kibaroglu
Pia Filler, Eylul Kibaroglu, Ina Kaplan and Melanie Suessenguth
Thirty-four matches were completed in Lasko on Saturday as the opening day’s play at the Predator Slovenian Open on the Euro Tour Women completed. Of the starting 37 players, nine players have departed the competition, eight players are undefeated and through to the last 16 single elimination knock-out stage, and the remainder are scrapping it out on the one-loss side.
Eyllul Kibaroglu (Turkey) who is currently ranked No.1 and was victorious in Bulgaria at the last ET event, made it through to the last sixteen stage with two wins. It wasn’t without a scare though as she fell behind in her opening match against Germany’s Karen Michl before prevailing 7-6. She then followed that up with another squeaker, again 7-6 against promising youngster Alara Ghaffari of Turkish North Cyprus.
The number two ranked player, Ana Gradisnik who is carrying home hopes, made it through on the winners’ side after a torrid two months in competition. Gradisnik easily got the better of Emília Bystrianska (Serbia) and then followed that up with a gritty 7-6 win over No.10 ranked player Kristina Zlateva of Bulgaria.
Commented Gradisnik, “It was really difficult as I was losing four zero and I was playing pretty bad and gave it all away. I took a time-out and it kind of got easier because I told myself that I’ve got nothing to lose and I can relax a little bit and if I make a mistake, it doesn’t matter anymore.
Ana Gradisnik
“Then I just went ball-by-ball and in the end, I just managed to win. It feels good to get through as at the last Euro Tour I did very badly and at the recent World Championships I also went two-and-out so mentally I was really down but after winning the first match here I gained confidence from that and I’m just trying to trust my technique and whatever happens happens,” she added.
The eight players on the winners’ side, which also includes the likes of Pia Filler, Sabrina Hammer, Melanie Sussenguth and Bojana Sarac will sit out two more qualifying rounds on the one-loss side before their opponents are set. Play commences at 9.00 on Sunday morning with the last 16 matches scheduled to start at 13.30 in the afternoon.
The quarter-finals get underway at 18.30 on Sunday, with the semi-finals and finals take place on Monday morning.
All Predator Euro Tour Women tournaments are 9-ball and the field contest a double-elimination format, playing down to the last 16 competitors, and then single elimination until the finish. All matches are a race to 7 racks with alternate break.
All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com
Jayson Shaw, Mika Immonen and defending champion Aloysius Yapp are all through to the last 16 of the Seybert’s Michigan Open, while Jasmin Ouschan, Allison Fisher and Margaret Fefilova are into the single elimination stage of the women’s event at the fourth 2022 stop on the Predator US Pro Billiard Series presented by CSI.
Fefilova followed her opening-day victory over Kelly Fisher with a 4-0, 4-1 win against Shanelle Loraine to come through the winners’ side of the draw and into the last 16. Karen Corr rolled back the years to beat Canada Open champion ‘Amber’ Chia Hua Chen by shootout for her place in the single elimination stage, and Allison Fisher defeated Kristina Tkach, also by shootout.
In the open event, Immonen produced a strong performance to beat Naoyuki Oi 4-0, 4-3 for a place in the single elimination stage. The Finnish Hall of Famer won the lag and ran three racks before a dry break allowed Oi out of his chair. However, a misplayed 1-ball bank left a 1/10 combo for Immonen to win the set.
In a reversal of the first set, Oi took the first three racks of the second. However, Immonen was determined to avoid the shootout and put together a brilliant four-pack to win the set 4-3.
“That is probably the best I have played in a little while,” said Immonen. “It was nice to come out of the gates strong and put a three pack on him. He got into the game a little bit in the second set and was 3-0 up. I made a few mistakes but I finally ran out and broke and ran three to close the door to him. When you win the first set, the worst case is you go to shootout, but it was nice to close the door.”
Chang Jung-Lin was taken to a shootout by Sharik Sayed after their first two sets finished 4-1, 2-4. Sayed had sent Carlo Biado to the losers’ side earlier in the day with a 4-3 shootout win, but wasn’t as sharp from the spot against Chang, missing his first two as Chang made three in three to advance to the last 16.
Yapp and Shaw both also needed shootouts to advance. Yapp, winner of this event last fall, won 4-1, 1-4, 3-2 against Bader Alawadhi and Shaw was a 4-2, 1-4, 4-3 winner against Pijus Labutis.
Fedor Gorst, Vitaliy Patsura, Robbie Capito and Joven Bustamante complete the eight players who have made it through to the last 16 from the winners’ side, with three rounds of play on Friday set to determine the other half of the single elimination draw.
Among the big-name players returning on the losers’ side are Alex Pagulayan, who lost in a shootout to Ukraine’s Vitaliy Patsura on Wednesday, John Morra, who was defeated 4-0, 4-1 by Shaw, and Biado after his defeat to Sayed.
Recent World Women’s 10-Ball Championship runner-up Wei Tzu-Chien is among the players who join Fefilova, Corr, Allison Fisher and Ouschan in reaching the last 16 without defeat.
Play continues from 10am local time on Friday, with six more matches to be broadcast live on watchbilliard.tv and the World Billiard TV YouTube channel.
Chia Hua Chen defeated Allison Fisher in a shootout for the second time this week to mark her return to international competition by winning the Predator Canada Open.
Fisher had to come through the one loss side to reach single elimination after her first match of the tournament had ended in defeat to Chen, who didn’t lose during the event.
‘Amber’ Chen had won the first set of the final 4-2, but a 4-0 second set in Fisher’s favor forced the match to shootout. Fisher missed her first of four attempts but when Chen missed her last, Fisher had a chance to take it to sudden death. However, the Duchess of Doom was unable to prolong the match any further and when she missed at 3-2 down, the title was Chen’s.
“I cannot believe it,” said Chen through her partner, Robbie Capito. “This is my first international tournament after the pandemic, so I didn’t expect much coming into the tournament, so I am very happy with the win.”
Fisher took a 2-0 lead in the final but a poorly executed safety attempt on the 6 allowed Chen to fight back to 2-2. The Taiwanese star earned ball in hand when a great safety on the 7 left Fisher unable to make a connection in the fifth game. She scratched the cue ball breaking in the sixth but a brilliant bank, the length of the table, gave her a 4-2 set win.
Fisher responded with the first game of the second set and made a 7/10 combo for 2-0. The Duchess of Doom was first to take a chance after a safety battle in the third and after a thin cut to make the 9 left perfect position for the 10, Fisher was one game away from a shootout, and she wrapped a 4-0 set with a great runout.
The shootout format allows each player four innings, after which sudden death comes into play if the score is tied after the first four shots each.
Chen was first to shoot and despite having been consigned to her seat for much of the second set, found the center of the pocket. Fisher hit her first effort too thin, and Chen went 2-0 ahead in the shootout with her next shot.
Fisher could barely afford to miss again and produced a great pressure shot straight into the heart of the pocket to make it 2-1. Chen kept control with her third successful shot, meaning Fisher had to make her next; she did.
Chen had her fourth shot for the title but clipped the jaw to keep Fisher alive. The Brit had one shot to force sudden death, but she too missed. Chen had to check with referee John Leyman to confirm; Fisher’s miss meant that Chen was the Predator Canada Open champion, taking home $18,000.
In her semi-final, Chen had been forced to a shootout by the battling Australian, Bean Hung. Chen had won the first set 4-0 but her opponent didn’t give up and took the second set from hill-hill. However, the Australian struggled in the shootout, which Chen won 3-0.
Fisher had taken the longest route possible to the final, having lost her opening match – a shootout defeat to Chen. She bounced back through the one loss side with wins against Stephanie Mitchell and Maryann McConnell to reach the last 16, where close friend and three-time Pro Billiard Series winner Kelly Fisher was waiting.
Allison put in a strong performance to win by shootout, and then defeated Kyoko Sone in the last eight. Bulgaria’s Kristina Zlateva was Fisher’s semi-final opponent and the experienced Brit completed a 4-0, 4-2 win without wasting much time.
Allison Fisher knocked Kelly Fisher out of the Predator Canada Open and then produced an almost faultless performance to reach the semi finals with a 4-0, 4-1 win against Japan’s Kyoko Sone.
Fisher will meet Kristina Zlateva in the first of Saturday’s semi finals in Alberta, while Bean Hung put in two impressive performances on the TV table to reach the final four, where Chia Hua Chen awaits.
Kelly Fisher had won all three previous Women’s Pro Billiard Series tournaments but was drawn against her close friend and fellow Brit Allison in the last 16 in Alberta Canada. Allison won the first set 4-3 but Kelly’s class and form ensured she took the match to a shootout by winning the second set 4-2.
Kelly, the three-time Pro Billiard Series champion, was shooting first and missed on her very first innings. Neither woman missed again and Allison held her nerve to reach the quarter-finals.
She returned to the TV table later in the day to face Sone, who had won an all-Japan match against Sakura Muramatsu 4-2, 4-3 earlier in the day. The Duchess of Doom was carrying all the confidence of her earlier win and didn’t miss a ball as she cruised the first set 4-0. Sone’s first chance came at the start of the second set but a missed 5 to the middle allowed Fisher to take the game.
Confidence was flowing for the Brit but a close-up seat would be no consolation for Sone. A rare visit was presented after Fisher broke dry in the fourth and Sone loosened her arm and got on the board with a calm clearance. However, hopes of a comeback were ended when a missed 1 ball via two rails brought Fisher back to the table to complete her 4-0, 4-1 win.
Fisher’s semi-final opponent will be Kristina Zlateva of Bulgaria. The 29 year old defeated Maite Ropero Garcia 4-2, 4-2 to meet Joanne Ashton in the last eight. Ashton took the first set 4-2 but Zlateva bounced back brilliantly to take the second set 4-0, and eventually won the shootout in sudden death.
Australia’s Bean Hung put in two standout performances on the TV table to make her way to the semi finals. First, she beat home favorite Brittany Bryant 4-1, 4-3 before overcoming Caroline Pao in the quarter finals, 4-2, 4-0. Pao struggled to capitalize on the chances she had, especially in the first set, but Hung was clinical in taking her chances.
The semi final line-up is completed by Chia Hua Chen, who defeated Tamami Okuda 4-2, 4-2 before being pushed to hill-hill of the second set of her quarter-final by Sara Rocha. ‘Amber’ Chen had won the first set 4-0, but Rocha fought hard to remain alive in the tournament. However, Chen won the deciding game of the second set to avoid the shootout and move to the last four.
The Predator Canada Open, the latest stop on the Women’s Pro Billiard Series, is down to the final 16 in Alberta, Canada.
The first stage of the tournament is now complete and the brackets have been redrawn for the single elimination stage, which begins 10am local time Friday.
Kelly Fisher’s quest to make it four in four on the Predator Pro Billiard Series remains strong. After winning 4-0, 4-0 against Mary Avina on Wednesday the Brit followed it up with a 4-2, 4-1 score against impressive young Bulgarian Kristina Zlateva. She’ll now face her fellow Brit and namesake Allison Fisher in the last 16.
That is because Allison came through the one loss side of the draw but made it through with two wins on Thursday. Fisher found herself on the one loss side after a shootout defeat yesterday but hit the practice table and defeated Stephanie Mitchell and Maryann McConnell to qualify.
Fisher said: “I feel very relieved to qualify for the last 16 because my first match yesterday was a real struggle and I lost in a shootout. I practiced last night and got comfortable with the table. I felt much more settled today.”
Canada’s Brittany Bryant stayed undefeated with a 4-2, 4-0 win against Naomi Williams. Bryant has been enjoying have a Pro Billiard Series tournament in her home country and will face Bean Hung in the next round.
Other last 16 matches include Eylul Kibaroglu vs Caroline Pao, Sara Rocha vs Amalia Matas and Maite Ropero Garcia vs Kristina Zlateva. Action begins at 10am with the feature table live on Billiard TV, Kozoom and the World Billiard TV YouTube channel.
Savannah Easton, the 12 year-old from Las Vegas, exited the tournament with a shootout defeat to Kyoko Soni. Easton had moved to the one loss side of the brackets on Wednesday night but put in an impressive 4-2, 4-3 win over Toni Sakamoto to stay alive before her tournament was ended by Soni. Easton plays the final of the CSI Western Canadian Championships Junior 8-Ball tomorrow.
