Coming off of what proved to be her best earnings year to date, Fort Worth’s Krystle Suarez opened her 2023 campaign on the Cuetec DFW Ladies 9-Ball Tour the same way she’d finished it in October of 2022, with a victory. She cashed in four events last year; winning the one, runner-up in another and finishing fifth twice. She went undefeated on the tour’s $500-added season opener this past weekend (Sat., Dec. 14) which drew 34 entrants to Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX.
Suarez downed Collins 7-2 and was joined in the hot seat match by Kirkpatrick, who defeated Billington 4-2. Suarez claimed the hot seat 7-2 and waited on Kirkpatrick’s return.
On the loss side, Collins drew April Gonzales, who’d lost her opening match 4-2 to Jennifer Hooten and embarked on a five-match streak that was about to end and had included recent wins over Nicole Clark 5-1 and Jennifer Cayot 5-2. Billington picked up Tara Williams, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal match to Collins and gone on to down her first two loss-side opponents by an aggregate score of 14-1, giving up the one to Gail Roles and shutting out Nancy Rios.
Williams stopped Billington’s loss-side journey at a single game, defeating her 7-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. She was joined by Collins, who ended Gonzales’ five-match run, double hill.
With Williams racing to 7, Collins, in her second double hill match, eliminated her 4-6. In her third straight double hill match, a race-to-4 battle in the semifinals, Collins lost to Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick needed to win twice over Suarez in the true double elimination finals. She failed to win a rack as Suarez completed her undefeated run with a shutout over her.
Tour director David Reyes thanked the ownership and staff at Rusty’s Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Cuetec, Fort Worth Billiards, Doc’s Billiards Office and Granite Guyz. The next stop on the Cuetec DFW Ladies 9-Ball Tour,scheduled for Saturday, March 18, will be hosted by Snooker’s in Frisco, TX.
It’s been a good year for Krystle Suarez; her best recorded earnings year, her best in terms of the number of events in which she has cashed (4) and in the season finale of the 2022 DFW 9-Ball Ladies Tour this past weekend (Saturday, Oct. 15), she came from the loss side to double-dip hot seat occupant, Kendra Britt and claim the event title. It was her first tour victory since she claimed title to the tour’s first event, a trial tournament held back in September 2019 at Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX, which led to the creation of the tour and the scheduling of multiple events leading up to this year’s season of six. The $500-added season finale drew 26 entrants to Snookered Billiards & Bar in Frisco, TX.
As Suarez was battling to win her second tournament on the tour, her eventual opponent in both the hot seat match and double elimination finals, Kendra Britt, was looking for her first (recorded) win in a major regional tournament. And almost found it. Bound for the hot seat, Britt worked her way through Francisco Riza Pill, Kathy Knuth and Tina Soto to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Kailye Stevens. Suarez, in the meantime, following an opening round bye, sent April Gonzalez and Jacky Halper to the loss side to draw Desiree Collins in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Suarez and Britt gave up only a single rack to each of their opponents, sending them (Collins and Stevens) to the loss side and advancing to the hot seat match. Britt, who started all three of the matches she would play against Suarez with two beads on the wire in a race to 7, didn’t need them in the hot seat match. She sent Suarez to the semifinals 5-2.
On the loss side, Collins picked up Ginger Abadilla, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal match to Kailye Stevens and then defeated Janna Talmon 3-1 and April Gonzalez 3-4 (Gonzalez racing to 5). Stevens drew Nichole Clark, who’d lost her opening match to Collins and was working on a five-match, loss-side winning streak that would take her to the quarterfinals. She’d chalked up loss-side wins #3 & #4 against Alicia Stanley, double hill (3-6; Stanley racing to 7) and Kailye Stevens 3-2 (Stevens racing to 4).
In a straight-up race to 3, Collins defeated Abadilla. Clark downed Stevens 3-2 (Stevens racing to 4). Collins and Clark battled to double hill in the quarterfinals that followed, with Collins eventually advancing to face Suarez in the semifinals.
Collins started those semifinals with four beads on the wire in a race to 7. She added just one, as Suarez went on to win 7-1 and earn her second and what needed to be a third shot against Britt in the double elimination finals.
With Suarez racing to 7 and Britt to 5, they played twice, with both matches going double hill. Suarez won them both 7-4 to claim the tour’s season finale title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Snookered Billiards and Bar, as well as sponsors Cuetec, Kamui, Fort Worth Billiards Store and Doc’s Billiards Office.
Krystle Suarez, Bailey Barber, Monica Anderson and Tiffany Pryor
Two days after going undefeated on the DFW Ladies 9-Ball Tour, Monica Anderson, part of a committee of tour members who run the tour, was still riding high on the joy-trip of winning her first regional tour event. The $500-added event drew 35 entrants to Stixx & Stones in Lewisville, TX.
“Finally snapped one off,” she wrote in an e-mail sent to us here at AZBilliards, primarily to provide us with links to the event’s brackets, photos and payouts for use in preparing a report.
“Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then,” adding by phone, two days later, “and, it only took me 5,858 games to do it.”
Though Anderson dates her pool career back as far as 1999, when she got started playing on a BCAPL team, her first appearance in our database came when she won $10 finishing 25th at a stop on the Hunter Classics Tour in 2002. Not only did she go undefeated to claim $615 more than that 2002 payout, she (rated as a ‘4’) defeated a ‘7’ (Krystle Suarez) in the finals. Suarez, who’d lost her second match, won seven on the loss side to face her, the last few of which were witnessed with increasing concern by Anderson.
“I hope it’s Krystle,” she told someone during the wait, “because she should be tired.”
And she was. When they finally met, Suarez asked, probably rhetorically, “I have to double-dip you, don’t I?”
She did. And then, she didn’t. Though as a long-time player, well aware of the game’s ups and downs, Anderson was cognizant that when those finals started, all that was important was the table in front of her and take it, as the sports cliché indicates, one ball, one game at a time. Nevertheless, the win surprised her.
“Oh, hell yes!” she said. “I felt I was playing well, but the biggest thing was, that given the opportunities, I closed it out and finished like I was supposed to.”
Anderson’s journey to the winners’ circle, following an opening round bye, went through Jannon Talmon, Nichole Clark and Bailey Barber, which set her up in a winners’ side semifinal against Tera Saunders, who’d been responsible for sending Suarez to the loss side in the second round. Tiffany Pryor, in the meantime, opened with a double hill win over Julie Stephenson and followed up with wins over Chouie Almora, Sisyne Bolajoko and April Gonzales to arrive at her winners’ side semifinal against Francisca Riza Pili.
Both matches, battling for the right to play in the hot seat match, went double hill. Anderson over Saunders, Pryor over Pili. Anderson, in a straight-up race to 4, claimed the hot seat 4-2 and waited, somewhat anxious and confident simultaneously, for Suarez to complete her loss-side run.
Pili and Saunders moved to the loss side and walked right into their second straight loss. Saunders drew a rematch versus Suarez, who had already chalked up four, loss-side wins and was looking for more with a little redemption to boot. She’d given up only four racks in those four matches, and only one over the last two of them; one to April Gonzalez and none at all to Desiree Collins. Pili picked up Bailey Barber, who reached her by defeating Kailye Stevens and Janna Talmon by an aggregate score of 10-1.
Suarez chalked up a successful rematch against Saunders 7-2, as Barber was busy making her loss-side aggregate score 15-2, eliminating Pili 5-1. Suarez then defeated Barber 7-3 in the quarterfinals and, for a shot at Anderson, waiting for her in the hot seat, Tiffany Pryor 7-2 in the semifinals.
Anderson began the finals with three ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 7, but would need to win only once. Suarez took a quick, early lead in the opening set.
“I broke, she ran,” said Anderson, “and then she broke and ran.”
“I had to change something,” she added, noting that at 0-2, she “started playing safeties and defense a bit more.”
The strategy worked. Anderson won three of the next four and it was knotted at ‘3’ with Anderson on the hill.
“She missed a crucial shot at the 8-ball,” said Anderson. “I made that 8-ball, but left myself with a long bank on the 9-ball.”
“I nailed it,” she added, finishing claiming her first regional tour title.
Tour representatives, including Anderson, thanked the ownership and staff at Stixx & Stones for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Cuetec, Fort Worth Billiards Store, Kamui and Doc’s Billiards Office. The next stop on the DFW Ladies 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for Saturday, October 15, will be hosted by Snookered in Frisco, TX.
Veteran Williams and rookie, April Gonzales meet in hot seat and finals
In eight of the 12 years that Tara Williams has been competing in regional tours and professional tournaments, there have only been a handful of times when at least once in a given year, she didn’t finish as either the winner or runner-up at one tournament or another. She won 12 stops in four years on the OB Cues Ladies Tour, including one each in her first two (known) years competing on the tour (’09, ’10). The other 10 wins came in two years; six in 2015 and four in 2016, ahead of a hiatus from (recorded) competition in 2017 and 2018. It took her a while to get back into a groove when she came back. She won a stop on the Jerry Olivier Ladies Tour in 2020 and earlier this year, won her first stop on the DFW 9-Ball Ladies Tour.
This past weekend (July 9-10), she recorded her second win on the DFW Ladies Tour, leading one to speculate that she’s more or less back in stroke, working toward the level of consistency she exhibited midway through the new century’s second decade. Time will tell. This past weekend’s $500-added tour stop #4 drew 24 entrants to Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX.
After a bye, Williams won her two opening matches against a pair of Jennifers, Cayot and Hooten, both 7-2, to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Krystle Suarez. Her eventual opponent in both the hot seat and finals, 14-year-old April Gonzalez, who competes in both the 18U and 13U Girls division of the Junior International Championships (she turned 14 in the middle of the JIC’s 2nd season), got by Jacky Halper 4-2 and shut out Jennifer Kim to face Rachelle Dytko in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Williams sent Suarez to the loss side 7-5, while Gonzales and Dytko locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Gonzales to join Williams in the battle for the hot seat. Gonzales forced a deciding game in the hot seat match, as well, but Williams prevailed 7-3 (Gonzales racing to 4) to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Dytko drew Hooten, who’d followed her lost to Williams with victories over Jacky Halper 4-1 and Amber Stice, double hill. Suarez picked up Jessica Demello, who’d lost her winners’ side quarterfinal to Dytko and followed that with wins over Becky Smith 4-2 and Jennifer Cayot 4-2.
Demello and Dytko advanced to their rematch in the quarterfinals; Demello, downing Suarez 4-5 (Suarez racing to 7) and Dytko, surviving a double hill match versus Hooten. Demello won the first of two straight double hill matches for her, defeating Dytko in their quarterfinal rematch, but fell to Gonzales in the semifinals.
After three straight double hill matches (winners’ side semifinal win, hot seat loss and semifinal win), Gonzales put up a fight in her rematch against Williams. She came within a game of a fourth double hill match, but Williams pulled out in front to claim the event title 7-2 (Gonzales racing to 4).
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rusty’s Billiards, as well as sponsors Fort Worth Billiards Superstore, Kamui and Doc’s Billiard Office. The next stop on the DFW 9-Ball Ladies Tour, scheduled for the weekend of September 10, will be hosted by Stixx & Stones in Lewisville, TX.
Since the pandemic landed on our collective heads two or three years ago and curtailed a lot of competitive activity, there has been a slow, but steady return of players, who either stopped playing altogether or in the absence of venue opportunities and availability of personal equipment, brought their game home. In addition to this return, there has also been an emergence on the part of players who for one reason or another have never been heard from before (or at least, very little) and are currently not only coming to the tables, but winning events for the first time.
Case(s) in point: Jennifer Hooten of Garland, TX, who, prior to this past weekend (Sat., April 9), had only cashed once at a regional tour event, finishing 13th at a stop on the mixed-gender DFW 9-Ball Tour, two years ago; a finish that made her the top female finisher at the event. She also won the 2019 Texas State BCA Women’s Fair Match Singles event in 2019, which went unrecorded by us here at AZBilliards. She came from the loss side at this most recent event to record her highest event finish on the tour, claiming her first regional tour title on the $500-added, Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Ladies Tour that drew 21 entrants to Stixx and Stones Billiards in Lewisville, TX.
Nancy Rios, from Dallas, came into the event with no recorded cash payouts whatsoever and advanced to the hot seat for the first time. As a result, her first recorded cash payout anywhere was the distinction of being an event’s runner-up. However one might assess the nature of the 21-entrant competition, anyone who’s ever stepped up to a pool table with cash on the line will tell you: You never forget your first win and/or first cash payout and the benefit of increased confidence in your efforts pays dividends the very next time you step to the table.
Hooten opened her winning campaign with a double hill win over Judy Frank and followed it with a 4-1 victory over Julie Stephenson, who was racing to 6, and has been recording cash payouts on the Hunter Tour, the OB Cues Ladies Tour and now, the DFW tour for over 20 years. Hooten advanced to face Ginger Abadilla in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Rios started with a victory over co-tour director Monica Anderson 3-1 (Anderson racing to 4), and downed Deliza Baumbach, double hill to Krystle Suarez in the other winners’ side semifinal.
With Suarez racing to 7, Rios advanced to the hot seat match with a double hill 3-6 win over Suarez. Abadilla joined her after sending Hooten to the loss side 3-1. In a straight-up race to 3, Rios claimed her first hot seat 3-1.
On the loss side, Hooten picked up Baumbach, who’d followed her winners’ side quarterfinal loss against Rios with victories over Ileana Sullivan 3-2 (Sullivan racing to 5) and Melissa Smith 3-1. Suarez drew Jennifer Pavlovick, who’d lost her opening match to Smith and was in the midst of a five-match winning streak that included the elimination of Julie Stephenson, double hill, and Tina Soto 5-2.
Pavlovick chalked up her fifth loss-side win, downing Suarez 5-4 (Suarez racing to 7). Hooten joined her in the quarterfinals with a shutout over Baumbach. Hooten put a stop to Pavlovick’s run in those quarterfinals 4-3 (Pavlovick racing to 5) and turned to a rematch against Abadilla in the semifinals.
Hooten allowed Abadilla only a single rack in the semifinals and moved on to what was the first (recorded) finals match for both her and her opponent. Hooten would need to win twice, and befitting a match, no doubt characterized by the mutual anticipation and eagerness, not to mention anxiety, of both competitors to claim their first regional tour title, the first set went double hill. With Rios racing to 3, Hooten won it 4-2. With emotions running in two separate directions (confidence and concern), Hooten chalked up all of the racks in the second set and claimed the title.
“Both of these ladies took advantage of the tour’s mission,” noted Co-Tour Director Monica Anderson, “designed to provide a fun, challenging, and rewarding tournament environment for both low, mid and high-level skilled players.”
“Our hot seat match (between Rios and Abadilla),” she added, “was a battle of two, skill level 3’s, who got there by taking advantage of missed opportunities by their higher-skill-level opponents.”
Anderson (along with co-tour directors Hooten and Abadilla) thanked the ownership and staff at Stixx and Stones Billiards, as well as title sponsor Cuetec, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore and Kamui. The next stop on the Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Ladies Tour, scheduled for July 9, will be hosted by Rusty’s in Arlington, TX.
It had been close to a year since Russia’s Kristina Tkach had chalked up any recorded wins or even cash payouts, but it didn’t appear to have had a serious affect on her game. At a $1,500-added Ladies Open 9-Ball event, one of four events at the Michael Montgomery Memorial Tournament, Tkach was on the loss side early, won seven in a row and then double dipped Tara Williams to claim the event title. The $1,500-added Ladies event drew 32 entrants to Snookered in Frisco, TX. Separate stories will detail the results of the memorial tournament’s other three events, which began on Wednesday, January 27 and was scheduled to finish on Sunday night, January 31; a $5,000-added One Pocket event (12 entrants), a $2,000-added 10-ball Mini Tournament (16 entrants), both won by Dennis Orcollo, and a $7,500-added 9-Ball Tournament, which was still on-going as this report was being prepared.
Tkach’s trip to the winners’ circle began promisingly enough with a 7-2 win over Tina Soto, before she ran into Alicia Stanley and the only double hill match she’d play. Stanley advanced, Tkach went west to begin a seven-match, loss-side trek to the finals that she finished with an aggregate score of 42-7, an 86% winning percentage with her back to pool’s wall.
Stanley lasted one more round on the winners’ side before being defeated 7-2 by Ming Ng, who moved on to face Tara Williams in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Williams had gotten by Melissa Smith and Monica Anderson, both 7-3, and Ricki Casper 7-5 to reach the winners’ side semifinal. Courtney Peters, in the meantime, having survived an opening round double hill battle versus Amy Jones, went on to defeat Christina Schneider 7-4 and Calaia Samar 7-2 to draw Tam Trinh in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Tara Williams dispatched Ming Ng 7-3 and advanced to the hot seat match. She was joined by Peters, who’d won a double hill match over Trinh. Williams gave up just a single rack in claiming the hot seat and waiting in it on the return of Tkach.
It was Ming Ng who drew Tkach, four matches and only four racks for opponents into her loss-side streak. Tkach had defeated Amy Jones (1), Erica Hanlon (2), Robyn Petrosino (0) and Monica Anderson (1) to draw Ng. Trinh drew Krystal Suarez, who’d recently downed Ricki Casper 6-4 and survived a double hill fight against Alicia Stanley.
Tkach and Suarez made Ng and Trinh’s loss-side trips short. Suarez eliminated Trinh 6-2, as Tkach was busy defeating Ng 6-1. Tkach then finished Suarez’ six-match, loss-side trip with a shutout.
Tkach then gave up two racks to Peters in the semifinals and turned to face Williams in the hot seat, waiting. She took the opening set of the true double elimination final 7-5 and followed with a 6-4 win that allowed her to claim the event title.
Tournament representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Snookered Billiards and Bar for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Omega, Predator, Simonis, ACME, Doc’s Billiards Office, LBS Championship Pool, Staggs Plumbing, Clutch Shot Billiards Apparel, John Eagle Honda of Dallas, Molina Mike, Dunski Dungeon, 1st Choice Appliance Repair, D Real Pool Promotions, Outsville, Hanshew Jump Cues, PDQ, Rackem Live Stream, Diamond, Off the Rail and OB Cues.
Tina Soto, Orietta Strickland & Krystle Suarez (Photo courtesy Jesse Garcia . Bound by Imagination)
With the idea of introducing a Ladies Division into their 2020 schedule, the Dallas/Fort Worth 9-Ball Tour ran a ‘trial run’ event on Saturday, September 28. It was, according to tour representatives, a success and plans are moving ahead to include four or five events in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The trial event was won by Krystle Suarez, who, after being awarded a bye in the opening round, was defeated in the second round by Tina Soto, won eight on the loss side and then met and double dipped Soto in the finals to claim the event title. The event drew 35 ladies to Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX.
Soto, who’d won her opening round versus Jennifer Hooten, advanced after her defeat of Suarez to send Phoebe Simon and Tam Trinh to the loss side and faced Corina Campbell in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Orietta Strickland squared off against Jessica Demello in the other one.
Soto and Campbell locked up in a double hill fight that eventually advanced Soto to the hot seat match. Strickland joined her after shutting Demello out. With Strickland racing to 7, Soto claimed the hot seat 5-5 and waited for Suarez to complete her loss-side run.
On the loss side, Campbell drew a re-match against Ricki Casper, whom she’d sent to the loss side in a third-round double hill battle. Casper was in the midst of six-match, loss-side winning streak that had recently included two straight shutouts over Christa Ramon and Nina Dolman. Demello picked up Suarez, five matches into her loss-side streak, having recently shut out Jennifer Pavlovick and downed Alicia Stanley 7-4.
Casper extended her loss-side streak, as she successfully navigated her rematch versus Campbell 6-1. Suarez joined her in the quarterfinals with a 7-2 victory over Demello.
Suarez ended Casper’s loss-side journey 7-2 in those quarterfinals and then earned her rematch against Soto with a 7-5 victory over Strickland in the semifinals. She and Soto battled to double hill in the opening set of the true double elimination finals, forcing a second set. Suarez upped her game a bit in the second set, shutting Soto out to claim the trial run of the DFW 9-Ball Tour’s Ladies Division.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rusty’s Billiards, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, OB Cues, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore, and the Dallas 8-Ball League. The next stop on the DFW 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for October 19-20, will be hosted by the Billiard Den in Richardson, TX.
