Sanchez-Ruiz defeats The Pearl, as Kennedy/Shaw create drama that sends Kennedy over
It’s difficult at best, approaching impossible, to watch two pool matches at the same time. While you can certainly pay attention to more than one at a time, your divided attention has a way of missing some of the action. The modern technology of multiple screens offered by a streaming service exacerbates this problem because it makes shifting your attention from one screen to another that much easier. You end up doing it more and while you’ll certainly be able to track the score progress of multiple matches, you tend not to really ‘see’ any of them; the give and take between two competitors, the ebb and flow that defines individual games and match progress as it plays out over time. The basics of what makes a good pool match so much fun to watch in the first place.
So it was, that on Friday night (March 12), at the evening session of the 30th Annual Diamond Open 9-Ball Professional Players Championships at the Super Billiards Expo, in-person spectators and distant streamers had some tough choices to make. What to do when, for example, Earl Strickland and Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz are playing a match, while at the same time, Tommy Kennedy and Jayson Shaw are doing so a matter of a few feet away? And those were just two of the 16 matchups that got started at (or near) 9:15 p.m. last night.
The two most-likely-to-be-popular matches (a subjective opinion) are generally placed in front of the two risers that accommodate the Championship Arena’s seating capabilities. There are about 32 seats in each two-level riser. There are 11 folding tables that surround the arena, seating about four per table.
The ’feature’ match on the digitalpool streaming system with its visible scoring and commentary, was between Strickland and Sanchez-Ruiz, but you could choose to watch any of the other 15 matches, as long as you were willing to keep score yourself. Or, if you had an appropriate device, you could monitor the ‘live’ brackets on digitalpool.com, switching back and forth between streaming the match and the score. Tuning in to watch a match that doesn’t provide a score is almost pointless because a lot of a match’s inherent entertainment value derives from a spectator’s awareness of where the match is ‘at,’ so to speak, at any given moment; whether the competitors are tied or one is ‘on the hill’ or in the midst of three games in a row, or . .whatever.
Sanchez-Ruiz got out to an early 2-0 lead over Strickland that he never relinquished. By game 6, it was a four-point lead (5-1), by game 13, it was five points (9-4) and two games later, Sanchez-Ruiz closed it out at 11-4. Sanchez-Ruiz was scheduled to play at 4 p.m. today (Saturday) against Darren Appleton, who’d defeated Alex Osipov 11-9. The (Saturday) afternoon, winners’ side matches will put eight players into the 16-entrant, guaranteed money, single-elimination phase of the event. Strickland was scheduled to take on Bucky Souvanthong on the loss-side at 1:45 p.m.
The Kennedy/Shaw match was only a matter of feet away, next to the Strickland/Sanchez-Ruiz table, but closer to the opposite seating area. It offered some instantaneous drama as Kennedy, almost assuredly the ‘underdog’ in the matchup, got out to a 4-0 lead that by game #9 had become a five-point lead at 7-2. Shaw was literally and figuratively ‘cold’ at the outset.
“It was so cold,” he would comment after the match, “that I didn’t even want to be here. It was like 61 degrees, blowing on the back of your neck.”
The two offered distinct differences in ‘style.’ Shaw’s performance in a match is characterized by a very business-like attitude. When he’s at the table, there is no wasted energy. He finds his shot, aims and strokes in almost one movement that would reset a shot clock (not used at this event) before it counted down more than 10 seconds. Shaw doesn’t waste any energy when he steps away from the table either.He sits down and looks like one of those newer cars that shuts off the engine when it stops moving. Until he gets back up, he looks as though he could be waiting for a bus, idly wondering what he might want to order for dinner.
Kennedy’s ‘work’ is much more of a production. He spends as much time looking for (or at) a shot and deciding to get down on it than Shaw generally spends between getting up and getting back down. The amount of time Kennedy spends between getting down to take his shot and then actually taking it, will vary widely. Though rarely long enough to challenge a shot clock, his ‘routine’ at the tables tends to be more deliberate and thoughtful as he takes the time available to double-check things before finally letting the stroke go. He tends to ‘look’ more engaged when he’s waiting for his turn at the table.
Shaw got warmed up at the conclusion of Kennedy’s 7th game win. One game at a time, he kept chipping away at Kennedy’s lead. He banked the 9-ball into a hole to tie things up at 7-7, then took his first lead and added another at 9-7. Kennedy took advantage of a ready-made combo on the 9-ball to come back to within one, but Shaw came right back to reach the hill. Kennedy got within one a second time, but Shaw finished it 11-9.
At 4 p.m. today (Saturday), Shaw is scheduled to face BJ Ussery, Jr., who defeated Sam Henderson 11-7 last night. Kennedy moved to the loss side and at 4 p.m., will take on Wiktor Zielinski.
Featuring a range of Fargo Rates from 495 (Eric Martin) to 841 (Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz), the 30th Annual 2024 Diamond Open at the Super Billiards Expo in Oaks, PA got underway yesterday (Thurs., April 11). Of the 118 competitors, who (literally) got the ball(s) rolling on Thursday morning, 29 of them entered the event without a (reported) Fargo Rate, leaving 89 competitors with an average Fargo rate of just under 700. The ‘700’ range had the most players (49), with unrated (29), ‘600’ (25), ‘500’ (8) ‘800’ (4) and a lone ‘400.’
It made for a diversified field that blended upper-tier, regional tour players with some of the best in the world, like Sanchez-Ruiz, Jayson Shaw, David Alcaide, Thorsten Hohmann and Wiktor Zielinski (to name just a few). Though there weren’t a lot of surprises in the opening two rounds on the winners’ side of the bracket, there were a few compelling matches.
Earl Strickland (772) got by his first opponent, Gary Serrano (618) readily enough 11-5 in the opening round, but had a local competitor, Kevin Clark (716), who’d shut out his first opponent, throw him a double-hill scare in the second round. Joss Tour veteran and winner of the 2023 New England Pool & Billiards Hall of Fame 9-Ball Open, Jeremy Sossei, sent this year’s US 8-Ball Open and McDermott Classic Champion, Poland’s Wiktor Zielinski to the loss side 11-8.
US Open 9-Ball Champion (1992), Tommy Kennedy brought his (Corrected) 735 Fargo Rate to the table and defeated two ‘698’s in a row; Jimmy Rivera and Matt Krah. In a marquee match-up promoted on the SBE Web site, Darren “Dynamite” Appleton defeated Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer 11-8 in the opening round. Jeffrey DeLuna gave up just a single rack in his first two matches. Jason Shaw, who played his first match at 11:30 p.m. last night (Thursday), had his opponent open by dropping the 9-ball on the break, but recovered nicely to win 11-6.
Thorsten Hohmann, Jeremy Seaman fight representative battle for winners’ side advancement
Arguably, most indicative of the skill-level(s) caliber of play at this year’s Diamond Open, and the relative unpredictability of any handicapping system in the world of pool was a second round match between a journeyman competitor from Battle Creek, MI – Jeremy Seaman (762), who’s been cashing in events all over the US map since 2003, though, as far we know, has never won an event – and World Champion Thorsten Hohmann (789), whose career started two years earlier than Seaman’s.
Hohmann opened the race to 11 with a win off Seaman’s break and broke and ran his own rack for a quick 2-0 lead; ‘off to the races,’ you’d think, but not so fast. Seaman won a rack and Hohmann added two to make 4-1. Seaman won two to pull within one and Hohmann chalked up another to make it 5-3. At that point, Seaman stepped to the table and chalked up three in a row to tie and then take a lead at 6-5. It proved to be the longest run of racks in the match. The two traded racks, back and forth, to a 7-7 tie when, off his own break, Seaman ran to the 8-ball, which stubbornly rattled in a corner pocket and did not fall. Hohmann took the 8-7 lead.
Hohmann dropped two on his break in Rack 16, but scratched. Seaman ran the table to tie it up again and broke Rack 17. He did not, however, win it. Hohmann, at a critical juncture, took the lead 9-8 and on his break, reached the hill, ahead by two. Seaman came back to win the 19th rack, setting up the fateful last rack of the match at which Hohmann broke dry. They chased the 1-ball for what seemed like ages before Seaman broke through, advancing to the 6-ball, at which point he made a critical unforced error that cost him the game and the match, as Hohmann closed it out.
And in so doing, provided a generalized answer to the question “Which of the upcoming matches should I watch, either in person, or via digitalpool streaming?” Answer: Any of them.
All of the Diamond Open matches on Opening Day were winners’ side matches, allowing that side of the bracket to get through two rounds. As a result, the winners from yesterday will not be competing until this evening (Friday), beginning at around 9:15 p.m.
Dependent on the timely advance of both sides of the bracket, there may be 11:30, winners’ side matches or they may just bring the 16 competitors looking to advance to single elimination back on Saturday.
CR’s Sports Bar in Coon Rapids, MN – a suburb of Minneapolis – was the place to be this past weekend! Owner Jerry Johnson and his staff laid out the red carpet for all the players and fans for the inaugural HEX.COM Pro/Am.
A total of $26,000 was added to this event. Featuring four divisions, there was the $8,000 added Open 10 Ball Championship, a $3,000 added Skills Challenge event, a $5,000 added Amateur 8 Ball Championship and a $10,000 added Open 8 Ball Championship.
After the players auction and the draw, play in the Open 10 Ball Championship began. The $300 entry fee format was winner breaks with races to nine. After they battled it out, there were four men undefeated. John Morra defeated Joven Bustamante 9-6 to move in the hot seat match as did Roberto Gomez over Vitaliy Patsura – also 9-6.
After losing to Patsura in the first round 9-6, Alex Pagulayan had another shot at him but to no avail. He was spanked 9-2. Bustamante defeated Robert Mattson 9-5 to move into the match with Patsura. Both Alex and Robert finished in 5th-6th place. Joven made short work of Patsura 9-3 leaving him in fourth place. Bustamante then cooled his heels while awaiting the results of the hot seat match.
The hot seat match was pretty much all Morra as he sent Gomez west after a 9-2 crushing. Roberto then survived his match with Joven 9-5 to move into the finals against Morra. Bustamante finished in third place.
As this was true double elimination, Roberto would have to defeat John twice to claim the title. Morra was having none of that as he trounced Gomez again 9-4 to take the title! Congratulations, John! Good effort, Roberto!
Both 8 Ball events began on Friday night after the players auction and draw. The Amateur 8 Ball event was open to players with a 675 and under Fargo rating. Players paid a $100 entry fee and played with BCA rules and a format of races to five with winner breaks. When the smoke cleared, it was Cornell McLean taking top honors and Sam Henderson finished second. Congratulations to both players!
And, congratulations to Jesse Engel for winning the nine foot Table Brains Skills Challenge and to Kevin McGrath for taking down the Table Brains Skills Challenge on the seven footer!
Shane Van Boening, Jerry Johnson and Roberto Gomez
Again, after the players auction and draw, the 8 Ball Open began. Players paid a $300 entry fee – format was races to nine winner breaks and take what you make.
After many hours of play, four players remained undefeated. The red-hot pair of John Morra and Roberto Gomez played for a berth in the hot seat match. This time, it was Roberto who took the match with a 9-6 score. Shane Van Boening locked up the other seat with a 9-5 victory over the always tough Alex Pagulayan.
On the west side of the chart, waiting for Morra was Russia’s Fedor Gorst. They battled down to the wire – Gorst was eliminated 9-8. Pagulayan was ousted by young gun Sergio Rivas 9-3. Both Alex and Fedor finished in 5th-6th place. Rivas then went on to eke out a 9-8 win over Morra leaving John with a fourth-place finish. Sergio then waited for an opponent from the hot seat match.
The hot seat match was as close as ever but a determined Gomez sent Van Boening packing with a 9-7 score. Shane head over to play Sergio to see who would return to the finals. Van Boening took dead aim as he dashed Rivas’s hopes 9-4. Sergio finished in third place.
Again, as this was true double elimination, Shane would have to defeat Roberto twice to win the tournament. And he did! He dispatched Gomez 9-2 and9-3 to take it down! Congratulations, Shane! Good effort, Roberto!
PoolActionTV.com would like to again thank HEX.COM for sponsoring this event as well as Jerry Johnson and his staff for taking such good care of all the players and fans. We’d also like to thank Tournament Director Scott Norberg for doing such a great job running the various events.
Thanks to our commentators Larry Schwarz, Jerry Johnson and Ray Hansen for a great job.
We’d also like to than our fans and sponsors for making this all possible. Our sponsors include JB Cases, Lomax Custom Cues, CR’s Sports Bar, Diveney Cues, EnviroAssessments, Hanshew Jump Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Durbin Custom Cues, Simonis, Aramith and Fort Worth Billiard Superstore of Fort Worth, TX.
Our next stop is Skinny Bob’s n Round Rock, TX for the 49th Annual $40,000 added Texas Open. Dates are August 27th– September 5th! Hope to see you there.
