Crowning achievements for (l to r) Kyoko Sone & Brittany Bryant with Janet Atwell
It began on Thursday, May 30 with a preliminary tournament made up of 30 lower-ranked players from the Women’s Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) and ended on Sunday night, June 2 with the crowning of defending champion Brittany Bryant, who had to come from the loss side (five matches) to meet Kyoko Sone in the finals of the WPBA’s Signature Tour Stop, the Blue-Emu Southern Open. The $10,000-added event drew a total of 62 entrants, including Janet Atwell to her venue, Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
The event was not exactly a proverbial ‘walk in the park’ for the WPBA’s #4-ranked player. Bryant won the event, having won less than 60% of the games she played in it (70-49; 58.8%). The seven opponents she faced in races-to-8 chalked up an average of five racks against her. She got by Kelly Cavanaugh, Jessica Barnes and Mary Rakin by an aggregate score of 24-7, but against her other four race-to-8 opponents (LoreeJon Hasson, Allison Fisher, Melissa Little & Jennifer Baretta) she chalked up an aggregate of 32-26, or 55%. Not surprising necessarily, given the upgrade in the competition over those four matches. And then, of course, there was the third-round, 4-8 loss to Gail Eaton, which really did a job on the ‘numbers.’ Without that loss, Bryant would have finished with an overall game-winning average of just over 60% (62.8), rather than less.
“I go to every event to win it,” said Bryant, “but I didn’t go with any expectations this year. “There were actually a few more players who were higher up (in rankings) than there were last year when I won it.”
The ‘First Stage’ double elimination bracket yielded 16 players who advanced to the Final Stage; eight from the winners’ side and eight from the loss side of that bracket. Among those who emerged from that bracket was runner-up Kyoko Sone, who lost her opening round match, double hill to Mary Rakin. Rakin advanced to defeat Kelly Isaac 7-5 and become one of the eight winners’ side competitors to advance to the Final Stage. Sone moved to the loss side, where she defeated Toni Esteves and Janet Ritcey, both 7-2, to become one of the eight loss-side competitors to advance to the final stage.
Moving into the Final Stage, beginning on Friday, May 31, the 16 arrivals from the preliminary bracket faced 16 players more or less in the middle of the WPBA rankings (approximately #17-#32). The winners in this opening round of Final Stage play advanced to meet the WPBA’s top 16 players, who had been awarded opening round byes.
Of the WPBA’s top 16 players who waited until Friday evening to begin competing, only three failed to advance on the winners’ side past their opening match; Jessica Barnes (WPBA-ranked #16) was defeated 8-2 by Kyoko Sone, Gerda Gregerson (#8) lost to Mary Rakin 8-6 and Emily Duddy (#10) joined them on the loss side following an 8-3 defeat at the hands of Naomi Williams. Among the more notable matches in this round of play, and the only one to go double hill was the battle between Allison Fisher and Russian teenager Kristina Tkach, who, a week earlier, had been the only female to compete in the Open/Pro event of the 9th Annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial in New York City (she finished in the tie for 5th place). She was defeated by Fisher here and went on to win two loss-side matches before being eliminated by Line Kjorsvik.
A final round on Friday night brought the field down to the winners’ side quarterfinals. Kyoko Sone had sent Line Kjorsvik to the loss side and on Saturday night, faced Mary Rakin, who, after her victory over Gregerson, had sent hostess and WPBA-ranked #9 Janet Atwell over. Brittany Bryant, who’d defeated Loree Jon Hasson was to meet up with Gail Eaton, who’d gotten by Melissa Little. Fisher followed up her win over Tkach with a victory over Jia Li and on Saturday night, faced Naomi Williams, who had just survived a double hill battle against Helena Thornfeldt. The last of the winners’ side quarterfinals pitted Jennifer Baretta against Monica Webb.
These matches elicited the winners’ side semifinals, which began immediately afterwards. Sone, who’d downed Rakin 8-5 met Eaton, who’d sent Bryant to the loss side 8-4, as Fisher, who’d defeated Williams 8-3 met Baretta, who’d gotten by Webb 8-5.
“I have to give Gail so much credit,” said Bryant of her only loss in the tournament. “I have never seen her play that well. I was down 7-1, took a break, composed myself and got it to 7-4.”
“I wasn’t disappointed,” she added. “I didn’t play poorly and Gail took control when she needed to.”
Sone advanced to the hot seat match 8-3 over Eaton. Fisher and Baretta, almost predictably, fought to double hill before Baretta prevailed to join Sone in the hot seat match. Sone downed Baretta 8-4 to claim the hot seat and waited on what turned out to be Bryant’s fateful return.
Meanwhile, back at the loss-side ranch, Bryant and Melissa Little were laying in wait for Fisher and Eaton, respectively. Bryant had defeated Jessica Barnes 8-2 and Mary Rakin 8-3 to draw Fisher. Little had won four loss-side matches, including a double hill win over Naomi Williams and an 8-4 victory over Kjorsvik to draw Eaton. Little made it five in a row with an 8-5 win over Eaton and advanced to the quarterfinals. Bryant joined her after surviving a double hill fight against Fisher.
“I expected to go back and forth with Allison,” she said. “It was actually the first time I had ever beaten her. I ended up breaking and running at double hill to win it.”
Bryant followed her double hill win over Fisher with a double hill win over Little in the quarterfinals and for the second time, she finished with a break and run. In the semifinals, Jennifer Baretta came within a game of giving Bryant a third straight, double hill challenge, but Bryant edged out in front at the end to win it 8-6.
“I was up 6-2 in that match and she came back (to almost tie it),” Bryant said. “And then, there was a big game swinger, when she could have tied it at 6-6, but I won to go up 7-5. She won a game and I won the next game to win the match.”
The finals between defending champion Bryant and Sone came within a game of going double hill, as well, but for the second time in a row, Bryant edged out in front at the end to win it 10-8 and claim the 2019 Blu-Emu Southern Open.
“We didn’t make a lot of mistakes,” said Bryant of the final match. “She broke and ran the opening game and we had a few safety battles. I was up 6-2 and she started to make a comeback.”
As with the semifinal match against Baretta, Sone had the opportunity to tie things up at 6-6.
“She missed a key 8-ball to tie it up (at 6-6),” she said, “so it was 7-5 and I won the next three.”
WPBA representatives thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards staff for hosting the event, as well as sponsors Simonis Cloth, Aramith, Diamond Billiard Products and Outsville.com. The next WPBA event, scheduled for August 8-11, will be a $10,000-added Signature Event, to be held in Fairfield, IL. Further details will be available soon. Bryant said that she plans to be in attendance.
Ireland’s Karen Corr went undefeated through a field of 56 women who competed in the $8,350-added Diamond Women’s Open 9-Ball Pro Championships, held as part of the Super Billiards Expo on the long weekend of April 12-15, and sanctioned by the North American Pool Tour. It was her third SBE Women’s Pro Championship title, which she won, as well, in 2016, and 2014. It was her first win in 2018.
In the field that was vying for $26K in prize money and included anyone’s list of the top women in the sport, the top 16 were seeded at the beginning of the initial, double elimination bracket. When that bracket came down to the final eight on each side, those 16 women entered a single elimination phase that was not seeded. Corr, after defeating Sonya Chbeeb, Rachel Lang and Veronique Menard to secure her spot on the winners’ side Final Eight bracket, got by Janet Atwell 11-8, and Vivian Villareal 11-9 to face Allison Fisher in the semifinals of that winners’ side Final Eight.
Long-time adversaries at the table (and friends, off the table), Corr and Fisher battled in what arguably should have been the event final (a seeded single elimination phase might have kept them apart until the finals). Corr won it, 11-8, and advanced to the finals. Byrant joined her, after downing Li 11-9. Corr took the final 11-6 to chalk up her third SBE title.
The last time Liz Lovely and Nicole Keeney squared off in a final match, during the third stop on the Midwest Ladies Regional Tour (MLRT) in April, Keeney came out on top, defeating Lovely twice to claim the title. On Saturday, June 18, they met again, only this time, it was Lovely who came out on top, stopping a loss-side bid by Keeney in their only meeting, in the finals. The $500-added event drew 13 entrants to Miss Cue North in Toledo, OH.
With Keeney already at work on the loss side, thanks to a double hill defeat at the hands of Charlotte Ashley, Liz Lovely advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Cathy McDaniel. Adina Pelletier, in the meantime, faced Toni Tucker. Lovely moved into the hot seat match 7-3 over McDaniel, and was joined by Pelletier, who'd sent Tucker to the loss side 7-5. Lovely shut Pelletier out and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Keeney.
Keeney opened her loss-side run against Carla Herevia. A 6-1 victory over Herevia was followed by a double hill win over Angela Mears, which set Keeney up to face McDaniel. Tucker picked up Stephanie Goens, who'd completed two straight double hill wins over Charlotte Ashley and Lupe Harpster.
Keeney eliminated McDaniel 6-2, and in the quarterfinals, met with Tucker, who'd defeated Goens 6-3. Keeney took the quarterfinal match over Tucker 6-4, and, as Lovely had done in the hot seat match, shut Pelletier out in the semifinals.
Lovely ended Keeney's run in the finals, but not without a double hill fight. As winner, Lovely qualified for the North American Pool Tour's next stop in August. A scheduling conflict led Lovely to pass the qualification prize on to Keeney.
The next stop on the MLRT, scheduled for August 13, will be hosted by 8-Ball Sports Bar in Columbus, OH.
If you’ve never been to Michael’s Billiards, then you’re missing a real treat. Michael has a fondness for neon, the old-school, and smooth jazz, and that shows in the amazingly dynamic and bright decor throughout this historic pool hall. And the icing on the cake is the well-cared-for 9-foot Diamond tables.
The field was smaller than usual, with only 12 shooters, but the competition was just as strong as we’ve come to expect from the Midwest Ladies’ Regional Tour. Starting out strong, Angela Williams beat Connie O’Heron 7-6, Monica Hill beat Tabitha Carmack 7-1, Adina Pelletier beat Stephanie Goens 7-6 and Christy Dickerson defeated Charlotte Alford 7-5. Second round winners included Julie Skripac-Cooper over Williams (7-5), Hill over Debbie Cervantes (7-5), Amee Schmidt over Pelletier (7-6) and Dickerson over Lupe Harpster (7-2).
O’Heron and Williams rocked the b-side. Williams defeated Alford (6-4); Goens (6-4), and Hill (6-2) who had lost her quarter-finals match to Skripac-Cooper (7-1). O’Heron showed her dedication and skill, beating out Harpster (6-4), Carmack (6-4), and Schmidt (6-4), who was defeated in the quarter-finals by Dickerson (7-1). Schmidt and Hill finished 5th.
O’Heron and Williams met again in the semi-finals of the B-side. The stakes were high; both women fighting for points and prestige. A great match ensued, with table play, strong form, and wicked defense. Williams started strong, leading the match 5-2 early on. But O’Heron is a real pro, and she pulled out 3 in a row to tie it on the hill. A fierce safety game proved to be a nail-biter for all those watching, and Williams skillfully—and surprisingly—locked O’Heron up tight. O’Heron three-fouled on the two-ball, and Williams took the win! O’Heron finished 4th.
On the winner’s side, Dickerson and Skripac-Cooper played for the chair. Both women proving why they were there, shooting clean, straight and strong, but in the end, Dickerson’s superior technique came out on top 7-4.
After being defeated in the semi-finals, Skripac-Cooper came on strong in her match against Williams. Williams, determined to win the second set against the local gal, played hard, pulling out some amazing shots, and keeping pace with her opponent to the end. The final game saw both ladies struggling, not surprising for the time of night, but it was Williams who made the last error, and Skripac-Cooper finished the set, 6-5. Williams finished 3rd.
Once again, Dickerson annihilated in the finals. The smooth-stroking, exceptionally consistent shooter just hit everything right. Skripac-Cooper stole a game mid-match, but there wasn’t much else she could do against the powerhouse from Indy. Dickerson finished her back-to-back win 7-1 over Skripac-Cooper, for ANOTHER undefeated victory!
MLRT Stop #8 will take place on November 14, 2015 at Billiard Club of Louisville, KY.
MLRT will hold a WPBA Masters qualifier on December 5, 2015 at Michael’s in Fairfield. Adina and Marc Pelletier have sponsored the event, so the winner will get paid entry into the WPBA Masters, to be held February 3-7, 2016 at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. Additionally, Michael’s will add $1000 (based on 32 players)!
For more info, see their website at www.midwestladiestour.com and/or contact the tour directors at director@midwestladiestour.com.
Janet Atwell won the opening stop on the MissCues Regional Ladies Tour, at her own location, Borderline Billiards, in Bristol, TN in March. She missed a July event, allowing Buffy Jolie, Melody Kuty, Debbie Cervantis, and Stephanie Goens to move ahead of her in point standings. On Saturday, August 18, at the tour’s third stop, she moved up three notches in those point standings (from fifth to second) by winning her second event on the tour. She faced and defeated Buffy Jolie twice to win the event, which left Jolie in first place in the point standings. The $250-added Kentucky Ladies Bar Table Championships drew 16 entrants to Diamond Pub & Billiards in Louisville, KY.
From among the winners’ side final four, Atwell squared off against Samatha Patton, as Jolie faced Chris Toohey. Atwell sent Patton to the loss side 7-3, as Jolie downed Toohey 7-5. In their first meeting, Atwell defeated Jolie 7-2, and waited in the hot seat for her return from the semifinals.
Patton moved over to pick up Angela Mears, who’d defeated Kuty and Cervantis, both 7-2. Toohey drew Rhonda Ferguson, who’d eliminated Ginny Reed and Goens, both 7-3. Toohey and Patton got right back to winning; Toohey, downing Ferguson 7-5 and Patton surviving a double hill match versus Mears. It was Toohey, who emerged from the quarterfinals, with a double hill victory over Patton.
Jolie, though, anxious to maintain her lead in the point standings stopped Toohey in the semifinals, defeating her 7-2, for a second chance against Atwell. Atwell chalked up her second win against Jolie, 9-6, in the single race finals.
Tour Director Becky Todd thanked the ownership and staff at Diamond Pub & Billiards for their hospitality, and noted that the next stop on the MissCues tour was scheduled for September 8-9, at Bank Shot Billiards. The event, she said, will be a qualifier for the WPBA Masters at the Soaring Eagle in Mount Pleasant, MI in February, 2013.
Liz Lovely defeated WPBA touring veteran Teruko Cucculelli twice to capture the July 14-15 stop on the MissCues Regional Ladies 9-Ball Tour. The $500-added event drew 16 entrants to 8-Ball Sports Bar & Billiards in Columbus, OH.
They met first in the battle for the hot seat. Cucculelli had sent Buffy Jolie (presently ranked # 2 on the tour) west 7-2, as Lovely delivered Casey Clark to the loss bracket 7-1. Lovely and Cucculelli got to double hill in the battle for the hot seat before Lovely prevailed.
On the loss side, Jolie picked up Linda Brandeberry, who’d defeated Sandy Day and Stephanie Goens, both 7-5. Clark drew Jen Polik, who was in the midst of a four-match, loss-side winning streak that had begun when Cucculelli had sent her over in the second round. Polik defeated Tracy Cantrell 7-2, and Reni Rose 7-4 to meet Clark. Polik shut Clark out and in the quarterfinals, met up with Jolie, who’d ended Brandeberry’s day 7-4.
Polik and Jolie battled to double hill in those quarterfinals, before Polik snapped the 9-ball in on the final break to win it. She didn’t get nearly as close in her semifinal re-match against Cucculelli, who’d advance back for a second chance against Lovely with a 7-3 win.
The wait for the re-match did not apparently affect Lovely. She gave up only three racks to complete her undefeated weekend.
Tour director Becky Todd thanked Richard Whaley, owner of 8-Ball Sports Bar & Billiards, and Rack 66’s Bryan Roberts for sponsorship of the event.
TULSA, OK – Results are in for today’s first semi-final matchup between the #1 and #2 seeds in the WPBA US Open 9-Ball Championships taking place this week at the River Spirit Event Center. ESPN cameras rolled as Monica Webb and Allison Fisher, two veteran champions, took the stage.
Monica took the first point in the race to seven, but Allison quickly answered with two games of her own. Monica won the next three to lead 4-2. In the seventh game, Allison missed a surprising five ball in the corner that put Webb back at the table to extend her lead 5-2.
Allison picked up the next game to trail 5-3, and then another to trail 5-4 when Monica ended up short on a nine ball and missed a cross-side bank. She then broke and ran out to tie the match 5-5, and again to get to the hill, 6-5!
With no shot after the break, Fisher was forced to push out. A safety battle ensued but Fisher got first look at a long, sharp cut on the one. She nailed that, and proceeded to execute a tricky rack to take the win 7-5! Webb finishes tied for third place.
The quarter final, semi final and final matches will be broadcast by ESPN in seven one-hour national shows, airing Saturday, July 14, (Quarterfinals 12-4pm on ESPN2) and Sunday, July 15, (Semifinals/Final 1-4pm on ESPN2).
Fans and media can keep up with ongoing results at http://www.wpba.com/images/stories/brackets/2012_us_open.pdf Refresh the link for the most up-to-date results — scoring updates will take place throughout the day’s play!
Schedule of Events:
Sunday, June 10 at 3 pm and 5 pm
ESPN Semifinal #2 and Final (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
It’s all taking place at the River Spirit Event Center, adjacent to the River Spirit Casino at 81st and Riverside in Tulsa.
Tickets are just $20 on June 9th and 10th! VIP tickets are available for $25. Visit www.riverspirittulsa.com/entertainment/eventcenter for tickets and more information!
TULSA, OK – The WPBA US Open 9-Ball Championships at the River Spirit Event Center in Tulsa have whittled the field down to 48 players from the original 64. The first sixteen players were eliminated after two consecutive losses. Here are the results of the first round in the one loss bracket. Winning players are matching up in day session play today and another sixteen players will soon say farewell to their US Open title hopes…
Elimination Round One (Defeated Players Eliminated)
Fans and media can keep up with ongoing results at http://www.wpba.com/images/stories/brackets/2012_us_open.pdf (refresh the link for the most up-to-date results!)
Schedule of Events:
Friday, June 8 at 10 am
Double elimination play in day and evening sessions
Saturday, June 9 at 1 pm
ESPN Quarterfinals (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
Sunday, June 10 at 1 pm
ESPN Semifinals and Final (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
The quarter final, semi final and final matches will be taped by ESPN for seven one-hour national broadcasts, airing Saturday, July 14, (Quarterfinals 12-4pm on ESPN2) and Sunday, July 15, (Semifinals/Final 1-4pm on ESPN2).
It all takes place at the River Spirit Event Center, adjacent to the River Spirit Casino at 81st and Riverside in Tulsa.
Tickets are just $10 on June 8th and $20 on June 9th and 10th! VIP tickets are available for $25. Visit www.riverspirittulsa.com/entertainment/eventcenter for tickets and more information!
Janet Atwell, Chelsea Hardwick, Shannon Crosthwaite, & Buffy Jolie
Janet Atwell played both amiable hostess and event champion at the Kick-Off event of the 2012 MissCues Regional Ladies 9-Ball Tour. In addition to the $325 first prize, Atwell’s undefeated weekend also earned her an entry into the WPBA US Open in June. The $500-added Kick-Off event drew 14 entrants to Atwell’s Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Atwell opened her five-match campaign with victories over Jessica Human and Sam Patton, which moved her among the winners’ side final four to face Melody Kuty. Buffy Jolie, in the meantime, who would end up facing Atwell twice, defeated Stephanie Goens and Tonya Wiser to square off against Teresa Gifford in the other winners’ side semifinal. Atwell sent Kuty west 5-2, and was joined in the hot seat match by Jolie, who’d sent Gifford over 5-1. Atwell sent Jolie to the semifinals 5-2 and sat in the hot seat to await her return.
First up for Kuty in the loss bracket was Shannon Crosthwaite, who, following an opening round defeat at the hands of Chelsea Hardwick, defeated Debbie Cervantis 5-3 and shut out Wiser. Gifford drew Hardwick, who, after defeating Crosthwaite, was sent west by Kuty and was in the midst of a four-match, loss-side winning streak that would eventually put her into the semifinals against Jolie. Hardwick defeated Dana Cartier 5-2 and Patton, double hill, to meet Gifford.
Hardwick defeated Gifford 5-2, and in the quarterfinals, got a second chance against Crosthwaite, who’d downed Kuty double hill. A second double hill match for Crosthwaite yielded a second victory over her for Hardwick, who moved on to face Jolie.
Jolie ended Hardwick’s loss-side streak 5-3 and got her second chance against Atwell. Atwell took the final match 7-1 to complete her undefeated weekend.
Following the WPBA Regional Tour Championships, April 13-15, at 150 N Out Billiards and Darts in Mooresville, NC, the MissCues Tour will stop at Diamond Billiard Pub in Lexington, KY on June 23-24.
Jana Montour (Photo courtesy of Don Akerlow – On The Break News)
In a repeat of the Northwest Women’s Pool Association (NWPA) season finale last November, Jana Montour and Liz Cole locked up in a finals battle in the opening event of the 2012 season on the weekend of March 3-4. Same opponents, different result. This time, Montour took a more direct route to the finals than the one she’d taken last November, when she had to win eight on the loss side to meet Cole, and this time, she defeated Cole twice to win it. The $1,000-added event drew 34 entrants to The Golden Fleece, in Kenmore, WA.
It was a four-match trip to the winners’ side final four for Montour and a three-match journey for Cole, who drew a bye in the opening round. Montour got by Stephanie Goens, Shelby Locati, Eve Stockstill, and Kim Jones to meet up with Shari Ross. Cole defeated Suwanna Kroll, Talya Makus, and Mary Hopkin to meet up with Cindy Sliva. Montour sent Ross west 7-1and turned to the hot seat battle against Cole, who’d sent Sliva over 7-3. Montour took their first of two 7-3, and waited in the hot seat for Cole to come back.
Meanwhile, on the loss-side, Ross met up with Mary Hopkin, who’d been sent west by Cole and defeated Kris Robbins 6-4 and Suzanne Smith 6-3. Sliva drew Kim Jones, who’d been sent west by Montour and defeated Mona Stickley, double hill, and Deby Welfringer 6-2. Sliva and Jones fought to double hill before Sliva prevailed, advancing to the quarterfinals versus Ross, who’d defeated Hopkin, also double hill. Ross chalked up a second straight double hill win in the quarterfinal battle against Sliva and advanced to meet Cole in the semifinals. Cole got her second crack at Montour with a 6-3 victory over Ross.
November’s season finale, though won by Cole, left Montour at the top of the 2011 tour rankings; each had won three stops. The single, race-to-9 finals went double hill before Montour prevailed to open the NWPA season the way she’d finished the previous year; at the top of the tour rankings.
