Janet Atwell hosts first Borderline Brunswick Invitational in a new Borderline Billiards facility
Unlike pool tours that measure member performance on more or less of a yearly basis, wiping the slate clean to start fresh once a tour’s new season gets underway, the Women’s Professional Billiards Association’s (WPBA) Leaderboard is a snapshot of its last 10 events; a sort of ‘what have you done for me lately’ look at a player’s accomplishments on the tour, represented in points-earned. With two of the WPBA’s top competitors (Jasmin Ouschan, #3 and Allison Fisher, #7) not in attendance for this past (long) weekend’s Borderline Brunswick Invitational (May 1-5), there were opportunities, both literally and figuratively, ‘on the table’ for those who were in attendance to advance a notch or two on the Leaderboard.
None of them could have de-throned either Tzu-Chien Wei from her #1 spot or Kelly Fisher from #2, who battled twice against Kristina Tkach to claim the title. Fisher and Tzu-Chien have competed in nine of the 10 qualifying events dating back to the 2022 Puerto Rico Open and had too much of a ‘points’ lead to be caught in a single event. If Tzu-Chien had opted out of the Borderline Invitational, Kelly would have left Bristol, TN in the top spot. As it turned out, Tzu-Chien finished in the tie for 5th place, adding enough points to her 10-event total to retain the top spot.
There were a couple of individual noteworthy performances at the $20,000-added Borderline Brunswick Invitational that drew 80 entrants to the new Borderline Brunswick Arena in Bristol, TN, formerly just Borderline Billiards. The new site is within walking distance of the old one, and did not host this event without a lot of predictable ‘opening’ issues, as workers at the new site coordinated their schedules to create and ‘polish’ the interior in time for this event. Room owner Janet Atwell not only pulled it all together in time (there was a ‘soft opening’ of the doors a week earlier for the general public), but did so after weeks and weeks of frustrating delays, discovered issues with the architecture, the everyday hassles of opening a new business and sustaining an ankle injury. She also competed in the event she was hosting, looking for an opportunity to sustain or improve on her #11 position on the WPBA Leaderboard.
Atwell joined April Larson in the streaming booth for the Fisher/Tkach final and in addition to insightful observations about shot-making choices and table situations, the girls got to chatting a bit, with April asking her early-on how she was feeling about the opening of her new pool room.
“I’m absolutely blown away,” Atwell told her, although, at the moment she was asked, she added “I’m wondering when I’m going to get some sleep.”
“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions,” she went on to say, noting that it took some perseverance to get to the point at which she owned the 130-year-old building and became the beneficiary of the good fortune that led to her being able to stay in the downtown Bristol area where she had launched the original Borderline Billiards 18 years ago. In addition to changing from tenant to property owner, the shift allowed Atwell to maintain the original name, because the new Borderline Billiards, as with the old Borderline Billiards, exists on the state line between Virginia and Tennessee.
“A lot of stars had to align to let me stay downtown,” she said. “I didn’t want to leave the downtown community.”
“There’s still a lot of things to do to get it where I want it,” she added. “You know, you have a budget, start out at a certain point and the ideas continue. I’ve added a lot more money, but it’s added more to the value, too.”
In noting enthusiastic responses from those in attendance (including Larson herself), Larson asked her if the reality of the new room was better than she’d imagined it would be.
“It is,” she replied. “It’s one thing to build a nice place, but when people react positively, it’s not just for me, but for the people who love pool and the community, too.”
Atwell went on to note that while she had not done as well as she might have hoped in competing for the first title in her new room, she felt good about the effort that she’d put in to it. It was an effort, she explained, that was aided by an unexpected difference.
“Haven’t hit a ball to speak of in three or four months,” she explained to Larson and a larger audience in the chat room of the stream. “I stayed down on my shots, ‘cause I didn’t have the energy to jump up.”
Atwell finished in the tie for 17th place, as 13-year-old Savannah Easton, finishing 4th, slipped ahead of her, eventually taking charge of the 10th spot on the Leaderboard. Easton defeated Atwell 8-4 in the second round of the event’s Stage 2, just ahead of sending Tzu-Chien Wei to the loss side 8-6 in a winners’ side quarterfinal. Two years ago, at the old Borderline Billiards, Easton had chalked up her best finish at a WPBA event (5th), until this past weekend, when her 4th place finish became the best.
The Borderline Brunswick Invitational began earlier in the week with a Stage 1, double-elimination bracket with 48 players. That number was reduced to 16; eight from the winners’ side of the bracket and eight from the loss side. Those 16 joined 32 seeded competitors in the final Stage 2.
Fisher’s path through the final field of 48 went through Tina Larsen 8-1, April Larson 8-3, and Kaylee McIntosh 8-3, to arrive at winners’ side semifinal against Pia Filler, who was one of the 16 who advanced from Stage 1. Kristina Tkach, in the meantime, got by Laura Smith (0) and Susan Williams (5), before meeting and defeating one of the event’s two youngest competitors, Sofia “Pink Dagger” Mast (3) and drawing the other, the aforementioned Savannah “Roadrunner” Easton in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Fisher and Tkach gave up two racks each to Filler and Easton and met for the first time in the hot seat match. Tkach claimed it 8-4 and waited to see who’d be coming back from the semifinals.
On the loss side, Filler drew Tzu-Chien Wei, who’d followed her winners’ side quarterfinal loss to the “Road Runner” with victories over Loree Jon Brown 8-6 and April Larson 8-4. The “Road Runner” picked up Kristina Zlateva, who’d followed her loss to “The Pink Dagger” with a four-pack of wins, three of which went double hill; versus Margarita Fefilova (DH), Kennedy Meyman (1), Kaylee McIntosh (DH), and Brittany Bryant (DH).
Easton stopped Zlateva’s run 8-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals. There’s no telling what could have happened, had Filler not defeated Tzu-Chien Wei 8-4 and advanced to join Easton in those quarterfinals. Pre-supposing that Tzu-Chien would have defeated Easton in what might have been their quarterfinal (by no means a “given”), it would have put the WPBA’s top two competitors face-to-face in the semifinals.
As it turned out, Filler downed Easton 8-1 in those quarterfinals to earn a rematch against Fisher. Filler did a little better in the rematch, but Fisher defeated her a second time (8-4) to earn her own rematch against Tkach.
It looked, right out of the gate, as if there were going to be no stopping Kelly Fisher in the final. She broke the first rack and dropped four balls. And then, shooting at the 8-ball, she overshot her ‘position’ with the cue ball and then, shooting at an oblique angle, failed to drop the 9-ball. Tkach did and followed by dropping three on her own break, and running to the 9-ball. She missed the relatively easy shot,giving Fisher the opportunity for a quick ‘payback.’ She took it and tied the score.
Winning off of each other’s break became something of a habit as the two of them fought back and forth to a 3-3 tie. Fisher broke and ran rack #7, starting a three-match run. Tkach fought back, winning three to tie it again at 6-6. Fisher took the lead back, off of a three-ball break and run, then took advantage of a scratch on Tkach’s break to go up by two and then, reached the hill, ahead by three at 9-6.
Tkach kept it interesting by pulling within two in rack #16. Fisher, though, a hard person to deny at this stage of a match, completed her trip to the winners’ circle with a final rack to claim the first Borderline Brunswick Invitational title.
For some, the very best, it’s an annual pilgrimage of sorts. For others, it’s an opportunity to truly showcase their arrival on the amateur pool scene. For all of them, the U.S. Amateur Championship is something unique that appeals to the most passionate player. Whether they come to cement a legacy, or just to test their skill against some of the best amateur players in North America, there is no denying that to experience the U.S. Amateur Championship is to experience something truly special. Pool tournaments come and go, but securing the title of U.S. Amateur Champion is something you carry with you forever, literally, when your name is forever added to the Trophy of Champions for generations to come.
That’s what drove more than 2,100 of North America’s top amateur players to try and qualify for the 26th Annual event. That’s what brought 128 men and 42 women to Stroker’s in Palm Harbor, Fla., in early November to compete in this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
Of course, there are worse places to be than the sun-soaked skies of the Tampa area, one of the premier vacation destinations in the world, at a time when most of the country is getting its first taste of winter.
Winners of each division also receive an all-expenses paid trip to a pro event next year courtesy of the APA.
And, of course, the championship trophy – a combination of marble and bronze that more closely resembles a piece of art than something won in a pool tournament.
Baker Wins Title in First Appearance
Over the first quarter-century of the U.S. Amateur Championship, the event, in many ways, came to be defined by a list of seasoned veterans, who, year after year, left their mark on the event. Certain names you came to expect to see on the qualifier list each year, names like Brisbon, Brodt and Parks. Now in its 26th year, a youth movement seems to have taken hold at the U.S. Amateur Championship, with a new crop of young amateur players looking to leave their mark on the event and the sport, much like their predecessors. It began in 2018, when a previously unknown 26-year-old from Peoria, Ill., named Abe Schaad took home the title. This year, it was another 24-year-old newcomer making his mark after being inspired by the defending champion.
Blake Baker of Las Vegas went undefeated in his first U.S. Amateur Championship appearance and secured his place in amateur pool history. Baker defeated 65-year-old Bobby Stovall of Cumming, Ga., 11-5 in the championship match.
Baker controlled the finale from the get-go, taking a 4-0 lead in the 9-Ball set before Stovall finally got on the board. The players traded wins the next two games, making it a 5-2 match. Baker would win five of the final six games in the 9-Ball set and held a commanding 10-3 lead as the players began the 8-Ball set with the newcomer on-the-hill needing one final game.
Stovall managed to stave off elimination in the first two games of the 8-Ball set, making the score 10-5, but Baker’s bid for the title would not be denied. In the 16th and final game, he pocketed the 8-ball and the win.
Baker will move on to compete in a 2020 pro event courtesy of APA, and more importantly, his name will be added to the Larry Hubbart Trophy.
Stovall finishes as the Runner-up, his highest finish in the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Defending champion Abe Schaad finished in 3rd, dropping matches to only Baker and Stovall in the process.
One hundred and twenty-eight players competed in this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
Larsen Wins Record Third Women’s U.S. Amateur Championship
Tina Larsen of Westwell, Ind., defeated Nathalie Jacob of Montreal, Quebec in a seesaw battle by a score of 9-7. The victory earned Larsen her third Women’s U.S. Amateur Championship victory, and her first since 2007. She surpassed Tammie Jones and Amy Chen, both two-time champions, for most Women’s U.S. Amateur Championship career titles.
Before securing her third title, Larsen had to go through a strong newcomer in Jacob, whose previous playing career consisted primarily of 9-Ball, with little experience playing 8-Ball. Despite her lack of proficiency in 8-Ball, Jacob gave Larsen all she could handle in the final.
Jacob got on the board first in the 9-Ball set, with Larsen taking the next two games and a 3-2 lead. Jacob took the next rack, before Larsen secured the next two, one by way of a 9-on-the snap. With Larsen leading 4-2, Jacob showed some fight, battling back to win the next two games and even the match at 4-4. Larsen regained the lead, before Jacob again evened things up at 5-5. Larsen took the final game of 9-Ball as the match moved to the 8-Ball set.
Larsen took the first game of the 8-Ball set and the players traded wins over the next three games. In the fifteenth game of the match, the ladies engaged in a showdown of defensive shots. It was here that Jacob’s lack of experience in 8-Ball hindered her, as Larsen won the safety battle and eventually the match, 9-7.
Jacob finished as the Runner-up, the highest finish ever for a Canadian in the Women’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
Forty-two ladies competed in this year’s Women’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
Larsen moves on to compete in a Pro Event in 2020, courtesy of APA.
Both championship matches can now be viewed for free the APA YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/apaleagues in addition to dozens of other matches that were lived streamed from this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship. Streaming for the U.S. Amateur Championship was sponsored by www.pooldawg.com.
The entry window for the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship is now open with the Preliminary Rounds scheduled across North America in mid-September.
The U.S. Amateur Championship is conducted by the APA, and is the only tournament produced by the APA open to both members and non-members. Preliminary qualifying rounds were held throughout the country in mid-September.
As Champions, both Baker and Larsen will return next year to defend their coveted titles.
The U.S. Amateur Championship is a double elimination tournament that offers the nation’s top amateur players the opportunity to showcase their skills through a combination of 8-Ball and 9-Ball matches, in the only APA event that does not use The Equalizer® handicap system.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, with leagues throughout the United States, Canada and Japan. Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9-Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces four major tournaments each year—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships, the APA Junior Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out more than $2 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, Pool Dawg and Valley-Dynamo.
The Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour kicked off their 2014 season with a field of thirty one players at Skip & Jan’s in Tempe, Az. The tournament drew players from as far away as New Mexico, California and Nevada. In the end, it was the players from Nevada that dominated the weekend.
Saturday saw it’s fair share of upsets and marquee match ups. Susan Wilbur dropped back-to-back matches to Marcy Thomas and Cathy Kelley to finish in a surprising 25th place. Sara Miller and Amanda Pulley were also victims of first round losses and found themselves on the left side of the board much sooner than they had hoped. Miller would score four left side wins on Saturday, but Pulley would fall to Tina Feliciano and finish in a disappointing 17th place.
Sunday play brought back eight players to fight it out for the tournament win.
Winner’s side matches saw Las Vegas’ Rebecca Wagner score a 7-0 win over Becky Onnembo. In the other winners side match, Bernie Store defeated Vegas’ Tina Larson 7-2. The hot-seat match saw Wagner grind out a 7-3 win over Store.
The one loss side saw Sara Miller send Tracie Hamman back to Tucson with a 7-5 scoreline, and Stacy Allsup eliminate Susan Williams 7-5. Miller and Allsup would continue their winning ways and defeat Tina Larson and Becky Onnembo in the next round.
The final four players would feature two of Arizona’s best along with two of Nevada’s best. Bernie Store would soon become the final hope for Arizona, after Stacy Allsup’s 7-1 win over Sara Miller. Bernie would avenge that loss for Arizona though, with a 7-5 win over Allsup to earn a rematch with Wagner in the finals.
The extended final match saw Wagner come out of the gate strong and take a quick 3-0 lead. Store would stop the bleeding at 3-1, but Wagner continued to cruise and soon held a 7-1 lead. Store is not one to just give up though, and she fought back with three wins to get back within three games at 7-4, before Wagner won the final two games for the 9-4 win and first place.
The second chance tournament on Sunday saw Las Vegas’ Katy Moore complete the Vegas sweep with a win over Donna Taylor in the finals.
Main event winner Rebecca Wagner commented after the event, “Las Vegas came as a team and represented well. We had a blast. Our goal was to have lots of fun and for one of us to win. So, mission accomplished!”
AWBT Staff send their thanks to all of the ladies who travelled from out of town to make this a great event.
They also sent thanks to Natalie Poyner and the staff at Skip & Jan’s for hosting the event and adding $300 to the main event and $50 to the second chance tournament.
Thanks to Jose Gonzales of Las Glorias Grille for adding $100, and the friends of the AWBT for adding another $100.
Thanks for Kristie and Scott for running another great tournament.
