Dave Shlemperis, a veteran on both the Predator and Tri-State Tours, went undefeated through a field of 46, on-hand for the May 2 stop on the Tri-State Tour. The $1,800-added event was hosted by Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.

 

Shlemperis' trip to the winners' circle went through Luis Jimenez, Keith Diaz, and Philip Pearce before arriving among the winners' side final four and a matchup against Kapriel Delimelkonoglu. Alex Osipov, in the meantime, squared off against Terrence Bryant. Shlemperis, #10 on the Tri-State's current list of B-ranked players shut out Delimelkonoglu (#5 on the B+ list), and in the hot seat match faced Osipov. Shlemperis defeated Osipov (#4 on the B+ list) 7-4 and waited in the hot seat for his return.

 

On the loss side, Bryant met up with Chumreon Sutcharitakul, who was in the midst of a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that included wins #4 and #5 over Philip Pearce 7-1 and Chris Kelly 7-4. Delimelkonoglu drew Kirill Safronov, who'd eliminated Amy Yu 7-3 and Jaydev Zaveri 7-6. Sutcharitakul and Safronov handed Bryant and Delimelkonoglu their second straight losses; Sutcharitakul 9-5 over Bryant and Safronov 7-2 over Delimelkonoglu.

 

Sutcharitakul and Safronov locked up in a double hill quarterfinals that eventually sent Sutcharitakul to a semifinal match against Osipov. Osipov ended Sutcharitakul's loss-side run 7-4 to earn himself a second shot against Shlemperis.

 

It was a finals match with some history behind it. Two years ago in July, on the Predator Tour, Shlemperis had been defeated by Osipov in a winners' side semifinal and came back to defeat him in the semifinals (and Trevor Heal in the finals). Shlemperis was taking no chances with this one. He opened the finals with five straight racks, before Osipov got on the board with two. Shlemperis took the eighth rack and was on the hill when Osipov came back with two more. Shlemperis closed it out in the 11th rack to claim the event title.

 

Tour representatives thanked Kevin and Isabel Buckley and the Gotham City Billiards staff for their continuing support of the tour, along with sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Focus Cases by John Barton, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics , and Focus Apparel. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, will be hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.

Michael Farley took two out of three matches over Ed Sumner, coming back from the semifinals to defeat him twice in a true double elimination final during a May 31-June 1 weekend stop on the Tri-State Tour. The $3,000-added event drew 64 entrants to Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.

 

Farley's path to the winners' circle went through Alberto Sanchez, Erick Carrasco, Ed Lalmiu and 14-year-old Sam Hoffman, before coming up against Vagif Laekberov in a winners' side semifinal. Sumner, in the meantime, faced Trevor Heal in the other. Farley sent Alekberov to the losers' bracket 6-4, as Sumner defeated Heal 7-4. Sumner took the first of his three versus Farley 7-2 and sat in the hot seat awaiting his return.

 

Over on the loss side, following his defeat against Farley, Hoffman began his trip back to the semifinals with a shutout over Mike Harrington, and gave up only a single rack to Andrzej Kaldan, which set him up to face Alekberov. Heal drew Lidio Ramirez, who'd defeated Ricardo Mejia 7-5 and the other teenager in the mix, Thomas Rice, 7-3. Hoffman chalked up a second shutout,  this time, 6-0 over Alekberov, as Ramirez downed Heal 7-2.

 

Hoffman took the quarterfinal match over Ramirez 8-6. Farley, though, put a stop to Hoffman's four-match, 28-7, loss-side winning streak with a 7-5 win that earned him a second shot at Sumner in the hot seat.

 

Farley and Sumner traded racks to 3-3 in the opening set, before Farley edged out to a 5-3 lead. Sumner chalked up rack #9, but Farley took the next two to win the opening set 7-4. In the second set, Farley was on the hill 6-0 before Sumner recorded a game victory. Sumner took three in a row at that point, but it was too little, too late, as Farley completed his quest for a first Tri-State title with a 7th and final rack.

 

A $500-added second chance event saw Dave Shlemperis collect at $440 first-place prize.

 

Tour representatives thanked Kevin and Isabel Buckley, owners of Gotham City Billiards, for their continuing support, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod, Heptig Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. The next Tri-State event, scheduled for June 7, will be hosted by Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.

Dave Shlemperis came back from a defeat among the winners' side final four to meet and defeat hot seat occupant, Trevor Heal in the finals of the Predator Tour's Amateur event on the weekend of July 13-14. The $500-added Amateur event, stop # 9 on the tour, drew 64 entrants to Amsterdam Billiards in Manhattan. 

 

Shlemperis was sent to the loss side by Alex Osipov 7-3, while Heal was busy surviving a double hill battle versus Romeo Singh. Heal then won a second straight, double hill battle that sent Osipov to the semifinals, and left Heal in the hot seat.

 

On the loss side, Shlemperis picked up Rhys Chen, who'd gotten by Tony Cosenza 7-2 and Gary O'Callaghan, double hill, to reach him. Singh drew Jimmy Acosta, who'd defeated Raphael Dabreo 7-4 and Carl Yusuf Khan 7-5. Shlemperis got right back to work, defeating Chen, double hill, as Acosta was handing Singh his second straight loss 7-4.

 

Shlemperis then downed Acosta in the quarterfinals 7-4, and went on to take down Osipov in the semifinals 7-2. Shlemperis, who's sponsored by Focused Apparel and RJH Custom Cues, reached seven racks first, extending the race to nine games, and closed it out, ahead by six, 9-3 to claim the amateur event title.

 

Alan Chan came within a single match and, in fact, a single game of going undefeated to claim his first victory in a Tri-State event. Moved to the semifinals by Carl Yusuf Khan, Chan returned to defeat him in the finals and claim that title. The $1,000-added event drew 40 entrants to Carom Cafe and Billiards in Flushing, NY. 

Following victories over Ron Mason, Rick Shellhouse, Vincent Loretta and Chad Smith, Chan moved into the winners’ side semifinals to meet Luis Jimenez. Joining them were Khan and Arturo Reyes. Khan, in his first of two, double hill wins, defeated Reyes, as Chan sent Jimenez west 6-5. Khan handed Chan what would be his only loss on the day in the double hill victory that left Khan in the hot seat.

Reyes moved over to face Brian Jeziorski, who’d gotten by Trevor Heal 7-4 and Raul Reyes 7-3 to reach him. Jimenez drew Ramon Feliciano, who’d shut out Chad Smith and defeated Keith Diaz 6-4. Reyes got sent home by a double hill Jeziorski victory, while Jimenez prevailed 6-3 against Feliciano. 

Jeziorski moved on to win the quarterfinal match 7-4 over Jimenez, but had his loss-side streak snapped by a 7-5 Chan victory in the semifinals. Chan took full advantage of his second chance at Khan, opening up a quick 3-0 lead, that after a single Khan victory became 7-1. Khan cut the lead to four games at the 7-3 mark, but Chan finished up with two in a row that gave him the 9-3 victory and event title.

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff of Carom Cafe and Billiards, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. Next stop on the Tri-State Tour is a $500-added, A-D handicapped event scheduled for April 7 at Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ.

Trevor Heal started strong and finished that way, as well, to take top honors in the Tri-State stop on Saturday, March 24. He opened his 6-1 campaign with a shutout, and finished by returning from the semifinals to take down hot seat occupant, Bryan Jeziorsky. The $750-added, B-D handicapped event drew 30 entrants to Port Richmond Billiards on Staten Island.

Following his opening round shutout over Ed Culhane, Heal moved on to defeat Inna Bediner and Rajesh Vannala, which moved him among the winners’ side final four to face Gary Murgia.

Jeziorsky, in the meantime, squared off against Chris Luethi. Heal and Jeziorsky got their first shot at each other, once Heal had defeated Murgia 7-1, and Jeziorsky had sent Luethi west 7-4. Jeziorsky got into the hot seat with a 7-5 victory over Heal, that would prove to be his last.

Murgia moved over to meet David Danchak, in the midst of a run that was propelling him to the quarterfinals. He’d gotten by Richard Anderson 6-3 and Mike Zimmy double hill. Luethi drew Bill Suden, who’d been sent west by Murgia and was on a four-match run that would set him up to face Heal in the semifinals. He’d gotten by Culhane 7-4 and Vannala 7-3 to pick up Luethi.

Danchak downed Murgia 8-2, as Suden was benefiting from a forfeit by Luethi. Suden won the quarterfinal match versus Danchak that followed, double hill and turned to face Heal. Heal won his only loss-side match 7-4 for a second crack at Jeziorsky. 

After trading racks through the opening two games of the extended race-to-9 finals, Heal pulled out to a 4-1 lead. They traded racks to 5-2, and Jeziorsky won two in a row, to pull within one. They proved to be his last, as Heal went on a four-game run that first, when he reached seven games, forced the extension to nine games, and then, two racks later, earned him first prize.

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Port Richmond Billiards, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. Next stop on the Tri-State Tour is a $1000-added, A-D handicapped event, scheduled for April 1, at Carom Cafe and Billiards in Flushing, NY.