Allison Fisher Scores in San Diego

WPBA San Diego Classic / Alpine, CA
by InsidePOOL Staff
Allison “The Duchess of Doom” Fisher has triumphed at the Women’s Professional billiards Association (WPBA) San Diego Classic, winning 7-4 over Austria’s Gerda Hofstatter in the finals to cap off a four-day run of excellent play. This event was hosted by the Viejas Casino in Alpine, CA, and began Thursday, April 9.
Having come through undefeated to the semis by virtue of wins over daunting opponents such as Jennifer Barretta, Vivian Villareal, and Helena Thornfeldt, Fisher was primed for her semifinal match against Karen “The Irish Invader” Corr. In the shortened race to 7, Corr was the one to take an early two-rack lead, which she kept until the fifth game when she missed a 4-9 combo. Gaining momentum with every ball she sank, Fisher climbed back until the score stood at 4 apiece. She then took the next two games as well to reach the hill. Fisher, however, missed a key 5-9 combo in the next rack for the win, and Corr fought back to make it a double-hill nail-biter. The last rack was a real killer: Fisher broke and ran out to the 5 ball but locked her cue ball up on the 6. She tried to play safe, and Corr reversed it on her, playing the 6 and the cue to opposite end rails. Fisher went for the uncompromising shot and attempted the long bank but missed; however, Corr was unable to capitalize, missing a straightforward shot on the 8 ball in order to get position on the 9 ball, and Fisher finished the match off with a 7-6 win.
In the second semifinal match, Hofstatter and former Player of the Year Ga Young Kim matched up for the right to meet Fisher in the finals. Kim took command from early on, but her aggressive play caused some unexpected errors that Hofstatter benefited from to make the score 6-4 Kim. Two more key missed by Kim brought the score to hill-hill with Kim breaking in the final rack. She made the 1 ball on her last break but opted to play a bank on the 3 ball, having missed position off the 2. Kim missed, and Hofstatter calmly picked her way through the final six balls for a 7-6 victory.
Having made their way to the ESPN-televised final match, Fisher and Hofstatter squared off to fight for first place. It was a great match, but in the end, Fisher walked away the 7-4 winner, taking home yet another first-place trophy to add to her collection.
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Final Four Return Sunday in San Diego
WPBA San Diego Classic / Alpine, CA
by InsidePOOL Staff
The Women’s Professional billiards Association (WPBA) San Diego Classic field has narrowed down to its final four returning Sunday for the semifinal matches. In the first semifinal, top-ranked Allison Fisher will meet Karen “The Irish Invader” Corr, while in the second semifinal, Gerda Hofstatter will play Ga Young Kim.
Hofstatter, who hails originally from Austria, suffered a 9-7 loss to Kim after two solid wins in the first two rounds. Once on the one-loss side, she faced down Laura Smith 9-4 to reach the final 16 draw. From there she soundly defeated Monica Webb 9-3 and then ousted three-time defending champion Kelly Fisher 9-7 to advance to the semifinals and a rematch with Kim.
Kim has had an undefeated run through the event as yet, dealing losses to Michelle Rakin 9-5 and then Belinda Calhoun before her match with Hofstatter. From there she went on to defeat former ACUI champion Eleanor Callado 9-6 and then Sarah Ellerby 9-7 to reach the semifinals.
Both Corr and Fisher have also experienced no defeats as yet, and one will advance to play in the final match Sunday. Fisher virtually walked over the field on her way to the semifinals, advancing with wins over Melissa Morris 9-1, Jennifer Barretta 9-1, Vivian Villareal 9-4, and Cathy Metzinger 9-2 before meeting her biggest challenge of the event so far in Helena “The Sledgehammer” Thornfeldt, whom she eliminated 9-7.
Corr also enjoyed an equally unchallenged run to the semifinals. She started off by defeating Candi Rego 9-1, Laura Smith 9-2, and then Caroline Pao 9-4 before reaching the final 16. There she eliminated Villareal 9-4 and went on to oust Anna Kostanian 9-3.
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool. (/)

Kostanian Deals Fisher First Loss
WPBA San Diego Classic / Alpine, CA
by InsidePOOL Staff
If reigning Women’s Professional billiards Association (WPBA) San Diego Classic champion Kelly Fisher is going to defend her title for her fourth consecutive win, she will have to do it by coming through the west side of the chart. Late Friday evening at host site Viejas Casino, Fisher suffered a 9-7 loss to Anna Kostanian of New Mexico. To redeem herself and make it to the final 16-player elimination round, Fisher will first have to make it past Dawn Hopkins.
Lopsided scores accompanied the last round of winners’-bracket matches. Allison Fisher continues to do well, having won her match against Vivian “The Texas Tornado” Villareal 9-4. California girl Melissa Herndon dealt former ACUI champ Eleanor Callado a 9-3 defeat, Karen Corr bested Caroline Pao 9-3, and Xiaoting Pan also won her match 9-3 against Kim White.
Farther down on the bracket, Monica Webb defeated Jennifer Chen 9-2, Sarah Ellerby won over Julie Kelly 9-6, and Ga Young Kim sent Gerda “G-Force” Hofstatter to the one-loss side 9-7.
The winners’-side bracket has winnowed down to its final 8, while the one-loss side there remains at least one round to go before the final 16 draw.
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool. (/)

Fisher Goes Fishing for a Four-Peat
WPBA San Diego Classic / Alpine, CA
by InsidePOOL Staff
Sunny San Diego is hosting the latest stop on the Women’s Professional billiard Tour, beginning Thursday, April 10 and crowning a winner Sunday, April 13. The San Diego Classic is being hosted by the beautiful Viejas Casino in Alpine, CA, and has a full 64-player field.
Reigning champ at Viejas, Kelly Fisher, will be attempting a four-peat at this event, and so far, so good. Her first match against Gail Grecar she won easily 9-2, but in the second round, she was faced with the formidable Jasmin Ouschan of Austria, who won the 2006 EnjoyPool.com Championships. Though this was a tougher match for Fisher, she came through with flying colors, winning 9-7. Her next match will be against Anna Kostanian.
A pair of 9-1 wins has seen top seed Allison Fisher through the opening two rounds, the first over Melissa Morris and the second over Jennifer Barretta. Fisher will next meet Vivian Villareal, who survived a double-hill thriller against Ewa Laurance in the second round to advance.
Other top-ranked players remain untouched as yet. Ranked fourth on the tour, Karen Corr remains undefeated as well, dispatching of Candi Rego 9-1 and then Laura Smith 9-2. Xiaoting Pan, now ranked third, bested Heather Lloyd 9-5 and then went on to send Val Finnie to the west side of the chart with a 9-1 win.
Southern California local Melissa Herndon is doing well, having defeated first Stacy Hurst 9-0 and then Tiffany Nelson 9-5. Her next match will be against Eleanor Callado, who won the ACUI National Championships three years running. Callado has already had a good event, with a first-round win over Tracie Hines 9-6 and a second-round win over Helena Thornfeldt that went hill-hill.
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

BCA to Send Five Players to 2008 WPA Women’s 9 ball Championships
The BCA along with the WPBA is proud to announce that Jeanette Lee, Kim White, Anna Kostanian, Belinda Calhoun and Liz Ford will be representing the United States in the World pool Associations’ Women’s 9 ball Championships in Taipei, Taiwan on April 1st – 7th, 2008.
Jeanette Lee, holder of many titles including the 2001 World Games Gold Medal, is the one of the wily veterans of the group, having represented the U.S. in the World Championships numerous times already. She considers her efforts to introduce newcomers to the sport through ESPN and other media outlets as one of her greatest accomplishments in the sport of billiards. Jeanette is looking forward to reconnecting with the fans in Taipei that she hasn’t seen in years, “They really love pool and you can feel their excitement”.
Belinda Calhoun is another veteran of the WPBA Tour and a former World Straight pool Champion. Her previous World pool Championships experience combined with diligent preparation and professionalism make her an ideal player to represent the United States. Belinda would most like to see the view from atop the 1st place podium at the event! Outside of the sport, she focuses on charity work with organizations such as the Feed the Children Foundation.
Kim White is returning to the World Championships due to her outstanding performance in last year’s event, having finished in 5th place. Kim, a former WPBA Board President, was born, raised and still resides in Houston, TX. She feels being a consistent top 16 contender on the WPBA Tour important to her success. Kim turned pro in 2002, and her advice to others is “always do what you are afraid to do”.
Anna Kostanian is the youngest of the U.S. Competitors at age 20. Nicknamed the Piranha, this will be Anna’s first foray into International competition. She lives in New Mexico and turned pro in 2006. “I have been playing for almost 10 years and still have so much to learn about strategy, angles and power. The game is really won or lost in the details.”
Liz Ford, another first timer to the World Championships, lives with her husband in New York. She’s also an accomplished figure skater. Liz’s philosophy of pool carries into day-to-day life, “pool’s ups and downs are a lot easier to take if your primary goal is enjoying the game.”
Many thanks are owed to the billiard Congress of America for their continued support of Women’s billiards in North America. The WPBA Board, WPBA Membership and all players across America wish our competitors the best of luck!