Close Friends and Countrymen Collide

Eight unbeaten remain in each EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championship events

By Paul Berg, Inside pool Magazine Staff
It’s getting crowded on the one-loss side of both professional brackets at the EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championships. With some strong victories, eight men and women remain unbeaten in each invited 64-player field, and for the ladies, close friendships will have to be set aside for the fourth round of undefeated action tomorrow.
Helena Thornfeldt and Monica Webb are not only two of the most feared players on the WPBA tour, they are practice partners and close friends where they reside in Atlanta. They will face off tomorrow evening, Thornfeldt on the strength of a 9-6 win over the sensational Ga Young Kim. Kim was nearly beaten last night, as Sarah Rousey had her chance to win their hill-hill contest. The Swedish “Sledgehammer” led the match wire to wire, and Kim was thwarted in her comeback efforts, first by a slow-rolled 8ball in the side that softly rattled and hung impossibly with a chance to tie the match at 6-all, and then by a tough call from tournament director Steve Tipton. Down 7-6, Kim was again shooting the 8ball, which was tied-up with the 9ball, and Tipton called the pocketed shot a foul, to the disbelief of Kim and many spectators. Thornfeldt didn’t hesitate to capitalize and close the door.
Webb had much less tension in her match, a 9-1 sprint past Amanda Lampert. In their half of the draw, Alison Fisher and Gerda Hofstatter are the other remaining pair, both coming off of impressive victories. “The Duchess of Doom” bested Melissa Herndon 9-3, while her friend “The G-Force” upended Jeannette Lee 9-5. The other match-ups for the fourth round are scintillating, as Xiaoting Pan will play Jasmine Ouschan, while Karen Corr tangles with Miyuki Sakai.
In the fourth round of the men’s event, all eyes will be on Francisco Bustamante facing countryman Dennis Orcollo. Bustamante was able to hold off Santos Sambajon Jr. 11-9, keyed by a streak of four winning racks to grab a 9-7 lead. Orcollo survived Niels Feijen by sheer will, as “The Terminator” made the most of his every break with relentless run-out play. In the end, Orcollo won a lengthy defensive struggle for the 1ball in the case game, Feijen scratching and sealing his fate 11-10.
Mika Immonen is one player entering the fourth round with a head of steam, having blown past Earl Strickland 11-4. He’ll face Jose Parica, who kept up his flawless track record against Fabio Petroni. Barely. In an 11-10 defeat, Petroni came as close as he could come to his first win over the legendary “Amang,” faltering on a 2ball safety and leaving Parica just enough room to pocket it rail-first and clear for the escape. For Parica, hill-hill is becoming a norm, having toppled Corey Deuel in that fashion last night.
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Mike Davis and Ronnie Wiseman also have some double-hill thriller experience in their immediate rear view, Davis edging Raj Hundal and Wiseman slipping by Thomas Engert. Those narrow third round victories should make for some steely nerves when the young gun tries the vet tomorrow night. Next to them on the chart are Shane Van Boening, an 11-9 winner over 17 year-old phenom John Morra, and Satoshi Kawabata, who turned a large early lead and his powerful break into an 11-8 win against cagey Warren Kiamco.
If the names of the sixteen unbeaten players aren’t enough to prove that the EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championship is the same major event in our sport its antecedent the BCA Open was, nearly everyone else at the top of the game can be found on the one-loss side. Stay tuned to insidepoolmag.com for continued coverage from the swirling pool paradise occupying the Riviera in Las Vegas, as they duke it out in the desert through Saturday.

Contenders Emerge in Second Day of EnjoyPool.com Play

Top male and female pros steer through second round
By Paul Berg, Inside pool Magazine Staff
As stifling and certain as the desert heat of Las Vegas, the power of the Philippines in men’s 9-ball is on display at the EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championships. With a tactical 11-6 victory over countryman Marlon Manalo, Francisco Bustamante advanced to the third round of undefeated play tomorrow, where he will meet Santos Sambajon Jr., who is fresh off an 11-5 thumping of defending champion Ralf Souquet. While his Mosconi Cup teammate Marcus Chamat showed tenacity, the Swede was felled 11-7 by Dennis Orcollo, leaving the only non-Pinoy victory during their scheduled match time to Niels Feijen. His 11-3 demolition of Tony Crosby certainly showed Feijen to be ready for the Filipino-loaded quarter of the draw that remains in his path.
The last of the second round is in progress currently, with marquee match-ups including Corey Deuel against Jose Parica, Fabio Petroni facing Charlie Bryant, Mika Immonen taking on Paul Potier, and Florida competitors Earl Strickland and Robb Saez. In earlier second-round play, Ronnie Wiseman edged past Rodney Morris 11-10 and will move on to play Thomas Engert.
Also in the daytime session of the second round, Raj Hundal undid Larry Nevel’s fine first-round work of besting Johnny Archer, the English potter topping “The Truth” by an 11-8 score and moving on to face Mike Davis. While Warren Kiamco is the only Filipino lurking in the lower half of the winners’ bracket, more attention will likely be paid to a slated contest between young John Morra and Shane Van Boening. Morra has topped 2004 BCA Open champion Tony Robles 11-8 and 2004 U.S. Open champion Gabe Owen 11-10, while Van Boening toppled Charlie Williams double-hill in his second-round outing.
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While the women’s event also features 64 of the finest players in the world, there seems to be less early collisions amongst the favorites. In this evening’s latest action, Jeanette Lee and Gerda Hofstatter cruised through their matches to set up a highly anticipated match between the two great champions. Vivian Villarreal has suffered the only significant upset thus far in the women’s draw at the hands of capable Miyuki Sakai. Both of Sakai’s matches have been 9-8 thrillers, her first over back room phenomenon Rachael Abbink.
In the remaining second-round action of the night for the women, Melissa Little and Monica Webb will square off, and in another great match, Sarah Rousey will try to topple Ga-Young Kim. Some interesting pairings have already been made for the third round beyond the Lee/Hofstatter tilt, including recent WPBA Great Lakes Classic winner Xiaoting Pan against petite and lethal Jennifer Chen, and Karen Corr facing Tiffany Nelson. Stay tuned to www.insidepoolmag.com for updates from the EnjoyPool.com Championships in Las Vegas all week long.

Upsets and Hill-Hill Matches Begin EnjoyPool.com Championships

by Inside pool Staff
The billiard Congress of America’s EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championship event began May 13 with a full field of 64 in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The Riviera Hotel and Casino is hosting the event again, while the BCA pool League’s Nationals are held concurrently.
So far, in the first day of play there have been several surprises, blow-outs, and hill-hill matches. Runner-up in both 2006 and 2005, Johnny Archer suffered a first-round loss to Wisconsin’s Larry “The Truth” Nevel 11-6. Thirteen-year-old Austin Murphy took Sweden’s Marcus Chamat almost hill-hill but succumbed 11-9.
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The other European players are thriving so far: Niels Feijen defeated Florida’s Richard Broumpton 11-3, while Mika Immonen won over Ernesto Dominguez 11-6. The UK’s Raj Hundal defeated Dave Hemmah in a double-hill match, and Luc Salvas dealt Shawn Putnam his first loss 11-10.
In a lengthy double-hill match, Darren Appleton of the UK sent Steve Moore to the west side. Moore came back from an 8-4 deficit to knot the score and then won the next game. When the score reached 10-all, Moore scratched on the break, and Appleton ran out cleanly for the win.
There were few upsets in the women’s division so far. Defending champion Jasmine Ouschan won her match over Vicki Paski 9-0 in record time. Ga-Young Kim whizzed through Morgan Steinman 9-1, and Gerda Hofstatter dealt My-Hahn Lac a 9-1 loss. Jeanette Lee looked good in her match with Angelina Paglia, winning 9-3, and Jennifer Barretta defeated Julie Melman 9-4.
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Diamond billiard Products Obtains table Rights for Enjoypool.com 9-ball Championships

Diamond billiard Products is pleased to announce that they have acquired the rights as the official table of the BCA’s 2007 Enjoypool.com 9-ball Championships at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, May 13-19. The event, to be taped for broadcast on ESPN, allows Diamond world-wide exposure for, arguably, the greatest pool table ever made.
Diamond’s mission is to standardize equipment to professional specifications as determined by professional players. VP, Chad Scharlow, looks forward to the feedback as, For the first time, both men and women’s professional organizations will compete simultaneously on the the crown jewel of tournament play, The Diamond Pro-Am.
Diamond sees this year’s Enjoypool.com 9-ball Championships, held in conjunction with BCA National 8-ball championships, as a monumental occasion. For the first time in billiard history, the professional player and the league player will play under the same conditions. Same pocket openings, slate thickness, cloth speed and color, balls– including the same weight, non-magnetic cue ball. The only difference is the 9 foot versus 7 foot playing surface. All BCA pool League members competing in the Grand Ballroom, on each of the 102 seven foot Diamond Smart Tables with 4-1/2 Pro Cut pockets, are competing under professional conditions. When they watch the Pro’s competing in the Enjoypool.com 9-ball Championships on ESPN, they can take pride knowing that Diamond, and the BCA pool League, care about their sport, and treat their amateur players with the same respect as they do the Pro’s.
Diamond is no stranger to professional events. Since 1999 they have they have developed their tables through input from the greatest pool tournament on earth; The Diamond Derby City Classic. Ten days of 500 players jousting with Bank pool, One Pocket, Straight pool, and 9-ball will certainly put any table to the test.
The U.S. Open 9-ball Championship has Diamond as it’s official table.
The BCA pool League hosts its National 8-ball Championships on the 7 foot Diamond Smart table. The Smart table is coin operated and, through laser technology sensors, allows Red Circle cue ball return after a scratch. Now league players don’t have to use the oversized cue ball.

The U.S. Open Bar table Championships puts the Diamond 7 footers to the test.
Qlympics: Three Weeks of pool Bliss upcoming in November, will host both professional and BCA pool League events on Diamond 7 and 9 foot Smart Tables.
Both Diamond’s 7 and 9 foot tables have the 4-1/2 Pro Cut pockets, again, to standardize equipment, and bridge the gap between amateur and professional players.
The Enjoypool.com 9-ball Championships and The BCA pool League National 8-ball Championships have 281 Diamond tables under one roof at the same time: All draped in Simonis 860 Tour Blue cloth and adorned with Super Aramith Pro Balls. Now that’s a sight to behold. Come to the Riviera and see for yourself.