Jason Egeln Goes Undefeated at the Gotham City Billiards Tri-State Stop

Gotham City Billiards was host to the Tri-State Tour last Saturday, August 28.  A field of 25 players came out to compete in this $750-added C/D event… where one player would go through the field undefeated to cash in on a $500 first prize.

Going through to the final four on the winner’s side of the bracket, Ken DeCuire defeated Andrew Cleary by a score of 7-3, while Jason Egeln knocked Ryan McCarthy to the one loss side, 7-4.  In the following round, Jason would take another win against Ken DeCuire by the same score, 7-4, to guarantee him a spot in the finals.

Meanwhile, there was one player who stood out on the one-loss side, who would be Nicholas Chan.  After an early winner’s side loss, Nicholas would go on to finish the event with a 7-2 record. Nicholas defeated John Egeln in the quarterfinal 6-2, before being eliminated in the semifinal by Ken DeCuire with the same score.

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TAR 19: Immonen vs Van Boening Set to Rumble at Amsterdam Billiards

By NYC Grind Editor, Alison M. Fischer

In the past decade, two young stars in pool have risen to domination on both national and international levels.  They currently hold the #3 and #4 positions on the 2010 BCA rankings list, and both hold US Open titles and multiple world titles… making them two of the most well-known and widely-followed players in the world.

Now, The Action Report is pitting “The Iceman” Mika Immonen against “The South Dakota Kid” Shane Van Boening in a three-day battle royale at Amsterdam Billiards–the first-ever TAR match to be held in NYC.  This epic race to 100 games in 10-ball is set to be held on October 12-14,  the weekend before the US Open 9-ball Championships, where Immonen will defend his title.  The stakes are high, with a $10,000 entry and the winner takes all.

Although these two top players have had many close battles over the past few years, Immonen has taken an edge over Van Boening at their most recent match-ups, including the Turning Stone Classic and the Poison DP Pro Classic.  However, Van Boening has taken on numerous TAR Challenge Matches and toppled opponents including his legendary matches against Alex Pagulayan as well as Corey Deuel and Earl Strickland, to name a few… and Immonen vs Van Boening is one that pool fans won’t want to miss.

Read more about this clash of the titans at www.TheActionReport.com and read on to check out the full-sized flyer…

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Xiao-Fang Fu Wins over Allison Fisher for World 9-Ball Championship

All photo courtesy by www.top147.com & Tai Chengzhe

In the most prestigious major event in international women’s pool, star players came from all corners to compete for the title of 2010 World 9-ball Champion.  And this event would see a new face rise to the top–China’s Xiao-Fang Fu.  Read the full story by By Sally Lee…

Shanghai, China – A new name in the billiards world will stand out as China’s Xiao-Fang Fu has been crowned the 2010 Women’s World 10-Ball Championship. Fu toppled a star-studded field and overcame legendary Allison Fisher in the finals to become the second consecutive Chinese woman to win the World 9-Ball.

Fu made it through the beginning stage of the event making the top half cut to reach the round of 32 players. She made relatively short work of Hui Shan Lai 9-3, Ho Yun Tan 9-2, and a tough quarter finals match with former Amway Cup winner Chieh-Yu Chouh of Taiwan 9-7. In the semi-finals, she faced her friend and defending World 9-Ball Champ Sha Sha Liu of China, whom she defeated 9-6 to reach the finals.

Fu has been a rising star in China, but has not been able to translate that success in international competition. This event marks a turning point in the road for her life. On the other side of the bracket another player facing her fork in the road was Allison Fisher. Fisher almost didn’t make it to the World Championship when news of her brother’s death reached her hours before her flight.  Her father had passed a few years earlier, and both had been major influences on her life and career.

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Four World-Class Pro Pool Players Entertain Billiards Fans in Union Square in an Exhibition at ABC!

Bringing a one-of-a-kind opportunity to pool fans in the New York area, on August 23, Tony Robles, Mika Immonen, Charlie Williams, and Rodney Morris came together at Amsterdam Billiard Club to put on a unique exhibition. The pros both teamed up with amateur challengers, as well as went head-to-head in a New York vs Florida challenge with Tony & Mika taking on Rodney & Charlie.

Justin Markus and Mika Immonen went through the “Play with the Pro” doubles portion of the event undefeated! Justin and Mika won their first two matches 2-0 in impressive fashion. Then the reigning back-to-back US Open 9-ball Champion and Amsterdam league player defeated Gaby Prince and Tony Robles 2-1 to win a Poison Cue.

A highlight for the evening was the NY vs. FL Pro Pool Doubles match. The 2 on 2 duel matched up Tony Robles & Mika Immonen against Rodney Morris & Charlie Williams.

Continue reading “Four World-Class Pro Pool Players Entertain Billiards Fans in Union Square in an Exhibition at ABC!” »

Update on Day 2 of the NYC 9-ball Championships with Continued Live Streaming

An update on the action from the NYC 9-ball Championships at Skyline Billiards…

12 players had returned this morning to continue on in the tournament.

The Winner’s Side Final 4:

Tony Robles defeated Josh Brothers (9-3)

Stevie Moore defeated Mike Dechaine (9-3)

The One-Loss Side Final 8:

Brett Stottlemyer defeated Ronnie Wiseman (9-2)

Barry Banks defeated Jeremy Sossei (9-7)

Mike Davis defeated “Spain” Marc Vidal (9-2)

“Ginky” George Sansouci defeated Jorge Rodriguez (9-8)

Starting at 2:15 EST on PoolActionTV.com is Mike Davis vs Barry Banks…

The NYC 9-ball Championships In Full Swing at Skyline Billiards with a Free Live Stream on PoolActionTV.com

The NYC 9-Ball Championships began today (August 28th, 2010) at 1pm. Ray Hansen aka “Big Truck” from PoolActiontv.com is streaming the event.

Former winners, of the 5th Annual NYC 9-ball Championships are Stevie Moore (’09), Francisco Bustamante (’08), Niels Feijen (’07) and Euvgeny Stalev (’06).

This year’s $3,000-added event will be streamed live all weekend on the web by PoolActionTV.com, also known as “The BigTruck Show“.

PoolActionTV.com hosts live streams with knowledgeable commentating at pool events all across the country, giving fans a chance to see great action from the comfort of their personal computers.

Along with the NYC 9-ball Championships, PoolActionTV.com will also be producing live streams of other upcoming NY-area events including the Empire State Championships and theViking Cue – Olhausen Billiards Tour Stop in Long Island.

Check out the top-class pool in the below video!

The NYC 9-ball Championships Kicks Off Tomorrow from Skyline Billiards with a Free Live Stream on PoolActionTV.com

Touting some of the biggest names in pool as former winners, the 5th Annual NYC 9-ball Championships will be kicking off tomorrow, Saturday, August 28 and running through Sunday, August 29.  Held each year at Skyline Billiards in Brooklyn, the event’s past champions are Stevie Moore (’09), Francisco Bustamante (’08), Niels Feijen (’07) and Euvgeny Stalev (’06).

This year’s $3,000-added event will be a special treat for both pool fans in NYC and around the world, as feature matches will be streamed live on the web by PoolActionTV.com, also known as “The BigTruck Show“, hosted by Ray Hansen.  PoolActionTV.com hosts live streams with knowledgeable commentating at pool events all across the country, giving fans a chance to see great action from the comfort of their personal computers.

Along with the NYC 9-ball Championships, PoolActionTV.com will also be producing live streams of other upcoming NY-area events including the Empire State Championships and the Viking Cue – Olhausen Billiards Tour Stop in Long Island.

Check out the top-class pool action at Skyline Billiards this weekend… in person or on the web!

Continue reading “The NYC 9-ball Championships Kicks Off Tomorrow from Skyline Billiards with a Free Live Stream on PoolActionTV.com” »

WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championships Underway – Allison Fisher, Sarah Rousey, Kelly Fisher Advance to Next Stage while NYC’s Ness Gurel Grinds West!

The WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championships is currently underway in Shenyang, China. Sixty-four of the strongest female pocket billiards players from around the globe have their sights set on becoming the 2010 Women’s World 9-Ball Champion.

Top players familiar to US billiards fans include champions Allison Fisher (GBR), Karen Corr (IRL), Rubilen Amit (PHI), Xiaoting Pan (CHN), Sarah Rousey (USA), Gerda Hofstatter (AUT), Monica Webb (USA), Julie Kelly (USA), Ga-Young Kim (KOR), Angel Paglia (USA) and Yu-Ram Cha (KOR).

The 2010 WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championships is two rounds into competition, and so far Allison Fisher, Sarah Rousey, Kelly Fisher, Zhou Doudou, and Chen Xue have made it to the next stage. Top women’s players Karen Corr, Rubilen Amit, Xiaoting Pan, Jasmin Ouschan, Gerda Hofstatter, Iris Ranola, and emerging phenoms Brittany Bryant and Neslihan Gurel are battling it out in the one loss side of the bracket.

Brittany Bryant is the 2008 World Junior World Champion, and was ranked #1 at the end of  the 2009 Canadian Women’s Tour season. 19-year-old Brittany, lost her first match to WPBA pro Sarah Rousey 7-3, before shutting out Carlynn Sanches (VEN) 7-0. Brittany is now lined up to play top pro Jasmin Ouschan who also is a past Junior World Champion.

Top Turkish player who is currently based out of NYC, Neslihan Gurel, bounced back over Kajatani Akimi (JPN) 7-5, after losing 7-5 to Zheng Xiaochun (CHN). Neslihan (known as “Ness”) is one of the NY area’s top female rising stars, and has been busy preparing for this event through a combination of practice, local tournaments, and regular league play at Amsterdam Billiard Club. Ness qualified for the Women’s World Championships after finishing 2nd at the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour’s qualifier.

We’ll be bringing you more updates on the Women’s World 9-ball Championships, so stay on the NYC Grind!

Neslihan Gurel also recently finished acting a fictional short film called “Dressing up Ness“, which is currently in post-production. “Ness” as her friends call her, teamed up with “Kiss of Death” team member Borana Andoni who wrote, directed, and acted in the short film.

You can check out the preview of the short film by reading the story below.

Continue reading “WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championships Underway – Allison Fisher, Sarah Rousey, Kelly Fisher Advance to Next Stage while NYC’s Ness Gurel Grinds West!” »

Pool Instruction: CueTips #34 – A Draw Shot

By NYC Grind Contributor, Mark Finkelstein

I was watching the Turning Stone Classic on the AZ Billiards stream over last weekend.  I’d like to thank all involved in bringing that event to us.  What a gracious thing to do.  I thoroughly enjoyed the play and the commentary.  What a great show!  Thank you.  There were so many great matches.

Here is a shot that I saw come up a few times in the matches I saw.  This situation is instructive for a number of reasons, but there is an underlying principal that I want you to learn.  This shot comes up at least once a set, and probably a lot more.  It is worth knowing and practicing.

Here is the shot:

Continue reading “Pool Instruction: CueTips #34 – A Draw Shot” »

Mike Miller Captures a Comeback Win on the Mezz Tour at Main Line – While Players Gear Up for the NYC 9-ball Championships This Weekend

Coming up this weekend, the Mezz Tour will be holding the $3,000-added 5th Annual NYC 9-ball Championships at Skyline Billiards in Brooklyn, NY. This will be a top-class event, drawing many of the region’s top players, and will also be streamed live by PoolActionTV.com.

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The Mezz Pro-Am Tour made its way to Main Line Billiards in Frazer, PA on Sunday August 15, 2010.  A small but strong field came out to play, which included top names like Mike Sigel, Tony Robles, Manny Chau, Mike Miller, Matt Krah, and Josh Brothers, to name a few.

Leading to top half of the bracket was Tony Robes, who took wins over Shaun Dobson 7-3, Randy Schwager 7-4, and Nick Brucato 7-5. Meanwhile on the bottom half of the bracket, Manny Chau ran through with wins over Charlie Marshall 7-3, Matt Krah 7-3, Josh Brothers 7-6, and Chip Klein 7-5.

Playing for the hot seat, Manny Chau faced off against Tony Robles. As might be predicted in a match between two high-caliber players, this match would be a true battle that went to double-hill, but when it was all said and done it, Manny Chau came away with the win at 7-6, and sending Robles to the one-loss side.

Continue reading “Mike Miller Captures a Comeback Win on the Mezz Tour at Main Line – While Players Gear Up for the NYC 9-ball Championships This Weekend” »

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