I just completed nine days at the International Open. My focus in this post will be on the pro events.
Sunday, November 17
I arrived at the venue in the early afternoon. After I checked in, I caught up with Pijus Labutis, Mario He and Wiktor Zielinski, all of whom seemed in good spirits. After unpacking and taking a three-hour nap, I dropped by the tournament room and I was impressed. I watched a few players practicing, including Biado, Kazakis, Grabe, and FSR.
Monday, November 18
The 9ball event kicked off with alternate break format and Stage 1 would pare the field down to sixteen players by end of day Wednesday. As is typical of a first day in a large event, there were few good matches in round one, but round two had some gems. A few Fargo 800+ players survived stiff tests, but Alcaide fought off Gomez, Yapp outlasted Deuel, Neuhausen topped Immonen, and Biado survived a double hill thriller with Hennessee. Georgiev scored the most significant upset of the round, beating Ouschan.
Tuesday, November 19
It was day two of 9ball, one with a lethargic pace with pro match rounds at 12:00, 4:45 and 9:30. The afternoon produced few good matches, but the evening session was a dandy. Some big names fell, including Gorst, Lechner and Krause. There were a few double hill matches, with Feijen topping He, Capito beating Souto, but the wild one was the Yapp vs Pehlivanovic match. Sanjin rallied from 9-5 down, fighting bravely for double hill. At double hill, Yapp missed the three but fluked a match deciding snooker. Many were struggling with the break.
Wednesday, November 20
This was day three of 9ball, and sixteen survivors would reach single elimination. The first round of the day brought great pool. Souto eliminated Ouschan and Woodward eliminated Pehlivanovic. Styer outlasted Eric Roberts. Patsura trailed Childress by 8-7, but rallied for the win.. Gomez led Lechner 9-5, but Max rallied to win the last five racks, rare in alternate break format.
The next round featured eight winner side and eight loser side matches. Players reaching single elimination undefeated were Yapp, FSR, Alcaide, Filler, Corteza, Feijen, Kazakis and Biado. The final round of the day was loser qualification, and some giants fell, including Shaw, E Kaci and SVB. Survivors on the loser side were Georgiev, K Kaci, Lechner, Gorst Labutis, Zielinski, Neuhausen and Styer.
Thursday, November 21
It was day four of 9ball. Stage 2 kicked off with sixteen players. It was a bit of a free for all, as Round of 16 casualties included Gorst, FSR, Alcaide, Lechner, and Kazakis. The quarterfinals also offered some unexpected results, with Neuhausen over Biado the most noteworthy upset. Filler fell to Feijen in an exciting affair. Labutis handily beat Zielinski and Yapp topped Georgiev.
Friday, November 22
The pro event would not resume until 3:30 PM, so filling the downtime was tough. I watched the girl’s 19 and under finals, and the late stages of the 650 and under Fargo event.
At 3:30, it was time to crown the International 9ball champion and the first semifinal featured two young stars in Labutis and Neuhausen. By shooting over .950 in the early stages, Neuhausen built up a good lead that he would not relinquish. Labutis was not in top form, and three scratches on the break certainly did not help his cause.
The second semifinal featured defending champion Yapp against a Niels Feijen that had already eliminated both Gorst and Filler. It was tight most of the way, but I missed the late stages of the match. AZBs Cornerman told me that Yapp had prevailed with fine play but was aided with a couple of unlucky rolls that befell Feijen.
In the final, Neuhausen created almost nothing off his break and Yapp, despite three easy misses down the stretch, was in solid form for a convincing 13-6 win, his second title in a row at the International.
Saturday, November 23
The main event was in the rearview mirror, and both the Bigfoot 10ball and 14.1 event kicked off.
A few of the usual suspects were missing from the Bigfoot, including former champions Shaw and Filler. The field had just eight players. In the day session, Capito bested Morra, then Corteza beat Labutis. The evening session began with a mistake-fest between SVB and Gomez, which was fittingly decided when Gomez missed a relatively simple ten ball at double hill. The day produced one memorable match, and it was the Gorst vs Yapp affair. Fedor’s play was almost superhuman in the unexpected blowout.
I did not see too much of the straight pool, but I saw Lechner’s 152 ball run from beginning to end. Lee Van Corteza ran 125 and out in his first match, too. In general, the favorites cruised to victory in day one of the round robin. It was nice to see SVB in the field, trying his hand in a game he so rarely plays.
Sunday, November 24
It was day two of straight pool and the final day of 10ball. In the 10ball, Corteza, with near perfect play, topped Gorst easily and SVB dismissed Capito. I missed the final, but SVB prevailed easily over Corteza.
All in all, for me, the 10ball, which had just eight players in the field and was missing multiple time winners in Shaw and Filler, was a bit of a disappointment. Going in, it was hard to imagine anyone but SVB or Gorst winning it, and they never faced each other. Regardless, although I am no fan of 10ball with WPA rules in effect, I think it is an excellent game when played with Texas Express rules, making the Bigfoot the most enjoyable 10ball event of the year.
Straight pool got a little more interesting on day two, and some top players were dealt their first loss, including Lechner and Ouschan. Immonen came from way behind to top Meglino. It was still early, but to me, Corteza was starting to look like the top contender for the title. Dennis Grabe looked like a good dark horse pick, showing strong form.
Monday, November 25
Straight pool was center stage and the event reached single elimination. Those advancing were Corteza, Meglino, Zielinski, Lechner, Van Lierop Labutis, Grabe, Biado, Morra, Eberle, Ouschan, Hohmann, Feijen, He, SVB and Immonen. Corteza, Lechner, Van Lierop, Grabe, Eberle, He, and Immonen all advanced to the quarterfinals. The match of the round was surely SVB vs Immonen, with Mika outlasting Shane.
Tuesday, November 26
This was the final day of straight pool. Quarterfinal survivors were Lechner, He, Grabe and Hohmann. Lechner and He advanced to the all-Austrian final, where He won in a match that was competitive but not very well played. The performance of the day was in the Lechner/Corteza quarterfinal, in which Max ran 52 and then 98 for a two-inning win.
The Hotel
Although the grounds of the Renaissance were nice if you golf, there are few things to do in the hotel. Foodwise, you could always get a nice breakfast, but lunch and dinner options were few and a bit disappointing, and there were daylight hours during which all restaurants were closed.
Socially
I caught up with dozens of players and friends, mostly in the tourney room. The ones with whom I shared at least one meal or had a drink with included Max Lechner, Pijus Labutis, Albin Ouschan, Mario He, Josh Filler, Max Eberle, Peter Burrows, Mike Yednak, Bob Jewett, Mike Sigel, and Upstate Al. Even so, I was often an introvert, rarely partaking of after-hours socializing opportunities. I am getting a bit old for that.
Assessing the Production Itself
Pat Fleming gets high marks from this fan. The setup of the tournament room was exceptional, with sixteen tables on either side of the Accu-stats arena. Groups of four tables and area referees were the norm, just as it was at the US Open, and that is how I like it. The spacing of the tables was ideal. The overhead scoreboards, which could be read from either side of the table, were fantastic and I wish more events would utilize them.
In the front of the room, there was a digital bracket showing all 128 players in the 9ball, which made following the event very easy. Straight pool results were also displayed in a fan friendly manner.
It seemed odd that the 9ball, clearly the premier event on the pro slate, came first. I must presume that the event producer’s hand was forced here, for had 9ball been last, some of the Mosconi Cup players might well have opted out of the event. Still, from a fan’s standpoint, it did not work, and the International did not build to the crescendo that would have been preferable. To nobody’s surprise, the number of fans present dropped significantly once the 9ball event ended.
Tournament staff performed well and most referees did a solid job. Although the schedule was usually maintained on the outer tables, there was a lot of shuffling of the schedule in the arena that was troubling. Matches shown on the arena schedule were moved up, moved backward, and in the case of the Filler/Feijen quarterfinal, the most intriguing matchup of the round, moved out of the Accu-stats arena entirely.
Conclusion
In general, this event was exceptional and all involved may take a deep bow. Pat Fleming and his staff hit the ground running in the first St Augustine edition of the International Open.
Sunday, November 17
I arrived at the venue in the early afternoon. After I checked in, I caught up with Pijus Labutis, Mario He and Wiktor Zielinski, all of whom seemed in good spirits. After unpacking and taking a three-hour nap, I dropped by the tournament room and I was impressed. I watched a few players practicing, including Biado, Kazakis, Grabe, and FSR.
Monday, November 18
The 9ball event kicked off with alternate break format and Stage 1 would pare the field down to sixteen players by end of day Wednesday. As is typical of a first day in a large event, there were few good matches in round one, but round two had some gems. A few Fargo 800+ players survived stiff tests, but Alcaide fought off Gomez, Yapp outlasted Deuel, Neuhausen topped Immonen, and Biado survived a double hill thriller with Hennessee. Georgiev scored the most significant upset of the round, beating Ouschan.
Tuesday, November 19
It was day two of 9ball, one with a lethargic pace with pro match rounds at 12:00, 4:45 and 9:30. The afternoon produced few good matches, but the evening session was a dandy. Some big names fell, including Gorst, Lechner and Krause. There were a few double hill matches, with Feijen topping He, Capito beating Souto, but the wild one was the Yapp vs Pehlivanovic match. Sanjin rallied from 9-5 down, fighting bravely for double hill. At double hill, Yapp missed the three but fluked a match deciding snooker. Many were struggling with the break.
Wednesday, November 20
This was day three of 9ball, and sixteen survivors would reach single elimination. The first round of the day brought great pool. Souto eliminated Ouschan and Woodward eliminated Pehlivanovic. Styer outlasted Eric Roberts. Patsura trailed Childress by 8-7, but rallied for the win.. Gomez led Lechner 9-5, but Max rallied to win the last five racks, rare in alternate break format.
The next round featured eight winner side and eight loser side matches. Players reaching single elimination undefeated were Yapp, FSR, Alcaide, Filler, Corteza, Feijen, Kazakis and Biado. The final round of the day was loser qualification, and some giants fell, including Shaw, E Kaci and SVB. Survivors on the loser side were Georgiev, K Kaci, Lechner, Gorst Labutis, Zielinski, Neuhausen and Styer.
Thursday, November 21
It was day four of 9ball. Stage 2 kicked off with sixteen players. It was a bit of a free for all, as Round of 16 casualties included Gorst, FSR, Alcaide, Lechner, and Kazakis. The quarterfinals also offered some unexpected results, with Neuhausen over Biado the most noteworthy upset. Filler fell to Feijen in an exciting affair. Labutis handily beat Zielinski and Yapp topped Georgiev.
Friday, November 22
The pro event would not resume until 3:30 PM, so filling the downtime was tough. I watched the girl’s 19 and under finals, and the late stages of the 650 and under Fargo event.
At 3:30, it was time to crown the International 9ball champion and the first semifinal featured two young stars in Labutis and Neuhausen. By shooting over .950 in the early stages, Neuhausen built up a good lead that he would not relinquish. Labutis was not in top form, and three scratches on the break certainly did not help his cause.
The second semifinal featured defending champion Yapp against a Niels Feijen that had already eliminated both Gorst and Filler. It was tight most of the way, but I missed the late stages of the match. AZBs Cornerman told me that Yapp had prevailed with fine play but was aided with a couple of unlucky rolls that befell Feijen.
In the final, Neuhausen created almost nothing off his break and Yapp, despite three easy misses down the stretch, was in solid form for a convincing 13-6 win, his second title in a row at the International.
Saturday, November 23
The main event was in the rearview mirror, and both the Bigfoot 10ball and 14.1 event kicked off.
A few of the usual suspects were missing from the Bigfoot, including former champions Shaw and Filler. The field had just eight players. In the day session, Capito bested Morra, then Corteza beat Labutis. The evening session began with a mistake-fest between SVB and Gomez, which was fittingly decided when Gomez missed a relatively simple ten ball at double hill. The day produced one memorable match, and it was the Gorst vs Yapp affair. Fedor’s play was almost superhuman in the unexpected blowout.
I did not see too much of the straight pool, but I saw Lechner’s 152 ball run from beginning to end. Lee Van Corteza ran 125 and out in his first match, too. In general, the favorites cruised to victory in day one of the round robin. It was nice to see SVB in the field, trying his hand in a game he so rarely plays.
Sunday, November 24
It was day two of straight pool and the final day of 10ball. In the 10ball, Corteza, with near perfect play, topped Gorst easily and SVB dismissed Capito. I missed the final, but SVB prevailed easily over Corteza.
All in all, for me, the 10ball, which had just eight players in the field and was missing multiple time winners in Shaw and Filler, was a bit of a disappointment. Going in, it was hard to imagine anyone but SVB or Gorst winning it, and they never faced each other. Regardless, although I am no fan of 10ball with WPA rules in effect, I think it is an excellent game when played with Texas Express rules, making the Bigfoot the most enjoyable 10ball event of the year.
Straight pool got a little more interesting on day two, and some top players were dealt their first loss, including Lechner and Ouschan. Immonen came from way behind to top Meglino. It was still early, but to me, Corteza was starting to look like the top contender for the title. Dennis Grabe looked like a good dark horse pick, showing strong form.
Monday, November 25
Straight pool was center stage and the event reached single elimination. Those advancing were Corteza, Meglino, Zielinski, Lechner, Van Lierop Labutis, Grabe, Biado, Morra, Eberle, Ouschan, Hohmann, Feijen, He, SVB and Immonen. Corteza, Lechner, Van Lierop, Grabe, Eberle, He, and Immonen all advanced to the quarterfinals. The match of the round was surely SVB vs Immonen, with Mika outlasting Shane.
Tuesday, November 26
This was the final day of straight pool. Quarterfinal survivors were Lechner, He, Grabe and Hohmann. Lechner and He advanced to the all-Austrian final, where He won in a match that was competitive but not very well played. The performance of the day was in the Lechner/Corteza quarterfinal, in which Max ran 52 and then 98 for a two-inning win.
The Hotel
Although the grounds of the Renaissance were nice if you golf, there are few things to do in the hotel. Foodwise, you could always get a nice breakfast, but lunch and dinner options were few and a bit disappointing, and there were daylight hours during which all restaurants were closed.
Socially
I caught up with dozens of players and friends, mostly in the tourney room. The ones with whom I shared at least one meal or had a drink with included Max Lechner, Pijus Labutis, Albin Ouschan, Mario He, Josh Filler, Max Eberle, Peter Burrows, Mike Yednak, Bob Jewett, Mike Sigel, and Upstate Al. Even so, I was often an introvert, rarely partaking of after-hours socializing opportunities. I am getting a bit old for that.
Assessing the Production Itself
Pat Fleming gets high marks from this fan. The setup of the tournament room was exceptional, with sixteen tables on either side of the Accu-stats arena. Groups of four tables and area referees were the norm, just as it was at the US Open, and that is how I like it. The spacing of the tables was ideal. The overhead scoreboards, which could be read from either side of the table, were fantastic and I wish more events would utilize them.
In the front of the room, there was a digital bracket showing all 128 players in the 9ball, which made following the event very easy. Straight pool results were also displayed in a fan friendly manner.
It seemed odd that the 9ball, clearly the premier event on the pro slate, came first. I must presume that the event producer’s hand was forced here, for had 9ball been last, some of the Mosconi Cup players might well have opted out of the event. Still, from a fan’s standpoint, it did not work, and the International did not build to the crescendo that would have been preferable. To nobody’s surprise, the number of fans present dropped significantly once the 9ball event ended.
Tournament staff performed well and most referees did a solid job. Although the schedule was usually maintained on the outer tables, there was a lot of shuffling of the schedule in the arena that was troubling. Matches shown on the arena schedule were moved up, moved backward, and in the case of the Filler/Feijen quarterfinal, the most intriguing matchup of the round, moved out of the Accu-stats arena entirely.
Conclusion
In general, this event was exceptional and all involved may take a deep bow. Pat Fleming and his staff hit the ground running in the first St Augustine edition of the International Open.
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