Abel Rosario, #3 on the Predator Pro Am
Tour’s B+ standings list, won his third 2019 regional
tour victory on the weekend of November 16-17. Last
month, he went undefeated in the Mixed Advanced division
of Michael Fedak’s NYC 8-Ball Championships, while
earlier this year (August), he came from the loss side
to win a rematch victory over (at the time), relative
newcomer Euryel Castillo in a Tri-State Tour stop at
Steinway Billiards. As he’d done in August, Rosario
gave up the hot seat in this most recent event, this
time to another relative newcomer JC Iglesias. Rosario
returned from the semifinals to down Iglesias in the
finals. The $1,000-added event drew 73 entrants to Cue
Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY.
Their first meeting followed victories in their respective
winners’ side semifinals. Rosario had defeated
Russell Masciotti 7-3, as Iglesias was at work on a
7-4 win over Carlos Duque. Iglesias, on the basis of
five appearances, is the #30-ranked C+ player on the
Predator Pro Am Tour’s standings list. He downed
the tour’s #3-ranked B+ player 7-5 and sat in
the hot seat awaiting his return.
On the loss side, Duque and Masciotti ran right into
their second straight loss. The tour’s #2 C+ player,
Jason Goberdhan, who’d defeated Zain Sundaram
7-5 and Juan Melendez 7-3, eliminated Duque 7-4. Alberto
Estevez, who’d gotten by John Francisco 7-3 and
the tour’s #1 A player, Lidio Ramirez, also 7-3,
defeated Masciotti 7-5.
Goberdhan then eliminated Estevez 7-2 in the quarterfinals,
before having his bid for a title ended 7-4 by Rosario
in the semifinals.
In the extension-to-9 finals, Rosario reached his ‘7-spot’
first. He added two more to defeat Iglesias 9-4 and
claim the event title.
A 15-entrant, single elimination Second Chance event
was won Euryel Castillo with a double hill final victory
over Thomas Schreiber. Castillo pocketed $160 for the
win, Schreiber took home $100. Shawn Sookhai and Irene
Kim each won $20 for their third place tie.
Tour director Tony Robles thanked the owner and staff
at Cue Bar for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor
Predator Cues, Ozone Billiards, PlayNAPT.com, The DeVito
Team, Poolonthenet.com, Capelle (BilliardsPress.com),
AZBilliards, Pool & Billiard Magazine, Billiards
Digest and his own Predator Pro Am team, to include
his lovely wife, Gail. The next stop on the Predator
Pro Am Tour, scheduled for the weekend of November 30-Dec.
1 will be the tour’s annual Thanksgiving Classic,
hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
Two weeks later, the tour will host its final event
of the 2019 season, the Predator Pro Am Tour Championships,
scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 14-15, and hosted
by Raxx Billiards in West Hempstead, NY.
Story by Skip Maloney AZBilliards |