Zee Shan Safba Breaks Through in the Predator Tour at Mr. Cue Billiards
August 19, 2010
Zee Shan Safba (1st), Charlie Lentini (3rd), Scott Murphy (2nd)
By NYC Grind Editor, Alison M. Fischer
The Ozone Billiards Predator 9-ball Tour was hosted by Mr. Cue Billiards in Lindenhust, NY on August 14-15th. This $1,000-added event was worth double points as this 12th stop of the season was a warm-up for the upcoming Empire State Amateur Championships. Click here to view the photo gallery from this event, photos by Jerry T.
A total field of 52 players came out to take a shot at the $1,000 first prize, including Scott Simonetti, Stew Warnock, Mike Yednak, Charlie Lentini, Jerry Tarantola, John Alicea and Mike Panzarella. Four of the tour’s lady players, Gail Glazebrook, Linda Cheung, Borana Andoni, and Diana Rojas also came out to battle. Diana would be the eventual highest-finishing female, placing tied for 9th.
The tournament bracket for this event was split up between the A/B players the C/D players. In the C/D side, Rene Villalobos was impressive in grinding out several tough wins over Taran Bunness 7-4, Anthony Zoccolillo, and Bob Schlott 7-6, before losing a nail-biter to Zee Shan Safba 7-6.
Zee Shan fought through the C/D bracket with wins over Linda Cheung 7-4, Pat Dibuono 7-6, Al Frances 7-3, and ultimately Rene. This run set up a hot seat match against Mr. Cue veteran house player, Charlie Lentini… which ended in Zee Shan’s favor at 7-4.
John Alicea Wins His First Predator Event of the Season while Tony Robles Claims the Open/Pro 10-ball
July 28, 2010
Jim Murnak (3rd), Noel Bensurto (13th), Daniel Dagotdot (2nd), John Alicea (1st)
By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer
Hosting a field of sixty-seven players, the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour held its 11th stop of the 2010 season at the Amsterdam Billiard Club on July 24-25. With a wide range of top NYC-area amateur players in the A/B/C/D 9-ball event, along with the eight-player Open/Pro 10-ball event, there was plenty of great play to be seen at Amsterdam Billiards on this weekend. Top players in the amateur event included Michael Yednak, Victor Nau, John Alicea, Stewart Warnock, and Jerry Tarantola, along with three top female players, Emily Duddy, Diana “Snooky” Rojas, & Gail Glazebrook.
In this event, one of the New York area’s top young rising stars, John Alicea from Bayonne, NJ, would run to the top of the A/B/C/D 9-ball event. John rolled through the winner’s bracket with wins over Peter Ziemak 7-5, Donald Chu 7-5, Tony Liang 7-6, Simon Lau 7-2, Daniel Dagotdot 7-3, and then defeated custom cue case maker Jim Murnak 7-4 to take the hot seat on day two. Jim Murnak won the top (C/D) bracket while John Alicea took down the bottom (A/B) bracket to set up the match for the hot seat.
The Ozone Billiards Predator 9-ball Tour Heads to Amsterdam Billiards this Weekend
July 23, 2010
Ozone Billiards Predator Tour
This weekend, July 24-25, Amsterdam Billiards will be hosting the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour. With the A/B/C/D 9-ball event and the Open/Pro 10-ball event running side by side, there will be action for all levels of players.
As a nightlife hotspot in a prime location on Manhattan’s lower east side, this venue also makes for a great opportunity for players to get exposure at one of New York’s trendiest locales for billiards.
With many of the region’s top players including Mika Immonen, George San Souci, Shaun Wilkie, Jeremy Sossei, Mike Dechaine, and Amsterdam House Pro & Predator Tour Director, Tony Robles playing on the tour, there will be some great action to watch, along with tough competition for the amateurs.
Read on for more details on the event from Tony Robles…
John Hacsi & Shaun Wilkie Rule Raxx with Undefeated Predator Tour Wins
July 3, 2010
Stewart Warnock (3rd), Borana Andoni (4th), Christian Smith (2nd), John Hacsi (1st)
By Jerry Tarantola, NYCgrind.com
On June 26-27, 2010, the 10th tour stop of the Predator Tour season was hosted by Raxx Pool Room, Bar & Grill in West Hempstead, NY, where 70 players came out to compete in the $1,000 added Amateur A/B/C/D event and the Open/Pro 10-ball event.
In the amateur event, strong performances were seen from Diana Rojas, Pam Ogarek, Stewart Warnock, Neslihan Gürel, Pete Ziemak, Christian Smith, Scott Murphy, John Hacsi, and Matthew Harricharan.
However, John Hacsi, one of the oldest players on the tour, would be the player to go through the winner’s bracket unscathed, grinding through several tough matches. John defeated Joe Morace 7-5, Gene Hartnell 7-1, Neslihan “Ness” Gürel 7-6, Meshak Daniel 7-2, and Christian Smith 7-4 to earn a spot in the hot seat.
Another strong showing was put on by “Queen B” Borana Andoni as she showed a lot of heart, with two big comebacks. Borana grinded back from trailing 6-3 in the first round against Sam Li, showing heart and grit in her game early on. “Queen B” then went on to defeat Carlos Alvardo 7-5 and Pam Ogarek 7-3, before losing to Meshak Daniel 7-5.
Thomas Wan & Tony Robles Cool Down the Competition on the Predator Tour
June 10, 2010
Thomas Wan (1st) & Dinko Busanich (2nd)
By Jerry Tarantola, NYCgrind.com
On June 5-6, 2010, The Ozone Billiards Predator Tour held its 9th stop of the season at Master Billiards in Sunnyside, Queens, NY. Sixty-six of the strongest players in the NY tri-state area headed to Sunnyside, Queens for the $1,000 added event to show they have the grit to fight through the tough field. Click here to view the photo gallery from this event.
In the amateur event, players such as Wali Muhammed, Phil Davis, Noel Bensurto, John Alicea, Thomas Wan, Mike Wong, Lionel Rivera, Stewart Warnock, and Jerry Tarantola highlighted the tough field.
The field also featured some standout women’s players including WPBA board member Cristina De La Garza, “The Other” Alison Fischer, Borana Andoni, and “Snooky” Diana Rojas.
Dinko Busanich showed a lot of heart in this event, going through several gritty matches as he fought through the winner’s bracket to earn a spot in the finals. Dinko went through Carl Yusef Khan (7-3), Mike Panzarella (7-6), Jerry Tarantola (7-6), Daniel Dagotdot (7-5), Thomas Wan (7-4), and Mike Hertz (7-5).
Ginky Wins His Second Predator Tour Event of the Season while Raphael DaBreo Claims His 1st Win on the Tour
June 1, 2010
Asif Mostafa (2nd) & Raphael Dabreo (1st)
By NYC Grind Editor, Alison M. Fischer
On May 29-30, the Ozone Billiards Predator 9-ball Tour brought a crew of 64 players to Master Billiards for the $1,000 added eighth tour stop of the 2010 season. The tour’s A/B/C/D division hosted a number of the New York area’s toughest amateur players… including Mike Wong, Wali Muhammed, John Alicea, Scott Simonetti, Michael Yednak, and many others.
Among the field were also a number of NY’s top female players, including house player Diana “Snooky” Rojas, Borana Andoni, Yomaylin Feliz, 2010 BCAPL Women’s Open Champion Gail Glazebrook, Sandie Patarino, Kim Meyer, and Olga Gashkova. Of these ladies, Borana Andoni, who often plays in Master Billiards’ weekly tournaments, was the highest finishing female in the event, tying for 9th place.
With the bracket for the amateur event being divided with A/B class players on the top half of the bracket, and C/D level players on the bottom half, one player from each grouping would meet in the winner’s side finals. Coming through the end of day one unscathed, only four players remained on the winner’s side come Sunday to get a chance to make it to the final two.
Facing off at 11am, Raphael DaBreo solidly defeated Stewart Warnock, 7-4 in the A/B half of the bracket. On the bottom half, Asif Mostafa sent Arturo Reyes packing to the one-loss side, 7-5. In the winner’s bracket final, Raphael DaBreo had a serious battle with Asif Mostafa, which was claimed in the final game by Mostafa, 7-6.
Frankie Hernandez and Phil Davis Claim Victories in the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour at Master Billiards
April 28, 2010
Winner Phil Davis and Runner up Tony Liang
The Ozone Billiards Predator 9-Ball Tour made its sixth tour stop of the season at Master Billiards on April 24-25, 2010.
This event drew a full field of 64 amateurs, including many top up-and-coming players from the Tri-State area. Several standout players included Wilson Cruz, Michael Yednak, Mike Panzarella, Derek Schwager, Yesid Garibello, Stew Warnock, Mike Davis, and Phil Davis.
Runner up Tony Robles with winner Frankie Hernandez
The event also featured an Open/Pro tournament, which drew several top legendary NY players, including Tony Robles, “Ginky” George Sansouci, and Frankie Hernandez.
Kevin Guimond Battles Back in the Finals to Win Inaugural Empire State Amateur Championship on the Ozone Billiards Predator 9-ball Tour
March 9, 2010
"Wu Tang" Duane Toney (2st), Bob Schlott (3rd), Kevin Guimond (1st), Tony Robles (Tour Founder)
On March 6-7, 2010, Tony Robles and the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour staff & players made pool history in New York. This season, the Ozone Billiards Predator 9-Ball Tour introduced a new dual-tournament structure, allowing amateurs to compete amongst themselves instead of alongside the pros.
This move helped create the first-ever amateur 9-ball title in NY state, the Empire State Amateur Championships. The combination of having $2,500 added prize money, along with the ability to etch your name in the history books, pushed this event to exceed everyone’s expectations with a full field of 128 players at Raxx Pool Room, Bar & Grill in West Hempstead, NY.
Raxx Pool Room
Tony Robles announced that the event sold out at 12:15pm, and ultimately 15 players were turned away. Players from all around the Northeast came out to make a statement, including nine strong female contenders. While there were many stand-out matches… a few dominated with gritty performances.
Early on several players started the event off with strong performances, making their presence felt. Players that stood out were John Hasci, Yesid Garibello, Justin Muller, Scott Simonetti, Niko Berdzenishvili, Thomas Wan, Raphael Dabreo, Eddie Crespo, Daniel Smith, and Tom Seminaro Jr. of CT.
Read the story below for the breakdown written by Jerry Tarantola/NYCgrind.com
Tony Robles Introduces the First Amateur State 9-Ball Title This Weekend at the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour’s Empire State 9-Ball Championship!
March 5, 2010
Ozone Billiards Predator Tour - Empire State Amateur Championships
Ozone Billiards Predator Tour 9-Ball Tour’s founder Tony Robles will be holding the first ever Empire State Amateur 9-Ball Championship this weekend! This will mark the first time in NYC history that an amateur player will have the opportunity to win a State Championship!
The event will take place at Raxx Pool Room, which is located in West Hempstead, NY. The $2,500-added 9-ball event will be open to 128 A-D level players.
Read the Story for the details provided by Tony Robles.
Ginky & Alex Gonzalez Claim their First-Ever wins on the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour
January 26, 2010
Open/Pro Event: "Ginky" George Sansouci, Tony Robles, Frankie Hernandez
On January 23-24, 2010, the Ozone Billiards Predator 9-Ball Tour made its second stop of the 2010 season at Eastside Billiards on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
In the amateur A/B/C/D event, the first day showcased strong play from John Alicea, Stu Warnock, and Andrew Kane in a full field of 64 players. The second day of the tournament kicked off at noon on Sunday, to bring back the final 8 players.
On the winner’s side, Wilson Cruz rolled over Stu Warnock (7-3) in a dominant performance. Wilson was then matched up with Alex Gonzalez, who had previously defeated Matthew Harricharan (7-3).
Wilson continued his winning ways over Alex (7-3), earning him a spot in the finals, undefeated. Alex would wait for the west side of the bracket to fight it out, for a chance to get in the finals.
On Sunday, Andrew Kane had a gritty performance, defeating Pat DiBuono (7-6), Matthew Harricharan (7-4) and Stu Warnock (7-2), before losing to Alex Gonzalez (7-0).
Alex was hungry to bounce back in a rematch against Wilson Cruz in the finals. That final match would be one race to 9 games, which Alex came out first, completing the set with a 9-7 score and an impressive Predator Tour win.
In the Open/Pro 10-ball event, Tony Robles won his first two matches over Randy Jaragoske (8-5) and Paul Raval (8-4), before losing to Frankie Hernandez (8-6).
