Defending Champ Deuel Falls

Past champion Hatch shows
by InsidePOOL Staff
If Corey “The Prince of Pool” Deuel is going to defend his Diamond Open 9-Ball Professional Players Championship title, he’s going to have to do it from the one-loss side of the chart. Late Thursday night Deuel was dealt his first loss by Shawn “Big Bubba” Putnam, also a past champion of this prestigious event, being held at the Valley Forge Convention Center in conjunction with the 16th Annual Super Billiards Expo.
Sixteen players remain in the winners’ bracket and will play Friday at 8:30 p.m. These include 2007 Player of the Year Shane Van Boening, Mika Immonen, two-time event winner Johnny Archer, Adam Smith, Luc Salvas, Mike Davis, and Tony “The Silent Assassin” Robles. John Morra, the Canadian whiz kid, also has no losses, having triumphed over veteran Rodney Morris in a double-hill match that sent the Hawaiian to the west side.
Morris will face off against Deuel in the late round Friday evening. He’s in good company—also fighting it out on the left side are John “Mr. 403” Schmidt, who eliminated former world champion Thorsten Hohmann earlier 10-4; Frankie Hernandez; Shin Park; Robb Saez; and Mike Dechaine. Additionally, former event champion Dennis Hatch made it to the event in time to win his second match, having forfeited his first.
The bulk of the matches will take place Saturday, with the final four returning Sunday to see who will be crowned the next winner. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news on the sport of billiards and pool.