Manalo Manhandles Ginky in Queens
Tri-State Tour / Queens, NY
by InsidePOOL Staff
A small but strong field of 20 hungry players showed up for the September 26 installment of the Tri-State Tour, with Marlon Manalo of the Philippines leading the pack all the way to the winner’s circle. Master Billiards in Queens, NY, hosted the $1,000-added event, which featured an open 9-ball format.
Manalo had little trouble throughout the tournament, walking over Jorge Rodriguez in the winners’ side final four 9-2 to reach the hot seat match. Meeting him there was George “Ginky” Sansouci, who had just come off a similarly uneven victory over Frankie Hernandez 9-3. While the resulting match was a bit closer score-wise, still Manalo advanced with few worries, sending Sansouci to the west side of the chart 9-6.
Manalo had little trouble throughout the tournament, walking over Jorge Rodriguez in the winners’ side final four 9-2 to reach the hot seat match. Meeting him there was George “Ginky” Sansouci, who had just come off a similarly uneven victory over Frankie Hernandez 9-3.
Advancing to meet Rodriguez in the one-loss side was Danny Cintron, who had just sent Tony Eglesias home in seventh place 9-1. Cintron kept the momentum going with a 9-7 victory, earning a ticket to the quarterfinals. His opponent was John Alicea, who was also fighting his way through the west side with wins over Scott Simonetti 9-3 and Hernandez 9-3. Alicea earned a shot at Sansouci in the semifinals with a 9-6 win over Cintron but couldn’t overcome “Ginky,” who bested him 9-6 and sent him home in third place. In the finals it was all Manalo, though, as he took an early lead and kept it going throughout the match, winning 9-6.
Results:
1st Marlon Manalo $730
2nd George Sansouci $350
3rd John Alicea $200
4th Danny Cintron $120