Blaze 9-Ball Tour / Skyline Billiards, Brooklyn, NY
by Jose Burgos
Joey Testa escaped a double-dipping by Marc Vidal at the July 12 installment of the Blaze 9-Ball Tour, winning the second set of the finals for the title. Hosted by Skyline Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, the stop saw a strong field come out to play, with players such as Scott Tollefson, Manny Chau, Jennifer Barretta, and Caroline Pao vying for the top spot.
Vidal led the top half of the bracket, scoring victories over Wali Muhammad 7-5, Jerry Calderon 7-5, and Tollefson 7-2. Keeping up with him, Testa won over Sammy Wu 7-3, Jose Burgos 7-4, Jorge Rodriquez 7-3, and Barry Banks 7-5 to reach the hot seat match. The hot seat match was a one-sided affair, with Testa easily walking over Vidal 7-2.
Once on the west side of the chart, Vidal was faced with Tollefson, whom he had dispatched earlier. The rematch did Tollefson no good, though, and Vidal pulled off the hill-hill victory to earn a rematch of his own. Having to best Testa twice for the title, Vidal started off well with a 7-4 win in the first set; however, Testa pulled away late in the second set to win 7-5.
Joey Testa (right) escaped a double-dipping by Marc Vidal at the July 12 installment of the Blaze 9-Ball Tour, winning the second set of the finals for the title.
Results:
1st Joey Testa $950
2nd Marc Vidal $425
3rd Scott Tollefson $240
4th Randy Schwager $150
5th Jorge Rodriquez $100
Barry Banks