Pia Filler
The above headline had to do some ‘arm wrestling’ with an alternative that previewed an arguably much more compelling tale. The alternative – 13-year-old Savannah Easton downs world champion Kristina Tkach in ‘undercard’ match at WPBA’s Capital City Invitational – lost the hypothetical, arm-wrestling contest, because while it certainly highlights an important moment in the tournament, it fails, as headlines are expected to do, to encapsulate the event and a the most significant fact of its occurrence.
So, Filler and Fefilova. They played twice, hot seat match and finals, at the $15,000-added stop on the WPBA Tour, which drew 64 entrants to Capital City Billiards in Concord, NH this past weekend (Nov. 21-24). The win for Filler will edge her upwards a step or two from her #15 position in the WPBA standings that she held going into the event, while Fefilova’s runner-up finish will move her ahead of Allison Fisher to occupy the second spot behind Tkach.
Filler’s path to the winners’ circle started with two matches in which she gave up only a single rack; none at all in her opener against Suzy Dickstein and the one to Emily Duddy. Then she ran into two straight, double-hill matches against (until recently) #1 and #2 in the WPBA standings, Kwikfire (Kelly Fisher) and Tzu-Chien Wei. Filler got by those two rather monstrous hurdles and in her winners’ side semifinal, drew Savannah Easton, who had just defeated Tkach 8-3 in a winners’ side quarterfinal.
Fefilova’s trip to the winners’ side semifinal went through Jessica Barnes (3) and Lisa Cossette (4), before encountering two of the three women who adorned the poster for the Capital City Invitational, Briana Miller (3) and Veronique Menard (6), who, on the poster, are captured ‘down on the table’ poised between a standing and rather stern-looking JoAnn Mason Parker. Fefilova drew Bean (Meng-Hsia) Hung in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Filler sent Easton to the loss side 8-5, as Fefilova was working on her 8-6 victory over Hung. It was Fefilova who claimed the hot seat 8-4.
Upon their arrival to the loss side of the bracket, Easton and Hung discovered that they would be standing in the way of advancement to the quarterfinals of two, very good friends. Easton drew Kelly Fisher, who’d lost a third-round, double-hill match to Filler and set out on a four-match, loss-side winning streak that had recently included the elimination of Veronique Menard (3) and Lonnie Fox-Raymond (4). Hung picked up Tzu-Chien Wei, who’d also lost to Filler, right after Filler defeated Fisher. Wei then chalked up two, loss side wins; a forfeit by Monica Webb and an 8-4 win over Kaylee McIntosh.
Very alert to the prodigious talent of Savannah Easton, against whom she has battled before, Fisher has articulated respect for the teenager’s talent and knew before the first rack broke, that she could not be taken for granted. The match proved her right. Though Fisher would advance to the quarterfinals, it was not before Easton had drawn within a game of double hill and potentially, two games ahead of defeating her. Tzu-Chien Wei allowed Hung just a single rack in advancing to the quarterfinals against Fisher.
They battled to double-hill, the two friends, and it was Fisher who prevailed to draw a rematch versus Filler in the semifinals. Filler downed Fisher a second time, edging out in front, avoiding a double-hill rematch by just a game (8-6).
If you ever want an absolutely assured jolt of confidence, there would be no more effective medicine than a victory over Kelly “Kwikfire” Fisher. Filler took that medicine, adding it to her own talent and downed Fefilova in the finals 10-7.
WPBA representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Capital City Billiards for their hospitality along with sponsors Viking Cues, Olhausen Billiards, Jacoby Custom Cues, Brunswick, Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith Balls, Simonis Cloth, How Tips and Cues, Big Family Custom Creations, www.icatraining.com, Kamui, Castillo Handmade Leather Products, RJH Custom Cues, digitalpool.com, Perfect Rack, Iowa City Pool League, Holt Family Dental Care and Iowa City Women’s 8-Ball League.
Next up for the ‘wonderful women’ of the WPBA will be the $35,000-added Dr. Pool/Jacoby Tour Championships, scheduled for Dec. 11-15 at the Central Wisconsin Expo Center in Rothschild, WI.
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