With the Challenge of Champions coming up next week, some of the invited players are making their way over to the states a few days early and using the regional tours as warm-ups. That was the case this weekend at the Planet Pool Tour Stop at The Playing Field in Richmond, VA.
Hiroshi Takenaka, the current Japan Billiard Council Champion, came back to win twelve straight matches on his way to the tournament win. Takenaka lost a close 9-7 decision to Keith McCready in round one to start his run on the one-loss side.
On the right side of the board, Richmond local Larry Kressel took the hot-seat with a 9-4 win over Rodney Strickland. Strickland went to the one-loss side where he was a 7-2 victim of Takenaka's.
This set up the double elimination finals, where Takenana won 9-7 and 9-8 for the $1100 first prize. Kressel took home $750 for second place. Strickland and tour points leader Ryan McCreesh filled out the top four spots.
In the Women's division, it was pretty much the same story as the men's division. Miyuki Sakai, who flew in from Japan with Takenaka, went undefeated for the win.
Sakai took the hot-seat from Sarah Remington with a 7-1 win. Remington defeated Wendy Pyle 5-3 in the semi-finals to earn another shot at Sakai, but the final match went the same way as the previous match with Sakai winning 7-2.
Sakai earned $200 as well as a qualifier for the WPBA Canadian Classic, while Remington settled for $270 in her best finish on tour yet. Pyle and points leader Malea Haacke filled out the top four spots.
The Planet Pool Tour will be at Champion Billiards Café in Rockville, MD on August 14th-15th for their next event.
