The IPT World Open 8-Ball Championship is in full swing at the Grand Sierra Hotel and Casino in Reno Nevada and the first day of play is starting to clarify who will and won't be moving on to round 2.
Group 1 looks like is will see Steve Moore, Warren Kiamco and THorsten Hohmann advance. Moore and Kiamco are both 2-0, while Hohmann has lost a match to Kiamco today. Hohmann still has matches to play against Moore and Loree Jon Jones and a win in either match should be enough for him to advance.
Group 2 has Marlon Manalo and Charlie Williams with 2-0 records, while Tommy Kennedy is 1-1 and looking to secure that third spot. Kennedy still has matches against Williams and Rafael Gonzalez.
Group 3 is clear cut with Dennis Orcollo, Nick Varner and Glenn Atwell all major favorites to advance with each having 2 wins.
Group 4 shows Efren Reyes and Lee Heuwagen with 2-0 records while Gerda Hofstatter and Oezer Bulunmaz fighting for the 3rd spot. Hofstatter is 1-2 and faced Reyes next, which should have Bulunmaz breathing a little easier.
Group 5 is another one that looks pretty much decided with Ralf Souquet, Danny Basavich and Danny Harriman all holding 2 wins each and looking likely to move on.
Group 6 has Evgeny Stalev and Chris Melling at 2-0, while Dallas West and David Alcoberro both have one win each and are battling for the 3rd spot. Alcoberro has one more loss than West and faces Stalev in his next match. That is a good sign for West.
Group 7 shows Kelly Fisher and Dimitri Jungo with 2 wins each Marcus Chamat fighting Markus Juva for the 3rd spot at 1-1. Chamat and Juva still must face each other and the winner will have a serious advantage in the round.
Group 8 has Marko Lohtander and Sammy Jones with 2 wins each and Daryl Peach and Max Eberle looking for that third spot. Eberle already has a win over Peach today, and Peach still must face Lohtander and Jones which should make Eberle breath a little easier.
Group 9 is all but decided with David Matlock, John Schmidt and Joern Kaplan all having won 2 matches each and looking like heavy favorites to advance.
Group 10 has Michael Schmidt at 3-0, while Darren Appleton and Paul Potier look like favorites to also advance. Austin Murphy and Ouahbi Amine are both winless today.
Group 11 has Ronnie Alcano and Sarah Ellerby looking good at 2-0 while Wayne Catledge and David Alcaide fight for the 3rd spot. Catledge has one more loss than Alcaide and still must face Alcano in the final match of the day.
Group 12 sees Francisco Bustamante and Roman Hybler with matching 2-0 records while John Wims and Mike Davis fight for the 3rd spot. Davis the clear cut favorite for the 3rd spot as Wims has one more loss than Davis and faces Bustamante in the last match of the day.
Group 13 has Jon Kucharo with a 3-0 record and Alex Pagulayan comfortable with a 2-0 record. Kevin Becker is currently in the 3rd spot, with Charlie Bryant needing a minor miracle to advance.
Group 14 has Gerry Watson and Rico Diks looking good at 3-0 and 2-0. Carl Morris is in the 3rd spot and a win over winless David Reljic would pretty much assure Morris of advancing.
Group 15 shows Gabe Owen and Johl Younger leading with 2-0 records while Allen Hopkins fights it out with Tony Robles for the 3rd spot. Hopkins has one more loss than Robles and must face Owen in his last match while Robles still has matches with Younger and Grady Mathews. Robles is the clear cut favorite for the 3rd spot.
Group 16 has Cliff Joyner and Chia-Ching Wu undefeated at 3-0 and 2-0. Jeff Melton currently sits in 3rd with a 1-1 record while Hung Ming Chin and Jimmy White are winless.
Group 17 sees Larry Nevel and Imran Majid with 2 wins each. Shane Van Boening is tied with Tuan Kiat Goh for the 3rd spot with 1 win each but still must face each other. Goh has one more loss than Van Boening making him a clear underdog.
Group 18 looks to be decided with Quinten Hann, Rodolfo Luat and Jeremy Jones all sitting comfortably with 2 wins each while Jose Parica and Ewa Laurance are both winless.
Group 19 shows Phillip Harrison and Mori Manabu at 2-1. Antonio Lining and James Walden both have 1 win each and still must play each other. The winner of that match will have a clear advantage to move on.
Group 20 still has much to decide. Michael Zimmerman is advancing with a 3-0 record so far, but Bobby Hunter, Karen Corr and Aaron Franken all have 1 win each and only two of them can advance. Franken has one more loss than Hunter and Corr and will face Corr in the last match of the night. That match will be a must win match for Franken if he wants any chance to advance.
Up to date score from all 20 groups are available on the International Pool Tour website at www.internationalpooltour.com
