Ben Zimmerman and Sergio Abbruzzese
Sergio Abbruzzese enshrined his name in our AZBilliards database for the first time this past weekend (Sun. March 19). He did so by coming from the loss side to meet and twice defeat Ben Zimmerman in the double-elimination finals of a stop on the Garden State Pool Tour. The $200-added event drew 27 entrants to Side Pocket Billiards in Howell, NJ. According to tour director, Dave Fitzpatrick, Abbruzzese arrived on the scene having won his last four events in a row; unrecorded-with-us victories in TAP league and in-house tournaments.
Abbruzzese’s trip began with a 6-4 win over TJ Casper and survival of a double hill battle against Donald Henriquez, before arriving at a winners’ side semifinal against Hunter Sullivan. Zimmerman, in the meantime, opened with a 4-2 win over Kevin Serodio, a 6-4 win versus Mike Del Vecchio and a 6-2 outing against Pat Mareno to arrive at his winners’ side semifinal against David Schull.
Abbruzzese downed Sullivan 4-3 (Sullivan racing to 5) and was joined in the hot seat match by Zimmerman, who’d defeated Schull 5-2. Zimmerman defeated Abbruzzese, double hill, in their first of three and waited in the hot seat for the next two.
On the loss side, Hunter Sullivan picked up Ryan Smith, who was in the midst of feasting on a shutout sandwich of Pat Mareno, between two pieces of double-hill bread, Justin Pelech and Sullivan. Schull picked up Henriquez, who’d followed his double-hill loss to Abbruzzese with two straight double-hill wins over Delby Calderon and Kervin Santamaria.
Schull downed Henriquez 6-3 and was joined in the quarterfinals by Smith, who’d eliminated Sullivan, double hill. Schull began the finals with two ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 6 and didn’t need either of them as he shut Smith out to advance to the semifinals.
Abbruzzese put a stop to Schull’s shutout momentum with a 6-1 victory over him in those semifinals. He and Zimmerman battled back forth to a double-hill opening set in the true double elimination finals, before Abbruzzese advanced to the second set and claimed the event title 5-1 over Zimmerman.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked the ownership and staff at Side Pockets Billiards, as well as sponsors IntheBox Apparel, Off the Rail, Billiards Engineering, JFlowers Cues and Cases, John Bender Custom Cues and Outsville. The next stop on the Garden State Pool Tour, scheduled for the weekend of April 1-2, will be an Open 9-Ball Tournament to be hosted by Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
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