In this time of the NCAA’s March Madness extravaganza, we are (more often than not) made aware of at least one ‘Cinderella’ story, the original of which is about a young woman who rises from literal ashes (thus, the ‘cinder’ part of her name) to attend a fancy-dress ball and after a series of daunting challenges, wins the heart of a Prince who is considered way above her sweeping-out-fireplaces station in life.
For one reason or another, the term, while present at some point in most NCAA March Madness events, is rarely employed to embody a single individual in a pool tournament, although truth be told, it happens a lot; a much lower-ranked competitor emerges from a field of higher-ranked opponents and gets his or her initial shot at being among the ‘royalty’ of those who win cash at a pool tournament on a regular basis. The phenomenon is especially notable when a candidate for such a ‘Cinderella’ analogy emerges from a tournament, not only to win his or her first (recorded) cash payout, but ends up winning the event as well.
Of the 38 entrants who signed on to compete in last weekend’s (March 16) stop on the Predator Tri-State Tour, hosted by Diamond Jim’s Billiards and Pub in Nanuet, NY, 22 of them were ranked higher (C+ or above) than the competitor who went undefeated to win it, the C-ranked Alexander Estevez. Six of the remaining 16 were lower (D+/D), while 10, like Estevez, were C players. While the six D+/D competitors might have qualified as a ‘Cinderella’ story, Estevez’ first cash payout and win trumped them all, including two D players; Jessica Keim’s 7th/8th, first cash-payout finish and Marisol Palacio’s 13th place finish, which had been preceded by seven (recorded) cash payouts since 2016.
Employing a modified double-elimination bracket, the 38 competitors played double-elimination until there were four left on each side of the bracket. They advanced to a single-elimination phase characterized by two As, one B+, three Bs and two Cs, including the winner, Estevez.
Estevez tackled Jessica Keim in the opening, single-elimination round, defeating her 7-4 and advancing to the event semifinals against Jason Caradang (B), who’d won his opener against a C, Christopher Cheung 7-4. Fernando Ramirez (A) and Bud Robideau (B) squared off in their opening round, with Ramirez advancing 7-3 to the other semifinal against Arnaldo Trancoso, who’d opened with a shutout over his fellow (B), Clint Pires.
Estevez inched closer to his ‘glass slipper’ of a first cash payout and win with a 7-3 victory over Caradang, as Ramirez was taking out Troncoso 7-4 to join him in the finals. And, as befitting such ‘Cinderella’ stories, where the most difficult obstacle is always the last and hardest, the finals went double hill.
The ‘slipper’ finally fit, after the double-hill struggle versus Ramirez to get it on, and Estevez claimed the event title. In legendary clarinetist Artie Shaw’s autobiography, entitled The Trouble with Cinderella, Shaw made note of the fact that at the end of the story, the newly-crowned Cinderella was moving into a whole new cultural royalty scene and that adjustment to it was going to be more difficult than she imagined. For Estevez, the future is going to demand that he attend a few more ‘balls’ and fit into a lot more difficult (tournament win) slippers before he can even get close to anything that resembles ‘happily ever after.’
Predator Tri-State Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Diamond Jim’s for their hospitality, along with title sponsor Predator Cues, Romer’s Trophies, Phil Capelle and Sterling Gaming. The next stop on the Predator Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, March 30, will be hosted by Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
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