(l to r): Jerry Almodovar & Kevin Serodio
Jerry Almodovar has cashed, according to our records, four times at a combination of Tri-State and Predator Pro Am Tour stops over the past three years; his highest finish coming in the Predator tour’s Tour Championships last December, at which he finished fourth. Almodovar broke through on Sunday, Oct. 28, with an undefeated run on the Tri-State Tour, downing Paul Wilkens in the battle for the hot seat and splitting the top two prizes with Kevin Serodio, following a decision not to play a final match. The $1,000-added event drew 25 entrants to Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
Following victories over Bernie Vogelsang, Mike Strassberg and Tim Demarest, Almodovar moved into a winner’s side semifinal against Serodio. Wilkens, in the meantime, having defeated Neil Walmsley, Jaydev Zaveri and Rick Rodriguez, squared off against Eddie Medina. Almodovar won the only match he played against Serodio 6-3 and was joined in the hot seat match by Wilkens, who’d sent Medina west in a double hill battle. Almodovar claimed the hot seat and, in effect, the event title 7-3 over Wilkens.
On the loss side, Serodio picked up Michelle Brotons, fourth on the Tri-State’s list of top-ranked females and 7th on its list of C players, who was in the midst of a four-match, loss-side winning streak that was about to end. She’d downed Shweta Zaveri 7-5 and Tim Demarest 7-4 to reach Serodio. Medina drew David Schaeffer, who’d just eliminated Luis Jimenez 7-3 and Walmsley 7-5.
Medina advanced to the quarterfinals 7-2 over Schaeffer and was met by Serodio, who’d defeated Brotons, double hill. Serodio went on to defeat Medina 7-4 in those quarterfinals.
In what proved to be the last match of the night, Serodio earned a shot against Almodovar in the hot seat with a 7-5 win over Wilkens in the semifinals. Having played once in a winners’ side semifinal that sent Almodovar to the hot seat match, Almodovar and Serodio opted out of a second match and split the top two prizes.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Shooter’s Family Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling Gaming, Kamui Tips, Phil Cappelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, Pool & Billiards, Professor Q Ball, Bender Cues and DIGICUE OB. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 4, will be a Double Points 10-Ball event, Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ.
