Gus Briseno, Gavin Mathew and Juan Parra
Back in May, Gus Briseno was once again on top of the Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour’s standings, though not by much. He’d yet to win a stop on the tour, while finishes in all four of his previous appearances had kept him just five points ahead of Shane McMinn, who’d won both of the events he’d entered; the season opener in January and Stop #3 in March. Into that spring scenario stepped one Gavin Mathew, whose only tour ‘claim to fame’ was finishing way out of the money in both of his previous appearances (in the two stops won by McMinn). Briseno and Mathew played three times that spring weekend, battling to double hill twice. Mathew won the first one, double hill, in a winners’ side quarterfinal, went on to defeat the tour’s #2 at the time, Mark Johnson and then, grabbed the hot seat over Friday Abismo.
Briseno won five on the loss side to earn a second and as it turned out, third shot at Mathew, waiting for him in the hot seat. They battled to double-hill in the opening set, but Briseno prevailed 9-5 (Mathew racing to 6). They came within a game of a second double-hill battle, but Briseno got out in front to win it 9-4 and claim his first 2024 tour title.
Oh, and by the way, Gavin Mathew is 10 years old. And Gus Briseno one of his primary mentors, sandwiched between admiration for his grandmother and parents.
In search of his second 2024 tour win this past weekend (Aug. 17-18), Briseno, still atop the tour standings, had to get by Mathew again, in the same location where they’d battled in May. Only once this time, and only at the very end. But Briseno did win their reunion match to claim title to the $1,000-added event that drew 50 entrants to Rusty’s in Arlington, TX.
Early on, opening on opposite ends of the bracket, Briseno and Mathew maintained the possibility of meeting in the hot seat match until the winners’ side semifinal. Briseno, awarded a bye in the opening round gave up only two racks in his first two matches, one each to Zach Dowler and Jason Borroel. He advanced to down Max Sun 9-4 and drew Martin Harris in one of the winners’ side semifinals.
Mathew, in the meantime, earned a bye as well and initially, got ‘beads on the wire’ against his first two opponents, which he didn’t end up needing; one versus Tara Williams in a race to 7, which he won 6-4 and three in a race to 9 against Clint Freeman (#4 in tour standings), which he won 6-5. He and Keith Diaz then battled to double hill in a straight-up race to 6, before Mathew prevailed to draw Juan Parra in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Briseno sent Harris to the loss side 9-2 and advanced to the hot seat match. Parra diverted a Briseno/Mathew hot seat rematch by defeating Mathew 8-4. Briseno claimed the hot seat over Parra 8-3 and waited on what turned out to be the return of Mathew.
On the loss side, Mathew picked up Toby Brown, who was working on a four-match, loss-side winning streak, three of which had gone double hill. He’d opened his loss-side trip with double-hill wins over Joe Pelayo and Tim Larson before defeating Tommy Lacarbo 7-5 and then, chalking up a third, double-hill win over Clint Freeman to face Mathew.
Harris drew Mark Johnson, who was also working on a four-match, loss-side streak that like Brown’s had started with a double hill win, over Jourdan Herzog, but proceeded less dramatically with wins over Tony Mathew, 7-3, Daniel Intong 7-4, and Keith Diaz 7-3, to face Harris.
Johnson eliminated Harris 7-4 and in the quarterfinals, faced Mathew, who’d defeated Brown 6-4. Mathew, with a single ‘bead on the wire’ in a race to 7, matched racks versus Johnson (6-6), but the ‘bead on the wire’ advanced him to face Parra in the semifinals.
Mathew was awarded two ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 8 in his semifinal matchup against Parra. He didn’t need either of them as he retired Parra 6-3.
The Briseno/Mathew rematch was on. Once again, Mathew was working with ‘beads on the wire.’ This time, in the first and possibly second set of a true double-elimination final, Mathew began with three of them in a race to 9. He would have needed twice that many, because Briseno won the single set 9-3 to claim his second 2024 DFW 9-Ball title.
Mathew, who is sponsored by Predator Cues, presumably returned to grammar school on Monday morning.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rusty’s Billiards for their hospitality, along with title sponsor Cuetec and Fort Worth Billiards Superstore. Stop #9 on the Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 21-22, will be hosted by Jeffro’s Billiards in Canton, TX.
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