John Morrison, Jessica
On Sunday, April 13, Jessica "Asia" Cycak, last seen battling Karen Corr in the finals of a stop on the JPNEWT tour, worked her way, undefeated, through a field of 45 entrants on hand, for a stop on the Tri-State Tour. The $1,500-added event, marking Cycak's first victory on the tour, was hosted by Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.
Having worked her way through Rajesh Vannala, Miguel Laboy, and Luis Jimenez, Cycak faced Thomas Rice in a winners' side final four matchup, while Sam Hoffman faced Will Morales. Cycak sent Rice to the losers' bracket and in the battle for the hot seat, squared off against Hoffman, who'd sent Morales over 6-3. Cycak downed Hoffman 7-4 and waited in the hot seat for what turned out to be the return of John Morrison.
Morrison, who'd been defeated by Hoffman, worked his way through the losers' bracket, defeating Vagif Alekberov 7-3 and Bob Toomey 6-4, to pick up Morales. Rice drew Jamiyl Adams, who'd gotten by Tri V. Chau 7-4 and Bogie Uzdejczyk 7-5. Morrison and Rice defeated Morales and Adams by the same 7-3 score and faced each other in the quarterfinals.
Morrison ended Rice's day 8-4, earning himself a much-anticipated re-match against Hoffman in the semifinals. Morrison exacted his revenge 6-4 for a shot at Cycak in the hot seat. He took advantage, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before Cycak responded with seven straight to claim her first Tri-State title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Gotham City Billiards, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod, Heptig Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for April 19, will be hosted by the Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY.
