The 2004 Sudden Death 7-Ball event was held Wednesday at the ESPN Zone in Las Vegas Nevada where eight top players competed for $40,000 in prize money.
The first round of play saw reigning champion Johnny Archer, reigning World 9-Ball Champion Alex Pagulayan, Ralf Souquet and Lee Van Cortezza all eliminated with 5th place finishes.
In the first semifinal match, Corey Deuel took the first set with a 7-5 win over BCA Open 9-Ball Champion Tony Robles. Robles came back with a 7-6 win in the second set to force a one game sudden death finale. The finale went to Deuel who advanced to the finals.
In the second semifinal match, reigning Challenge of Champions Champion Thomas Engert scored a 7-5 win over 'Rocket' Rodney Morris. Morris came back with a 7-6 win in the second set to force another sudden death finale. The game went to Engert to earn him his place in the finals.
The first set of the finals was controlled by Deuel who cruised to a 7-1 lead. Engert had the chance to win the second set and force a sudden death game, but came up empty in the end as Deuel scored a 7-6 win in the second set.
Deuel earned $25,000 in prize money, while Engert settled for $5,000. Robles and Morris both earned $2,000 each, while the 5th place finishers won $1,500 each.
Thursday evening will see the final 3 matches of the Trick Shot Magic competition where Mike Massey will take on Stefano Pelinga and Andy Segal will play Nick Nikolaidis with the winners playing for $25,000 in prize money.
