Roberto Gomez
Last month, Roberto Gomez was in Round Rock, TX, mounting a loss-side run in the 2nd Annual Texas State 10-Ball Championships at Skinny Bob's Billiards. He got by Robb Saez and CJ Wiley to face Skyler Woodward in the event semifinals. He took that semifinal match to a case game, before Woodward advanced to double dip Dennis Orcollo in the finals. On the weekend of March 12-13, Gomez found himself in the hot seat at the Arkansas Open 9-Ball Championships, watching Shane McMinn mount an 11-win, loss-side campaign that took him into the finals. Gomez prevailed in a single-set final to win his first 2016 title. The $3,000-added event drew 128 entrants to Krome Billiards in North Little Rock, AR.
With his eventual challenger, McMinn, at work on the loss side, after a loss to Robb Saez, Gomez advanced to a winners' side semifinal versus Jeff Sullivan. Jon Demet and Joey Gray squared off in the other semifinal. Gomez got into the hot seat match with a 7-3 win over Sullivan and was joined by Demet, who'd sent Gray over 7-5. Staking his claim decisively, Gomez shut Demet out in the hot seat match and waited on McMinn.
With four notches on his loss-side belt already, McMinn defeated long-time rival Chip Compton 7-1 and Mike Delawder 7-2 to pick up Sullivan. Gray drew Saez, who'd eliminated Ryan Robinson 7-4 and Greg Hogue 7-2. McMinn and Saez advanced to a quarterfinal rematch; McMinn, 7-5 over Sullivan and Saez, 7-2 over Gray.
McMinn successfully wreaked his vengeance on Saez 7-3, and then downed Demet 7-5 in the semifinals. His 11-match winning streak came to an end in the finals, as Gomez chalked up a 7-5 win that earned him the Arkansas Open title.
