Kristina Grimm and Raul Calderon
Kristina "Reaper" Grim went undefeated, downing Raul Calderon twice (hot seat match and finals), to become another in a long line of players and specifically, women to win their first stop on the Tri-State Tour. Grim joined 55 entrants, who competed in the $1,000-added event, held on Saturday, April 15, and hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
Grim got a bit of a break in the winners' side semifinal match, when her opponent, Sherwin Robinson, forfeited. This put her into the hot seat match against Calderon, who'd just defeated Carlos Serrano 7-4. Grim and Calderon battled to double hill before Grim dropped the match's final 9-ball to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, thanks to Robinson's forfeiture, Thomas Schreiber moved directly from victories over Liam Tully 7-3 and Atif Khan 7-4, into the quarterfinals. He faced Zouraiz Ellhai, who'd survived a double hill fight versus Adrian Daniel and eliminated Erick Carrasco 6-2.
Schreiber jumped over the quarterfinals, as well, when Ellhai forfeited. Without sinking a ball, the double forfeits more than doubled Schreiber's cash payout, from the potential 5th/6th payout of $140 to his eventual $330. Calderon defeated Schreiber 7-4 in the semifinals to earn a second shot against Grim. Grim took their second matchup 7-4 to claim the event title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Steinway Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, April 22, will be hosted by Shooters Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
