Winner Ajeya Prabhakar is congratulated by runner-up Graham Perry
The former United States National Snooker Champion, Ajeya Prabhakar, has won his first United States Snooker Association (USSA) Tour title of the 2011-12 season, sponsored by Aramith Billiard Balls, with victory in Event 9 at Ace Snooker Club in San Mateo, California.
Prabhakar was the defending champion for this Tour event played a year ago, and it was also good to see a number of new players to the Tour in the full-field of entrants this past weekend.
Also competing was the welcome return of Jeff Szafransky, a former San Francisco Snooker Champion and quarterfinalist in the United States National Snooker Championship, who won the first ever USSA Tour event played back in 2009 but has not competed for three years.
Prabhakar, who also serves as the President of the USSA, was in fine form over the weekend as he won Group C without dropping a single frame, to set up a quarterfinal meeting with one of the co-owners of the Ace Snooker Club, Eric Ng, who finished up runner-up in Group D.
The winner of Group D was newcomer to the Tour Graham Perry, originally from England where he learned his snooker, as he went undefeated to take his place in the quarterfinals where he would face Lai Ho Ng, the runner-up of Group A.
The winner of Group A was Zhi Ming after winning all of his matches to secure his quarterfinal spot, where he would come up against Szafransky who sealed the runner's-up place in Group B.
The remaining quarterfinal was to be contested between Andrew Lam, who won Group B, and the runner-up of of group C, Chris Zhou.
In the quarterfinals Prabhakar defeated Ng and Zhi overcame Szafransky both by 3-0 scorelines, and they would play each other in the semifnals. Zhou got past Lam 3-0 while Perry beat Lai 3-1 to set up the other semifinal.
Prabhakar had few problems in booking his place in the final with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Zhi, and although the first two frames of the other semifinal between Perry and Zhou were shared, the Englishman then ran away to a 3-1 success.
Prabhakar took the first frame of the race-to-four frames final, but Perry showed he would put up a challenge to the favorite for the title as he took the second frame on the final colored balls.
Last year's runner-up in the United States National Snooker Championship then managed to pick off the following three closely fought frames to claim a 4-1 victory.
Prabhakar was happy with what was his fourth USSA Tour event victory, but commented afterwards that he was more pleased about the great weekend of competition they had and to meet the new players to the Tour.
The USSA would like to offer its thanks to Alan Kam and Eric Ng, the co-owners of the ACE Snooker Club, for hosting their second event on the 2011-12 USSA Tour and for their invaluable continued support.
The 2011-12 USSA Tour next moves onto the 4 Kaz Snooker Club & Bar in Las Vegas for Event 10 over the weekend of March 31 & April 1.
