Stop #3 of the Mezz LA 9 Ball Series opened up to a tough field of SoCal pool players, with Rakesh Bunga (636) taking down his first tournament win in the series! Rakesh defeated Melissa Helland (659) 8-5 in a single race final, getting one game on the wire after capturing the hot seat and going undefeated for 6 rounds. The field featured 1 player in the 700s and 10 in the 600s. The fields are becoming stronger and stronger every month!Rakesh started his run through the field against newcomer Ted Windle (570), followed by a very easy victory over Chris Santana (576). Needing to bring his A game now, Rakesh came up on top again, this time against Season 1 finale champion Chris Wedekind (638), followed by a hill-hill victory over Melissa before defeating Alfred Martinez (607) to reach the hot seat.
Melissa’s route to the final started with wins over tournament director Rudy Torres (598), Johann Uriarte (559), and Terrence Lee (576) before being sent to the left by Rakesh. Melissa turned back the clock on the one loss side against Beau Runningen (737) with a powerful break and devastating defensive game, taking down the ex-pro in a convincing 5-2 victory. Two more victories over Terrence and Alfred led to the final against Rakesh, taking second place.
View the entire bracket online here from Digital Pool here:
Several new players have joined the series: Branndon Scott, Chris Cruz, Dennis Do, Jamal Oussi, Jonathan Monroy, and Ted Windle.
Lastly, we would like to thank all our sponsors for their support of this series which promises to build up to a great Finale in December: Mezz Cues, ZAN TIP, Turtle Rack Sheet, Holly Cases & Custom, Digital Pool, Jam Up Apparel, fast&loose designs, and RT Custom Cues & Repairs.
Stop #4 is Sunday, April 2nd! Tickets go on sale Sunday, March 12 at 9am PST.
Find out more at www.LABCAPL.com
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