Sean Santoro and Keith Adamik
Back in the proverbial day, it was possible to step into a pool room and get your equally-proverbial clock cleaned by a perfect stranger. Then came the Internet, cell phones and AZBilliards, somewhat in that order and it became increasingly difficult to sneak up on somebody. Sean Santoro, a C- rated player playing in only his second Predator Tri-State Tour event last weekend (June 12-13) at The Spot in Nanuet, won his first match, lost his second (double hill to Latanya Taylor) and proceeded to win nine matches on the loss side for entry into the finals against Keith Adamik, with a history that goes back at least 10 years on both the Predator Tri-State and former Predator Pro Am Tour. Santoro double-dipped Adamik, offered proof of the ‘any given Sunday’ rule in pool tournaments and claimed his first Predator Tri-State title. The $1,250-added event drew 55 entrants to The Spot.
With his eventual finals opponent at work on the loss side, Adamik advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Adrian Daniel. With her husband, Jaydev, at work on the loss side, Shweta Zaveri advanced to a winners’ side semifinal versus Tae Chang.
Adamik got into the hot seat match 8-4 over Daniel. Zaveri and Chang locked up in a double hill fight that did eventually send Zaveri into the hot seat match versus Adamik. Adamik claimed the hot seat 10-7 and waited for Santoro to finish his loss-side run.
On the loss side, where a husband/wife match loomed as possible in the semifinals, Tae Chang ran into the streaking-to-the-finals Santoro, six matches into his loss-side streak and having recently eliminated Nishant Narang 6-4 and Ashima Butler 7-5. Daniel drew the ‘husband’ in the potential semifinal scenario, Jaydev, who’d just concluded two straight double hill wins, over Stewart Warnock and Aurelio Romero.
It was Zaveri and Santoro advancing to the quarterfinals; Zaveri 7-5 over Daniel and Santoro 6-4 over Chang. Santoro then spoiled the husband/wife match party, downing Jaydev 8-3 in the quarterfinals and Shweta 6-5 in the semifinals.
His nine-match, loss-side trek completed, Santoro kept dropping the balls as he moved into the true double elimination final. He took the opening set 9-5 and though Adamik put up a double hill fight in the second set, Santoro won it to claim his first event title and we assume, a raise in his handicap rating.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at The Spot for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Predator Cues, Ozone Billiards, Sterling Billiards, Kamui, Quick Stik, Bloodworth Ball Cleaner, Joe Romer Trophies, Phil Cappelle Publications and Pool and Billiards. The next stop on the Predator Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, June 26, will be hosted by Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ.
