It took two sets to do it, but Ralf Souquet has defeated Francisco Bustamante to win the Derby City Classic 9-Ball Division.
Souquet came into the finals as the favorite with an undefeated record and two wins over John Schmidt under his belt to get him comfortable with the speed of the TV table while Bustamante had been sitting for hours taking advantage of back to back byes.
Souquet took a quick 2-0 lead, but Bustamante took complete control of the match after that and won seven straight games for a 7-2 win.
Souquet used his buyback option and the players got ready to play one more time to determine the champion. This time it was Bustamante who took a 1-0 lead, but Souquet won the next three games for a 3-1 lead. Bustamante took advantage of two missed balls in rack five to narrow Souquet's lead to one at 3-2, but then it was Souquet who took control of the match and won the next four straight games for the 7-2 win.
Souquet earned $17,500 for first place, while Bustamante settled for $8,800. Bustamante was also consoled with the $20,000 all around bonus. One pocket winner Gabe Owen took 2nd in the all around and Souquet's 9-ball win earned him third place.
Banks Rounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
One Pocket Rounds: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
