(l to r): Tony Ignomirello & Thomas Schreiber
Tony Ignomirello and Thomas Schreiber came to the Sunday, May 6 stop on the Tri-State Tour, looking for their second 2018 Tri-State win. Schreiber had won in January and Tony “Iggy” had chalked one up in March. Schreiber was actually looking for his third win on the 2017-2018 tour schedule, which begins and ends mid-summer in each year. Ignomirello made it to the hot seat, as Schreiber was at work on a five-match loss side streak that would afford him the opportunity to challenge Ignomirello in the finals. The two opted out of a final match, which gave Ignomirello, in the hot seat, the official match title and his second win of the year. The $1,000-added event drew 36 entrants to BQE Billiards in Jackson Heights (Queens), NY.
Following victories over Dementhriss Hudson and Ambi Estevez, Ignomirello played his first, and what proved to be, only match against Schreiber, defeating him 7-5 and advancing to a winners’ side semifinal against Shweta Zaveri. Amy Yu, in the meantime, squared off against Tri V Chau in the other one. Ignomirello downed Zaveri 8-6 and was joined in the hot seat match by Yu, who’d sent Chau west 7-3. Ignomirello won what proved to be his last match, getting into the hot seat, double hill, over Yu.
On the loss side, Schreiber opened his trek back to the finals with a 7-4 win over Iilia Trajceski, and followed it with a 9-4 victory over Marisol Palacios, which set him up to face Zaveri. Chau drew Max Watanabe, who’d defeated Dave Shlemperis (official winner of the previous week’s Tri-State stop) 7-3 and Matt Klein 8-6.
Both battles for advancement to the quarterfinals went double hill, with Watanabe downing Chau and Schreiber eliminating Zaveri. A third double hill match in those quarterfinals advanced Schreiber over Watanabe into the semifinals.
Schreiber completed his loss-side run with a 7-4 victory over Yu. He and Ignomirello made the choice not to play a final, and it was over, with Ignomirello claiming the official event title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at BQE Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, Pool & Billiards, Professor Q Ball, Bender Cues, and DIGICUE OB. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, a $1,000-added event, scheduled for Saturday, May 12, will be hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
