We've reached the pinnacle of cue-separated competition, as 24 bracket champions will be crowned in the next four days. Those winners will compete for the top three positions in each event, with the winners of that playing in the prestigious Tournament of Champions. First up today...
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Shadow v. Hannah. A captain clashes with a sophomore in 8-ball with the red cue. Web City's Shadow dominated on offense in game 1, with a five-ball run halted by a scratch and four balls over his next two turns. Shadow's only mistake was illegal contact as the 8 fell, gifting the win to Queens' Hannah as she takes the 1-0 series lead. The Spiders' Shadow struggled a bit more in game 2, although he found a creative run near the end that nearly stole the win away on a botched kick shot. Shadow left the 8 near the top side, and the Flames' Hannah supplemented her four-ball run with a pair of shots on the final turn for a more earned win to go ahead 2-0 in the series. Shadow had a large part of the early offense in game 3, getting down to two balls left in good positions. Hannah roared back on a five-ball run, and Shadow botched his second shot on the next turn, allowing Hannah to jam the 10 to the bottom right before banking the 8 there for the win. Hannah's desperate finishes have her ahead 3-0 in the series. Hannah showed a lot of confidence on offense in game 4, making a ball on the break and taking a large lead over Shadow. In the later turns, Shadow made six balls over two turns to get on the 8, but he missed the critical shot, and Hannah took a late pair for the win to clinch the series at 4-0. Shadow played better in game 5, making five balls over his first two turns while Hannah struggled. Shadow got down to his last ball, but he couldn't find a place for it, and Hannah surged ahead on a four-ball run, and then she won two turns later by tapping in the 8 at the top left. Hannah has a 5-0 series lead. Hannah stormed out to a six-ball run on her second turn of game 6, getting in very good position. Shadow took his time to counter that attack, but Hannah's rare lack of finishing allowed Shadow a chance to convert a seven-ball run-out, avoiding complete disaster as this win cuts the series to 5-1. Hannah had a good start with a three-ball run in game 7, but she went cold after that, and Shadow stormed back on another seven-ball run-out to take the win. Hannah won the series 5-2, advancing to the Finals with a 22-8 record on the bracket.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Puff I v. Strut. The blue cue's only series today is its 15-ball finale, which will play after the lunch break. Golden's Strut stayed quiet at first in game 1, but roared with a six-ball run followed by a four-ball run-out, with Modernistic's Puff I making only one shot in between. Strut's big attack gave him a 1-0 series lead with the win. The Pilots' Strut continued to pile on with possession in game 2, making a six-ball run on his second-to-last turn. The Union's Puff I countered Strut at the end, taking a three-ball run-out for the win to tie the series at 1 despite an unimpressive process. Game 3 saw Strut's offense come down from the extreme levels, as he settled in for a four-ball run. Puff I had a chance to counter that, but missed on the 14, and Strut made the last two shots to take the win for a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 also stayed pretty even between the two players. Puff I had a late three-ball run after holding a small edge in possession, but it all didn't matter when Strut made the last two balls to take the win. Strut is now up 3-1 in the series. Puff I pushed her way to a more noticeable majority of the offense in game 5, highlighted by a four-ball run in the middle of the game. Strut had a chance to launch a late run, but he missed on the 14, and Puff I made the last two balls for the win to pull back to a 3-2 deficit overall. Game 6 lost all resemblance to actual pool, as both players overpowered their shots and rattled many plays out of pockets. At the end, Strut deflected the cue off the 12 to tap the 15 into the bottom right to secure the series at 4-2 with his win. Puff I made sure to play a good game 7, although it didn't start that well, as Strut's break led to some messy shooting. Puff I broke through at the end on an eight-ball run-out to leave Strut with a 4-3 series win. Strut heads to the Finals having gone 20-10 so far. Strut also took the individual kills lead at 6, making Puff I the 137th eliminated player.
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Jason V. v. Tigerette. Our first top-10 exclusive series is in 15-ball with the silver cue. Oceanside's Jason blasted a five-ball run from the break, part of making nine balls on his first three turns. Commerce's Tigerette replied on a four-ball run, but Jason made the last two shots for a dominant win and 1-0 series lead. The Waves' Jason made seven balls over his first three turns in game 2, although the focus rested on a 15 located near the top right. The Tradewinds' Tigerette took her swipes at the 15 as well, but it stood tall until Jason rallied on a four-ball run-out for the win, moving to a 2-0 series lead with another dominant effort. Tigerette finally carved out some offense for herself in game 3, taking her fair share of shots and keeping Jason at bay in the later stages. Tigerette would win from ball-in-hand after Jason missed contact trying to kick the 14. The series still favors Jason 2-1. Jason materialized a five-ball run early in game 4 out of nowhere, seemingly announcing a bounce-back effort. Tigerette wouldn't let that happen, blocking Jason late and then making five of the last six shots over two turns for the win. Tigerette has tied the series at 2, with the crowd at a fever pitch. Tigerette quieted the ruckus by having a subtly dominant performance in game 5. Tigerette started with a pair from the break and continued to brew offense on every turn, ending with a pair of three-ball runs on her last two turns for the win. Tigerette now leads the series at 3-2. Tigerette still looked dangerous at times in game 6, but she never really recovered from scratching on the break. Jason had the majority of offense again, winning on his third three-ball run by missing a shot on the 11 that bumped the 15 back to the bottom right. Jason has retied the series at 3, setting up a massive finale. Tigerette didn't have the best start in game 7, allowing Jason to work a four-ball run that saw him pull off a double-pot of the 4 and 12 to the right corners. Tigerette's following turn saw her use a follow shot for the 5-15 combination, a double-pot that won her the series 4-3. Tigerette offed the best player on the bracket, ending at 19-11 in the event. Tigerette took her second kill, making Jason V. the 138th player out of the Tournament.
FedEx Arena, Eastside: Chelsea v. Nicole. The silver cue remains in action to handle this 9-ball series. Eastside's Chelsea had a productive second turn with a three-ball run, and she remained a challenge to Lighton's Nicole throughout the game. Chelsea finally won with a kick on the 9 to the top left to take the 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Nicole still looked a little lost in game 2, unable to string her shots together under pressure from the Sharks' Chelsea, who cleaned up most of Nicole's misses en route to an easy win for the 2-0 series lead. Chelsea had a decent break in game 3, forcing Nicole to be defensive with her first shot. The slow start continued for a few turns until Chelsea broke free with a six-ball run-out for the win, pushing her lead in the series to 3-0. Chelsea didn't have her best offense in game 4, while Nicole showed a bit of growth in using more balanced defense. The result at the end was the same, with Nicole missing on the 7 to ignite a three-ball run-out by Chelsea for the win that clinched the series for her at 4-0. Nicole made her big move a game too late, winning game 5 handily on an eight-ball run-out after Chelsea came up empty on her first two turns. Nicole's big win cut the series to 4-1. Chelsea had a five-ball run early in game 6, looking to bounce back, but her offense dried up after that, and Nicole would win on a pair of shots on the final turn, pulling closer as the series moves to 4-2. Chelsea and Nicole battled early in a wide-open game 7, with both getting their runs in. Nicole missed on the 9 late in the game, and Chelsea made the tap-in at the top left for the win and a 5-2 series win. Chelsea heads to the Finals with a 19-8 record from the bracket after a first-round bye. Chelsea picked up her third kill of the year, bumping Nicole out at 139th in exiting order. The Sharks also took a team kill over the Prestige with this win.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Quincy v. Violetta. Club-mates clash as the hottest rookie takes on the league-leading sophomore in 9-ball with the red cue. Queens' Violetta had a strong start in game 1, setting Terrace City's Quincy behind a bit initially. Quincy rebounded at the end with a three-ball run-out for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Knights' Quincy had a four-ball run early in game 2, a fierce attack that tamed with an exchange of single pots with the Flames' Violetta in the middle. Violetta pulled back at the end, making the 7 before double-potting the 8 and 9 to the right corners on a perfect trick play. The series is tied at 1. Quincy got a little too loose with his shooting in game 3, despite carrying a good portion of the offense. Quincy had a chance to win, but he left the 9 at the bottom right, and Violetta tapped it in to pull ahead 2-1 in the series. Violetta looked to have a strong grip on game 4 with a four-ball run, but she fell apart with two misses while going for the 7. Quincy eventually made the 7 and the 9 to the top right for the win, retying the series at 2. Violetta still had a good performance in game 5, controlling the offense in the middle of the game but needing Quincy to twice miss on the 9. Violetta eventually tapped it to the top left after a nervy finish, regaining her series lead at 3-2. Violetta started well again in game 6, attacking relentlessly. Quincy had some looks in the middle of the game, but he missed contact on the 5, and Violetta launched a three-ball run-out to take the win, sealing the series at 4-2. Quincy managed to strike the 9 at the end of game 7, a counter to Violetta's seemingly overwhelming offense during the rest of the time. Violetta won the series 4-3, completing a 22-8 campaign in 9-ball to put herself in the Finals.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Misty v. Shiny. Today's final series is in Accuracy with the red cue. Westside's Misty made a ball on the break in game 1, but she fell behind with a few too many misses early in the game. She held on well, while Web City's Shiny slipped up on the last ball to create overtime. Shiny's overtime break went empty, and Misty converted to win 3-4 for the 1-0 series lead. The Rockers' Misty again made a ball on the break in game 2, although she held the lead for a lot of this game after the Spiders' Shiny had some sloppy play in the middle. Misty let the lead go with a late miss but held on to force overtime, where Shiny's break again went empty. Misty converted to win 2-3, pushing her series lead to 2-0. Misty had a messy stretch in the middle of game 3 thanks to a bad break that caused both players to miss early. Shiny was happy to watch Misty struggle, and she held tightly to the lead that created, winning 1-3 at the end to cut the series to 2-1. Shiny had a double-pot on the break of game 4, and the two players engaged in an active start to the game. Shiny was first to slip up, and she fell far behind as Misty used positioning to pressure Shiny. Misty faltered near the end, but managed to hang on for a 2-4 win to restore a two-game advantage at 3-1. Game 5 played out in a very similar style, with only an empty break from Misty to differentiate it. Misty was the one who fell apart in the middle of the game, falling behind and only forcing Shiny to take an extra shot on a troublesome last ball. Shiny won 2-4, pulling back to a 3-2 series deficit. Misty had to play a near-perfect game as Shiny triple-potted on the break shot of game 6. Luckily for Misty, everything she touched went in as planned, and she beat Shiny 0-2 to clinch the series at 4-2. Misty and Shiny combined for a very close game 7, which came down to Shiny missing on the last ball, which Misty then converted at the bottom right for the 2-3 win. Misty took the series 5-2 to get to the Finals, going 20-10 on the bracket overall. Shiny is the 140th eliminated player, giving Misty her first kill of the year.
That's all for today's games. We'll have another six series day tomorrow.
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