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DEFENDING CHAMPS TAKE A LEFT TURN
May 15, 2001 12:54 PM EST

The Billiard Congress of America's 2000 pro 9-ball champions were sent to the left side of the double-elimination brackets in early rounds as play got underway in Las Vegas at the $160,000 2001 BCA Pro 9-Ball championship,
Sunday.

In the men's division, Johnny Archer, Marietta, Ga., took a tumble from Canadian Mario Morra, 11- 8, and Gerda Hofstatter, New York, N.Y., lost to Karin Mayet 9-7 in second round action after breezing past Ann Gray, 9-1, in the opening round.

Other favorites, including Karen Corr, who has won the last two Women's Professional Billiard Association titles, and points-leader Allison Fisher are undefeated after two rounds. Media darling Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee is after her first post-surgery title, and could end up facing Fisher
in the fourth round if both get by their next opponents.

On the men's side, only about half of the "usual suspects" remain undefeated. Archer was joined on the one-loss side by Earl Strickland who dropped an 11-9 second-round match to recent Turning Stone Casino champ Francisco Bustamante; last year's U.S. Open runner-up, Takeshi Okamura of
Japan, was defeated by Tony Watson, 11-8; and German champ Ralf Souquet, who finished third at the recent Master's, lost to Kim Davenport, 11-3.

The BCA Pro 9-Ball Open marks the first time that the Sardo Tight Rack has been used throughout an entire competition. In last year's tournament, only the final, TV-taped matches employed the device -- and its inventor to operate it. This year, players are using the racking device to set the balls themselves. Not surprisingly, there has been a learning curve. Rack maniac Earl Strickland, predictably, hovered and chattered and fussed as the balls were racked in his first round match against Jim Rempe, while the diminutive Jose Parica laughed his way through his first tries at racking because, at about 5' 2", he couldn't quite get the leverage he needed to
lift the device straight up.

Play continues today.

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Strickland provided valuable feedback to Lou Sardo, inventor of the SardoTight Rack.