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Surprises Galore at BCA 9-Ball Tilt!
May 19, 2005, 12:11 PM

The BCA Open 9-Ball Championships, the first of the year’s three "majors" in pool, has yielded some big surprises in the early going in Las Vegas this week. After three days of play, the ranks of the undefeated on the men’s side had narrowed to Johnny Archer, Thorsten Hohmann and the largely unknown Chris Szuter and Filipino Marlon Manalo. Big names like Gabe Owen, Charlie Bryant and Cory Deuel suffered early exits in the competition.

Over on the women’s side, Hall-of-Famer Ewa Laurance was riding a jaw-dropping hot streak that put her in the winners’-bracket semifinal against Karen Corr, while Allison Fisher faced off against the vastly improved Tiffany Nelson. (Laurance’s impressive list of victims included Julie Kelly, Jennifer Barretta and Jennifer Chen.) Even more surprising was the notable absence among those still playing — British sensation Kelly Fisher, who scored her first Classic Tour win in April but went 0-2 at the BCAs.

For up-to-date brackets for both the men and the women, check www.wpba.com.