Sykes comes back from the loss side to claim 13th Annual NC State 9-Ball Open title
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Corey Sykes
If nothing else, the 13th Annual NC State 9-Ball Open, held under the auspices of the TOP (The Open Players) Tour, was a showcase event, featuring a wide selection of well-known competitors at all skill levels from the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions of the country. We’ll pass on the ‘including x, y, z’ part of that statement because there are so many names that made it true, we’d be here for a page or two detailing them. And short of including all 97 of them, we might miss a couple, potentially incurring the wrath of the ‘missed.’ Many of them you’ll recognize as the tournament narrative gets underway. Tommy Kennedy, however, did slip us a bribe to mention that he was there, so yes, the winner of the 1992 US Open 9-Ball Championships was in attendance.
Tour director Herman Parker, no stranger to pool tournaments or the top-notch players who’ve played on his tour, was almost giddy with satisfaction, calling it a “Crazy strong field, the strongest field (he’s) ever seen” on either of his tours. He spoke in glowing terms, not only about the strength of the field, but of how much personal enjoyment he experienced watching matches engaged in both sides of the double-elimination bracket, something he doesn’t often find time to do. Employing words rarely-used by tour directors anywhere, Parker noted that “it was a lot of fun.”
The TOP (The Open Players) Tour got the July 4th weekend underway with (pun intended) a bang that went off in Clemmons, NC at Breaktime Billiards on Saturday morning, when the 97 competitors, from up and down the Mid-Atlantic coast and inland throughout the south, got the $5,000-added, NC State 9-Ball Open started. The top three finishers from 2024 were in attendance, looking to repeat, presumably, with the exception of the winner, in a different order; B.J. Ussery, who went undefeated last year to claim the title for the second time, Joey Tate, the runner-up and Jas Makhani (whose father owns the Breaktime facility in Clemmons) all headed out with capturing the title on their minds. . . well, shelved behind the more important, one ball, one game, one match at a time mantra.
Corey Sykes, who, in the midst of his best (recorded) earnings year to date, during which he won the Amateur division of this past spring’s Super Billiards Expo. He finished in the tie for 5th at last year’s NC State 9-Ball Open Championships. This time out, he came back from a loss, battling for the hot seat, won by Mike Davis, Jr., a four-time winner of this event. Sykes came back from the semifinals to defeat Davis in the finals.
In races to 7, after being awarded an opening-round bye, Sykes defeated Lloyd Phipps (2), Brian Capps (2) and then, the venue owner’s son, Jas Makani (5). He advanced to a winners’ side quarterfinal versus David Tickle, sending him to the loss side 7-3 and drawing Joao Sias in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Davis, in the meantime, who also opened with a bye, defeated Keith Lassiter (2), before Jayce Little handed him a double-hill ‘curve ball’ that he successfully ‘hit,’ advancing to meet and defeat a sort of ‘rogues gallery’ of previous winners on the TOP Tour and its affiliated counterpart, the Q City 9-Ball Tour. He defeated Billy Fowler 7-5, Gregorio “Guama” Sanchez 7-3 and drew last year’s winner, B.J. Ussery in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Sykes and Sias locked up in a double-hill match that did eventually send Sykes to the hot seat match where he was joined by Davis, who’d sent Ussery to the loss side 7-5. Davis claimed the seat over Sykes 7-5.
On the loss side, Sias drew Sanchez, who’d followed his loss to Davis with a double-hill victory over Josh Roberts, who had most recently eliminated Joey Tate 6-3. Sanchez moved on to win a 6-4 match against Hunter White, who’d most recently defeated Tommy Kennedy 6-4 (it was a two-mention bribe) and Onyx Stinson 6-2, which led to his (Sanchez’) match versus Sias.
Ussery picked up Eric Roberts, who’d lost a fourth-round match to Stinson and moved on to win four straight, facing a separate division of the TOP/Q City 9-Ball Tours’ ‘rogues gallery’ that included three 6-3 wins over Kaleb Hixon, Nathan Childress and David Tickle, ahead of a double-hill win that eliminated Josh Heeter.
Roberts dropped Ussery 6-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Sanchez downed Sias 6-4 to join him. Sanchez stopped Roberts’ five-match, loss-side winning streak 6-4 in those quarterfinals.
Sanchez and Sykes engaged in a double-hill fight for a shot at Davis in the hot seat. Sykes won it to make it a rematch. In an extended, single race to 9, Sykes claimed the 13th Annual NC State 9-Ball Open title 9-4.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked all of the competitors who showed up to help him celebrate the nation’s Independence Day, as well as Sundeep Makhani and his Breaktime Billiards staff for their hospitality and sumptuous, diversified menu. He also extended thanks to tour sponsors BarPoolTables.net, BreakTime Billiards (Clemmons, NC), TKO Custom Cues (Kirk Overcash), Realty Group One Results, CHC Underground, Digitalpool.com, Dirty South Grind Apparel, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and AZBilliards.
He added ‘special thanks’ to Kirk Overcash, a regular sponsor who assisted Parker in obtaining this year’s trophy and Michael Warner (TVMike), who assisted Parker with function issues related to the digitapool.com’s scoring tablets that allows players to enter and record their in-match scores.
The Q City 9-Ball will stay put for the week. Breaktime Billiards will play host, again, to a $250-added event this coming weekend (July 12-13).
