Glass City Open Kicks Off

Glass City Open Kicks OffBy Tom Martin, InsidePOOL StaffDay 1 of the Glass City Open in Toledo, OH, is complete. The 96-player field is strong and deep, including many of the country’s top stars with a smattering of strong up-and-coming players. Current U.S. Open champion Gabe Owen, Johnny Archer, Nick Varner, Keith McCready, Buddy Hall, Rodney Morris, and Corey Deuel lead this all-star cast, along with young guns like Troy Frank, Larry Nevel, Ryan McCreesh, and Brandon Ashcraft. Luc Salvas, Jeff White, and several other Canadian pros are here, along with a contingent from Italy led by Italian champion Fabio Petroni.
Top-ranked cards are coming fast and furious, and with such a qualified field, “upset” is a word rarely used, but there have certainly been a few surprises. Last year’s winner Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer was sent to the one-loss side in his first match against Fabio Petroni. Petroni, who did not get a bye and played earlier in the day, was in high gear when it counted. Never relinquishing an early lead, Petroni kept Archer in the chair, putting a five-pack together to reach the hill in the race-to-10 match by a score of 9-4. Petroni, who had been breaking perfectly, finally had to push out, and the resultant over-cut on the one allowed Archer to get back to the table, and he quickly took that game. Murmurs of Archer making a miracle comeback where silenced, however, when he uncharacteristically scratched on the break. Petroni then took the match 10-4. Larry Nevel, fresh off a win at the Midwest Open in October, was also directed to the “B”-side of the boards after a first-round loss to Ryan McCreesh. Gabe Owen, too, found himself a first-round casualty, losing on the hill to Detroit player Hoeksema. Local heroes Steve McAninch and youngster Danny Smith remain unscathed, much to the delight of their following.The Glass City Open, a tournament with a rich history and a $40,000 guaranteed purse, is being held at the Clarion Westgate Hotel in Toledo and runs through Sunday, November 14. Glass City Open.

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