Sandia Casino WPBA US Open to Feature Local “Triple Treat”

Sandia Casino WPBA US Open to Feature Local “Triple Treat”9-Ball Championship Tournament Features Debut of Tour’s Youngest PlayerAlbuquerque, NM – Anna Kostanian, a fifteen-year old Junior class student at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, NM will make sports history when she “makes the break” as the youngest lady to play in a Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s Tour event. Kostanian’s reaction to being invited to play in the tournament by host Sandia Casino? “Awesome,” says Kostanian. Steve Neely, Marketing Director for Sandia Casino, extended the invitation to Kostanian to play in the amateur spot typically offered to the host site. “Sandia Casino and the Pueblo of Sandia make significant contributions to youth organizations as part of our community outreach programs. The prospect of offering this opportunity to a young lady who has worked hard to achieve her goals was too good to pass up,” says Neely.
Local billiard enthusiasts will be offered a true “triple treat” with Kostanian in “the mix”. Albuquerque is home to two of the WPBA’s top ranked professionals – Ramona Biddle and Shelley Barnes, both of whom will also be playing in the tournament much to the delight and cheers of what will sure be an enthusiastic hometown crowd. The tournament, the fourth stop on the official WPBA tour, will begin Thursday, September 11, 2003 in a double elimination, “bracket-play” format featuring 64 of the world’s top professional women players. The final rounds and tournament championship game will be played on Sunday, September 14, 2003. This is the second consecutive year that Sandia Casino has hosted the US Open and the third year of hosting a major WPBA tournament event. Kostanian, ranked as one of the top youth player’s in the nation, most recently took 2nd place in the Junior Nationals held in Detroit, Michigan earlier this month. Although this will be her first WPBA sanctioned event, Kostanian made her “professional” debut at the BCA (Billiard Congress of America) Tournament in May, 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the BCA event, Kostanian won one match beating Vicky Paski, but was eliminated from the double-elimination tournament losing to Vivian Villareal and Julie Kelly, both of whom are ‘top 10’ ranked players in the WPBA. Kostanian, who began taking the game of billiards seriously at the age of ten, has spent one third of her life balancing her spare time between practicing billiards (three to four hours a day), completing homework assignments, and shopping. Although Kostanian has the benefit of practicing in her father’s and uncle’s billiard hall, she’s not allowed to be on the premises past 7:00 pm. Asked if she’s nervous or feeling the pressure of playing at home; “Not yet,” says Kostanian, “But I’m sure I will be when the time comes.” Her aspirations for the future: “I would like to be the number one ranked player in the WPBA in five or six years,” she says. To schedule interviews with Kostanian, tournament personnel or any of the WPBA touring professionals please contact Bob Arguelles, Media Dynamics, 866-881-8255 or e-mail: bobarguelles@cs.com. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest from the sport of billiards and pool.

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