Miguel Torres is victorious at Carom Cafe

Miguel Torres

Carom Café hosted a wonderful Open tournament this past weekend which was a 15-player round-robin event. That means that every player gets to play all the other players once for a total of 14 matches for each player over a 3-day period. It was a lot of billiards.

The event also featured a guest from Denmark, Dion Nelin, a world-class player who was the strong favorite to win the event, with an approximate overall average of about 1.500.

Also in the field were top U.S. players: Hugo Patino the current USBA Champion, Miguel Torres (2008 Champion), Mazin Shooni (2006 Champion), Sonny Cho (2005 Champion), Michael Kang, Francisco Parra, Young Gull Lee and several strong local players.

Some people were predicting that Dion Nelin would go undefeated. But that was not to be the case. Sang Jin Lee, a local player who recently won a B+ tournament at Carom Café, gave Dion a hard time and almost pulled off a big upset, but Dion finished strong and came out on top. Francisco Parra was the first player to beat Dion. Then, near the end of the tournament, Michael Kang also managed to squeeze out a tight victory and hand Dion his 2nd loss.

Meanwhile, Miguel Torres was beating everybody. Then Miguel finally lost his first match to Sonny Cho. At the end, it was one match between Miguel Torres and Dion Nelin. Dion needed to beat Miguel and then also beat him again in a playoff match to win the tournament, but it was not to be. Miguel beat Dion in a close match 30-27 with a beautiful force-follow shot for the last point to win the tournament.

Congratulations to Miguel Torres!

Dion Nelin from Denmark (2nd), Miguel Torres (1st) and Michael Kang (3rd)

Click Here for Tournament Chart in PDF Format

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Carom Cafe Billiards Presents:

OPEN BILLIARD TOURNAMENT
FEATURING DION NELIN

DATES: THURSDAY MAY 14 - SATURDAY MAY 16

FORMAT: ROUND ROBIN BASED ON 16 PLAYERS
ENTRY FEE: .800+ average = $255
Below .800 average = $205

If 20 Players, then 2 flights of 10 and a 6-player final RR.

Estimated prizes:

16 players:
$ 1,500.00
$ 1,100.00
$ 500.00
$ 300.00
$ 200.00

20 players:
$ 1,500.00
$ 1,100.00
$ 800.00
$ 500.00
$ 300.00
$ 200.00

VENUE: CAROM CAFÉ BILLIARDS
34-02 LINDEN PLACE
FLUSHING, NY 11354
718-358-8585
10 VERHOEVENS - 30 POINT GAMES
USBA SANCTIONED
PRIZE FUND: BASED ON NUMBER OF ENTRIES
First 16 players to enter will play so make your arrangements quickly so you won’t be shut out

Contact: Jake Zymeck 561-670-0240
Mike Kang 917-204-6070

Rules: All official USBA tournament rules will apply.
Other Requirements: Full tournament attire: tie, vest, black pants, black shoes. This is a USBA event. Must be or become a USBA Member. $ 5.00 sanction fee per player already included in entry fee.

Local Hotels, Motels and Rental Car Discounts:

Wingate Hotel
Special Tournament Rate: $ 109.00+tax per night
Ask for JohnCarlo
137-07 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11354
Walking distance from Carom Cafe
Includes breakfast. Double or single same price.
Beautiful hotel. 718-445-3300
A 5 minute walk (2 blocks) from Carom Cafe & a great hotel.

The USBA has a contract with Choice Hotels International. If you would like to receive at least a 15% discount at Choice Hotel locations, please refer to your Membership Package for details or you can access the USBA Forum "Members Only" area. To become a USBA Member, click "Join" at the top or the upper left side of this page and follow the instructions to pay by credit/debit card through PayPal. You do NOT need a PayPal account to use PayPal. You can also mail in membership dues by check.

Comfort Inn
133-43 37th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-939-5000 Fax: 718-939-4000
Web: http://www.comfortinn.com/flushing (then type “Flushing” in the “City” field)
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel is a slight upgrade compared to the Imperial. Continental breakfast is included in the price and the hotel offers free Wi-Fi connections. 17 of 50 rooms have two beds.
15% USBA DISCOUNT AVAILABLE. SEE YOUR MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE.

Be advised that we have not reserved a block of rooms anywhere, and so availability is not guaranteed. Our aim has been to offer a wide range of choice with regard to type of room, exact location and price. Since availability is not guaranteed, we recommend that you make your reservation as soon as you know the dates you will be attending the Tournament. You may want to inquire if your hotel will offer a small discount if paid in cash upon your arrival (these policies may differ with each hotel).

Farrington Hotel
3353 Farrington Street
Flushing, NY 11354
718-939-1212
Right around the corner from Carom Cafe.
Most rooms have one queen bed.
About $ 70.00/night for a single.
Small rooms w/Ethernet Port/TV.

Flushing International Hotel
134-32 35th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-358-4515
A 3-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel is the closest and least expensive option. However, it also has the fewest amenities. There is no food service of any kind in the hotel – it doesn’t even have vending machines. 12 of the 50 rooms have two beds.

Howard Johnson Hotel
135-33 38th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-461-3888 Fax: 718-461-5879
Web: http://www.imperialhotelny.com
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, the hotel is nicer than both the Flushing Inter-national (above) and the Flushing Grand (below). There is complimentary coffee, tea, cake and cookies in the morning. However, only 4 of the 32 rooms have two beds and, thus, room availability will be limited except for couples and singles.

Flushing Grand Hotel
36-38 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-888-8668 Fax: 718-888-8768
Web: http://flushinggrand.com/
A 5-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel represents an upgrade compared to the Flushing International. The accommodations are a bit nicer and complimentary doughnuts and coffee in the morning is included in the price. 17 of 46 rooms have two beds.

Extended Stay America
18-30 Whitestone Expressway
Whitestone, NY 11357
Tel: 718-357-3661 Fax: 718-357-3644
Web: http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/
Located 1.3 miles from Carom Café, the walk takes about 25 minutes and will be too long for most people, but the drive is very short. This hotel is ideal for those who have cars and wish to stay in a place where they can prepare their own food. The rooms are large and have kitchen appliances and a small dining area. Also, there is a shopping mall adjacent to the hotel.

Best Western Queens Court
133-51 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-888-1900
Web: http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=33111
A 12-minute walk from Carom Café, the rooms are quite nice and 37 of 59 rooms have two beds. However, the hotel has few amenities. For example, it has a fitness room but no food service. One would expect more from a hotel in this price range.

Sheraton Hotel La Guardia East
135-20 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-460-6666 Fax: 718-445-2655
Web: www.sheratonlaguardia.com
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, this is the best hotel in the area and 116 of 173 rooms have two beds. There is a restaurant and bar, a fitness center, the rooms are spacious, etc. It is located near many stores and restaurants and a 1-minute walk from the #7 train to Manhattan. The hotel was not willing to offer special rates (and there are no weekly rates) but told us that the best rates are generally available online. They recommended their own website – i.e., www.starwoodhotels.com (type in “Flushing” in the city field and “New York” in the state field). However, we have sometimes been able to find better rates at the major online services like Orbitz, Expedia or Travelocity. So, hunt around before reserving.

USBA Members also receive between 5-10% discount from the following car rental companies, if they service the area: