The USBA National Qualifying Tournament held at Goodays Billiards In Houston Texas on April 9 ended in dramatic fashion, with Ahmet Ozan defeating Jorge Gonzalez 25-24 to win entry into the USBA 3-Cushion National Champioship. Players pictured above (L to R) Doug Deitel, Ahmet Ozan, Jorge Gonzalez and Jay Karahan
Turkish player Ahmet Ozan may be new to the Houston area but he's certainly not not new to billiards. He has been playing at Goodays Billiards on Bellaire Blvd. for some time now and is known by many as a fierce competitor with a great depth of knowledge. He recently joined the USBA with the purpose of playing in the upcoming National Championship In June in Tucson, Arizona. Here is how he reached his goal.
On Sunday Ahmet's skills were on full display as he went undefeated in the qualifier event, capping his victory in the final match against Jorge Gonzalez who placed second. In that decisive game, in a race to 25, Ahmet jumped out ahead quickly with a run of 7 in the third inning. Jorge battled back and eventually took the lead. Then it was Ahmet's turn to fight back! Although trailing, but stayed in the hunt, until finally catching Jorge who had first reached 24. With both players tied and on the hill, in the tense closing moments, it was Ahmet who prevailed 25-24 to claim the victory. His high run of 7 was best in the event.
If Ahmet can sharpen his game even more he may be ready to surprise the field when he plays in his first USBA National Championship at the Casino Del Sol Resort. Congratulations and best of luck to Ahmet Ozan, our Houston National Qualifier.
Story and pictures courtesy 3CushionBilliards.com