by InsidePOOL Staff

The First Annual Hard Times Mezz 10-Ball Open kicked off today at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. The $5,000-added prize purse attracted a 76-player field, with the winner guaranteed $4,000.

Many in the international field stopped in Los Angeles to warm up for the World Pool Masters, which begins next week in Las Vegas, NV. Already some top names are faced with a long, uphill climb through the one-loss side. Player of the Year Mika “Iceman” Immonen was delivered west after a 9-1 trouncing by Efren “Bata” Reyes, while fellow Filipino Lee Van Corteza cooled house player Ismael “Morro” Paez by the same score.

The winners’ bracket is already down to 16 players, and elimination rounds have started on the left side. Most of the players had a first-round bye, but several found themselves facing an opponent early in the day. Former world 9-ball champ Thorsten Hohmann went up against Tina Pawloski and sent her to the one-loss side, where she rebounded with a victory over Lee Harvey. One featured first-round match-up saw Rodney Morris and Marcus Chamat go head to head, with the Swede heading to the left side. Chamat won two matches on the left side and is still alive going into Saturday. Morris’ next challenge will be from the legendary Reyes.

The First Annual Hard Times Mezz 10-Ball Open kicked off today at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. The $5,000-added prize purse attracted a 76-player field, with the winner guaranteed $4,000.

View the Inaugural Hard Times Mezz Open tournament brackets (updated continuously throughout event)

Steve Moore of Atlanta, GA, will play Corteza Saturday, as he won two tough matches—the first over San Diego’s Victor Castro and the second over Marc “Spain” Vidal. Manny Chau defeated Kevin May and Hunter Lombardo but will have a fight on his hands in his next round as he faces 2007 world 9-ball runner-up Roberto Gomez.

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