Pedro Piedrabuena main favourite in Flushing

NEW YORK - In the Carom Cafe in Flushing, New York, 35 players come to the tables today (Thursday, March 5th) for the preliminaries of the American (USBA) three-cushion championship. Pedro Piedrabuena is again the big favourite for the title. The Carom Café will host later this year the Verhoeven Open, from 21 to 26 July.

The semi-finals of the USBA championship will start with sixteen players on Saturday, March 7, the final with eight (two groups of four is Sunday, March 8.

Five groups of seven players meet in two days in a round robin system to 25 points. Top three from each group advance plus the best 4th finisher.

The sixteen players are divided into four groups of four for the semi's, in which is played round robin to 35 points. The top two from each group advance for the final round with eight and single elimination (knock-out).

The group leaders in the preliminary rounds are:

Group A: Mazin Shooni

Group B: Jae Hyung Cho

Group C: Pedro Piedrabuena

Group D: Hugo Patino

Group E: Sonny Cho.