Franco Gets Out-"Deuel"-ed on Fast Eddie's TourBy InsidePOOL Staff  The Fast Eddie's Olhausen 9-Ball Tour attracted a talented field on February 5-6, including the current U.S. Open champion Gabe Owen and two former Open champs, Corey Deuel and Jeremy "Double J" Jones. The event, held at the N.W. Military location in San Antonio, TX, also drew many spectators seeking a chance to meet and greet the players, as well as watch some of the best players in Texas compete on the tables.
The 86-player field also included Sylver Ochoa, Javier Franco, and David Gutierrez, who just won the international 9-ball open division at South Padre Island. Ochoa and Gutierrez exited early, while the other top picks remained steadily in contention. Local favorite Danny Almaraz started off with a tough defeat to Marc Garza but blew through the west side with nine straight wins before he was finally ousted by Owen to finish in fourth place. Owen was directed to the one-loss side by James Davis Sr. in a middle-round match, but he also bounced back with four straight wins to reach the semifinals. In the winners' bracket, it was the 2001 U.S. Open champ Corey Deuel who was trumping his opponents left and right. He met up with Franco in the hot seat match in what would be one of the most exciting matches of the tournament. Franco sprinted out to a 4-0 lead before Deuel got on the board. Deuel got within four games at 8-4, and then he took off with four straight to tie it at 8 apiece. In the decisive game, both Franco and Deuel traded safeties, waiting for the other to make a mistake. Deuel trapped the cue ball behind the 6 and 9, while the 5 ball sat at the other end of the table against the rail. Franco speared the 5 on a jump shot and then ran out to reach the finals. In the semifinals, Deuel quickly ousted Owen 7-6 to earn a rematch with Franco in the finals, but he would need a two-set sweep to capture the victory, which wasn't going to be easy. Franco jumped out to an early lead in the first set, but once Deuel got to the table, it seemed like he never left. He came back to win the first set 9-4, forcing a second set. Again, Franco led early, but Deuel's resiliency was amazing to watch. The two battled right down the to the wire, but it was Deuel who controlled the table when it counted, and he logged a 9-7 victory. Results: 1st Corey Deuel $3,690 2nd Javier Franco $2,540 3rd Gabe Owen $1,750 4th Danny Almaraz $1,100 5th James Davis Sr., Russell Killgo $720 7th Rick Castillo, Robert Newkirk $460 9th James Davis Jr., Bobby Brown, Tom Mooney, Michael Alonzo $150 Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news from the Fast Eddie's Olhausen 9-Ball Tour.
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