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Perez Celebrates on Viking Chicago Stop By Tori Hilty, InsidePOOL staff  The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour made a stop at G-Cue Restaurant & Billiards in Chicago, IL, for the grand opening tournament the weekend of May 8-9, 2004. A total of 49 players, many of whom were locals plus a couple of pros, showed up to check out the new room and have their go at a purse totaling $2,030. Bob Romano, promoter for the Midwest Open tour; Tom Spencer; Sara Rousey; and local Gil Hernandez were some of the faces that could be seen at the tables. Another first for the tour was the introduction of the Aramith Pro-Cup Six Red Dots ball, which was received very favorably by all of the players.
G-Cue is owned by pro player Tom Karabatsos and has been open for only five weeks. This two-story building was once a warehouse but has been renovated into an amazing facility that boasts a total of 26 Gabriel 9-foot tables--one player stated that they were "some of the best I've ever played on." There are also a few billiards tables. Spectators and players can take a break from the action in the one of the two lounge areas and enjoy watching the flat-screen TV in a rich atmosphere created by the fireplace, aged brick walls, and mahogany floors. They can also enjoy ordering from a complete menu offered by the restaurant. There were no real upsets on the first day of the tournament and only a few key matches to watch. Hernandez, a local favorite, faced off against Henry Brodt and came out in the lead, 7-2. In another match, Justin Daniels, Youngstown, OH, native and fourth-place winner of last year's Viking Championship event, met Romano. Even though Romano was playing very well, Daniels took the win 7-5 and was the one to watch in this event. Daniels was zoning the whole way through the tournament when he met up with Sergio Perez in the hot seat match. He sent Sergio to the west side of the chart with a close score of 7-5. Perez met Duane Tuula on the one-loss side after Tuula battled it out with Ed Flatt in the quarters, relegating Flatt to fourth with a strong 7-1 win. Tuula could not keep ahead had to accept the third-place spot with a hill-hill win by Perez. Earning a rematch with Daniels, Perez was hot for revenge. It was a close match, with the score close until the very end. Perez came out victorious though, defeating Daniels for first place with a win of 7-5. Results: 1st Sergio Perez 2nd Justin Daniels 3rd Duane Tuula 4th Ed Flatt 5th Gordy Van de Veer, Tom Spencer 7th Gil Hernandez, Tom Karabatsos Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.
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