American Glory for Isaac
Sargon Isaac won the United States National Snooker Championship for the second time as the event celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Held at the Prince Snooker Club in Brooklyn, New York across four days, the competition’s silver staging had an appearance from record five-time USA champion Tom Kollins, who won the inaugural edition in 1991. Despite now being aged 80, Kollins reached the last eight.
Organised by the United States Snooker Association (USSA), all the fancied entrants advanced to knockout phase.
Californian cueist Isaac defeated Rizwan Khan 3-0 in the last 16, and then New York residents Kevin Wong 4-0 and Raymond Fung – last year’s runner-up – 4-3 in the quarter and semi-finals respectively.
Isaac’s opponent in the final was another local player in the form of three-time champion Ahmed Aly Elsayed who had ended the reign of defending champion Ajeya Prabhakar 4-3 in the other last four tie.
The title match turned out to be a late-night epic. Breaks of 51 and 40 helped Elsayed take a 2-0 lead, and he looked on course to extend that advantage with a run of 55 in frame three before Isaac counter-attacked to claim it on the final black to open his account.
Isaac then chalked up the frames either side of the interval to go in front, although Elsayed pulled it back for 3-3. However, Isaac was stronger in the closing stages, recording a 5-3 triumph to get his hands on the trophy he first won in 2012.
USSA Founding Member and Honorary Chairman Michael Collins presented the awards. This year’s championship was regarded as the best they have ever had.
Event date: 22nd-25th May 2015
