By Roy J. Akers- www.skyviewsports.net
Andrew Anderson led the entire 2025 US Open going away in qualifying and then sporting a 17-7 matchplay record. Still, the Holly, Michigan native had to get by EJ Tackett, the PBA Tour’s 3-time player of the year. Players winning matches during the Sunday finals struggled to win a second game, getting blown out. The PBA Tour has had many players build huge qualifying and match play leads only to lose a one-game TV match. Can Anderson break the trend?
Match One: Francois Lavoie vs. Anthony Simonsen
After the national broadcast did not join the match until 4:13pm, it looked like Simonsen would run away with match one as he worked on a 4-bagger against Lavoie’s four consecutive 9 spares. Then Simonsen had back-to-back opens with unmakable splits. Lavoie’s went on the strike train and Simonsen barely hits 200. Lavoie’s only major win was the 2021 US Open where he had to wear a mask.
Chris Via vs. Francois Lavoie
Lavoie took advantage of a two-frame Anthony Simonson split hiccup and went on a strike-bender in match one. Match two was different. Lavoie had an open frame in the first after having a split. Via struck on his first three balls and six of his first seven and built a 31-pin lead. Lavoie goes with a ball change and has a double. Lavoie stayed in the fringes of the match as Via kept striking until the second ball in the 10th frame. He wins 238-226. It was Lavoie’s first US Open tv match loss after starting 5-0.
Chris Via vs. EJ Tackett
EJ Tackett won the 2023 US Open in Indianapolis at Royal Pin and his week got better and better after being out of the money until early in the third round of qualifying. For the match, Via starts out with a strike and then opens due to a split. Over adjusting, Via throws it out of bounds and throws a first ball four count that he spares with. He goes Brooklyn on his next shot while Tackett opens the match with a7 bagger. Via loses it again on the right lane and rolls a 3-2 and Tackett is your winner. Tackett rolls a pocket 7-10 but the match is over. Tackett moves on 245-152.
Finals- Andrew Anderson vs. EJ Tackett
After Francois Lavoie and Chris Via won their earlier matches, they struggled mightily in their second matches and were blown out. Add Simonsen, who won the preliminary broadcast on Saturday to open the finals broadcast and struggled himself, would Tackett suffer the same fate?
EJ opens with back-to-back 9 pins, which he easily converts. Anderson throws three strikes through four frames. Then he goes out of bounds three times and leaves low-count shots including 3-4-6-7 washout split which he does not convert. Tackett strings strikes in frames 5-7 and he earns his second Green Jacket and a check for $100,000. The two-time defending PBA player of the year starts off 2025 on a three-year run and perhaps an early bell ringer for a third consecutive Player of the Year award.
AA 1 5 7 8
More PBA US Open tidbits
Simonsen will meet top seed Andrew Anderson, EJ Tackett, Chris Via and François Lavoie in the first major championship final of the season
The broadcast got off to a rough start as Fox played the Kaitlyn Clark jersey retirement ceremony and the broadcast was moved to FS2. Who gets that channel?
Roy J. Akers covers the PBA Tour for www.skyviewsports.net
Our first top ten on the 2025 PBA Tour appears this week.
US Open Top 14 bowlers- rest by clicking this link
PBA Tour Top Ten 2024
10. Jesper Svensson
9. Boog Krol 11995
8 Zach Wilkins 12690
7 Matthew Russo 16405
6 Kyle Troup 18365
5 Jason Belmonte 18815
4 Bill O’Neill 20790
3 Anthony Simonsen 22030
2. Marshall Kent 22047
1. EJ Tackett
