Diana Zavjalova of Latvia made a sensational start at the U.S. Women's Open, setting a new tournament record since the relaunch of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour in 2015.
Zavjalova’s impressive eight-game block totaled 2,037, breaking the U.S. Women’s Open record for an eight-game qualifying block during the first round of qualifying at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
The previous eight-game qualifying block record was held by Daria Pająk from Poland, who achieved a score of 2,035 at the 2018 St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open.
The PWBA Tour's eight-game record is held by Shannon Pluhowsky, who scored 2,058 pins during the Match Play of the PWBA Tour Championship in 2022.
Zavjalova’s scores were nothing short of phenomenal, with games of 288, 226, 279, 206, 268, 268, 278, and 224 on the 35-foot oil pattern. Her performance not only set record but also positioned her as the front-runner in the competition.
“There were some shots where I was smiling before the ball even hit the pins because I knew it was such a good shot and I knew it was going to strike. It was probably the best I’ve ever thrown the ball,” Zavjalova said after her phenomenal start at the U.S. Women's Open.
This outstanding performance puts Latvian more than 200 pins ahead of other top 5 contenders, including Stefanie Johnson (1,825), Rebecca Hagerman (1,824), Crystal Elliott (1,807), and Jordan Richard (1,801), who all averaged over 225.
The current cut line for the fourth qualifying round is a three-way tie at 1,697, demonstrating the high level of competition.
Qualifying rounds continue today starting at 2 p.m. CET, with the fourth round for the top 36 on Sunday at 4 p.m. CET. The top 24 will then compete in round-robin match play, concluding with the live TV stepladder finals on Tuesday at 1 a.m. CET on CBS Sports Network. All rounds leading up to the finals can be streamed live on BowlTV.
