Ga Young Kim wins Amway Cup

Ga Young Kim

Ga Young Kim has erased the memory of her second place finish last year and won the 2011 Amway Cup.

The final day of play kicked off with the fans in a frenzy, cheering on the sole Taipei hopeful Hui Chan Lai in her match against China's Xiao Fang Fu. The crowd had a lot to cheer about early as Lai led the match 4-0. A dry break in the 5th rack allowed Fu to the table and she took control of the match. Fu took the lead and got to the hill first at 8-7. A missed 8-ball by Fu was the chance Lai needed, and she pocketed the 8-ball but was helpless as the cue ball also found a pocket, giving Fu ball in hand on the case ball.

Sixteen year China Open Champion Si Ming Chen also scored a close decision in her match against Xiao Ting Pan. Chen won the match 9-7 and received nothing but praise from her opponent. Pan commented after the match, "

The match everyone was waiting for between Jasmin Ouschan and Allison Fisher was fairly anticlimactic as Fisher cruised to a 9-2 win.

The last match of the quarter finals was an all Korean showdown as Ga Young Kim faced the reigning chamion, Yu Ram Cha. Cha won the title last year by defeating Kim in the finals. Kim would get her revenge with a 9-7 win over Cha this time.

The semifinals saw Xiao Fang Fu against young Si Ming Chen and Chen took advantage of a little luck to win this one. Chen was on the hill at 8-6 when she missed a 6-ball but the cue ball helped her out by caroming off the 6-ball and kicking in the 9-ball for the 9-6 win.

After Kim defeated Fisher 9-4, the finals between Chen and Kim were set.

Kim had more than just herself on her mind in the finals, as today was her father's birthday and what a birthday gift this title would make for her father. That title looked to be in the bag as Kim raced out to a 10-3 lead over the Chinese youngster, but Chen has a lot of heart in her sixteen year old body and it showed. Chen won five straight games to narrow the gap to just 10-8, before Kim regained control of the table and ran out the final rack for the 11-8 victory.