Pool Action Heats Up In Jakarta As 2011 Guinness World Series Of Pool Grand Finals Begin

13 July 2011 (Jakarta) - The Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball Challenge returns to Jakarta for the second straight year with seven World champions all vying for the same prize as the best pool action ensues this week as the Grand Finals stage unfolds at the Mall Taman Anggrek Jakarta from July 14 – 17, 2011.
 
Gracing the event includes top names such as reigning WPA World Eight-Ball Champion Dennis Orcollo (PHI), current World 9-Ball Champion Yukio Akagariyama (JPN), 2009 WPA World Ten-Ball Champion Mika Immonen (FIN), 2003 WPA World Nine-Ball Champion Thorsten Hohmann (GER), 1997 WPA World Nine-Ball Champion Johnny Archer (USA), 2008 World Eight-Ball Champion Ralf Souquet (GER),  and 2006 WPA World Nine-Ball Champion Ronato Alcano (PHI).  
 
A year has passed since unheralded Filipino cue master Jundel Mazon flew under the radar to snatch victory away from local hero Nasution in a nail biting finale that had pool fans clutching the edge of their seats from the opening break leading to the final pocket.
 
As the 2010 championship proved to be a remarkable success in unearthing raw talent in the region's budding billiard scene, expectations are definitely high for the local contenders. And leading Indonesia's charge for the international glory include last year's finalist Irsal Nasution together with a cast of the best homegrown pool talent which includes veteran Ricky Yang against the finest Cue-masters in the world, in hopes of bringing the championship back to home ground.
 
As always, the Philippines remain a constant threat with all 7 of its aspiring participants earning Grand Finals slots through a dominating performance of the qualifying sessions early this week to bolster an already intimidating Filipino roster. Surprisingly, Taiwan, another country with a strong pool heritage was only able to book three entries this year with 2010 World 9-Ball Championship runner-up Kuo Po-Cheng and Ko Pin-Yi joining Chang Jung-Lin in the lineup. The German duo of Hohmann and Souquet are also contenders to look out for as they have been looking forward for redemption ever since their early exit in the 2010 edition.
 
With the 64-strong playing field finally set, Jakarta will once again be in the limelight of the billiards world. The premise of pool greats showcasing heart-stopping cue action in the quest for the coveted 10Ball crown looms tantalizingly over the horizon and with $100,000.00 prize money at stake, pool fans can expect nothing else but greatness personified.  Today's draw featured some tantalizing matchups for tomorrow's double elimination round:
 
·         Mika Immonen (FIN) vs John Salazar (PHI)
·         Jeffrey De Luna (PHI) vs Carlo Biado (PHI)
·         Warren Kiamco (PHI) vs Ko Pin-Yi (TPE)
·         Ralf Souquet (GER) vs Rudy Susanto (INA)
·         Johnny Archer (USA) vs Muhammad Bewi Simanjuntak (INA)
·         Raj Hundal (GBR) vs Diyan Setiawan (INA)
·         Ronato Alcano (PHI) vs Muhamad Junarto (INA)
·         Thorsten Hohmann (GER) vs Imran Ibrahim (INA)
·         Dennis Orcollo (PHI) vs Sumaryadi (INA)
 
Said John Galvin, Marketing Manager, Guinness: "Guinness is a proud supporter of pool through the Guinness World Series of Pool 2011 – 10 Ball Challenge. Pool is a passion for many of our consumers and we are happy to be supporting it.  It has been an exciting journey for Guinness and pool fans all over Indonesia, where both the beer and the sport are enjoyed immensely. We thank our consumers for the support that they have given us by participating in local pool tournaments and other promotions."
 
Said Harvey Davis, Vice President, ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group: "We are delighted to partner with Guinness again for this event and we're committed to offer our expertise to showcase the best cuesport action and ensure that the event will be held at the highest international standards for the competitors and spectators. With over 15 hours of exhilarating pool action broadcast live over STAR Sports, we will be able to provide fans across the region a spectacular billiard event. This is also a great platform for our partnership with Guinness to promote the sport not just in Indonesia but across Asia as well."
 
The telecast of the 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball challenge will be carried LIVE on STAR Sports, with fifteen hours of exhilarating competition from July 15 - 17, 2011. Broadcast times are as follows:
Fri, July 15, 2011                    from 18.00-22.30 (HKT)                        Preliminaries
Sat, July 16, 2011                   from 12.00-18.00 (HKT)                        Quarterfinals
Sun, July 17, 2011                  from 11.00-16.00 (HKT)                        Semifinals & Finals
 
The broadcast of the event is also available on TVRi, kindly check local listings for more details.
 
The 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball Challenge is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU) and organized by ESPN STAR Sports' Event Management Group (EMG). Guinness is the title sponsor for the Event. The local sanctioning body is the All Indonesian Billiards Association (POBSI). Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Murray provides the official pool table while Predator is the official cue. Team Sports Marketing Sdn Bhd is the official apparel sponsor.  STAR Sports is the official broadcaster.
 
Please visit www.guinnessworldpool.com and www.facebook/guinnessindonesia for more information