AZBilliards has named Shane Van Boening as the Male Player of the Year for 2013. Our Female Player of the Year is Kelly Fisher.
Shane Van Boening had an exceptional year. In the last year he won 15 events and played in the final match twenty times. He won 75% of the finals in which he participated. He had 37 Top Ten finishes in the year. So he had three top ten finishes every month on average. He won his second U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in a row and is now poised to become the first player ever to win three times on the trot. In the finals of the Open Van Boening took down Lee Vann Cortezza 13-10.
Van Boening stepped up in a lot of major events this year. He won the US Open 8-Ball Championship at the Rio, The Super Billiards Expo Players Championship, and Turning Stone XX. Plus, he added the Andy Mercer Memorial, The Decider, the Steinway Classic, the Accu-Stats One Pocket invitational, the Wyoming Open and five TAR events where he was perfect for the year. With TAR he took on and shot down Efren Reyes, Dennis Orcullo, Corey Deuel, Darren Appleton and Mike Dechaine. These are all truly great players and the races at TAR are long enough to be meaningful. None of these are short-race luck-outs.
On only the earnings that have been reported to AZBilliards Mr. Van Boening earned $153,400 for the year.
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The only place we can find for Van Boening to improve is in his presence overseas. Like many wines, Van Boening does not travel well. Players who do not beat him here in the USA wind up ‘upsetting’ him overseas. His best finish off of American soil is a fifth-place finish he took at the World Pool Masters. At the World Cup of Pool he partnered with Johnny Archer (another player who has struggled of late with travel) and could fare no better than 9th. At the WCOP they barely edged the team from Kuwait 6-5 and then lost by the same margin to Team Japan made up of Naoyuki Oi and Lo Li-wen. Finally, he came in 17th at the World 9-Ball Championship where he lost in the second round of the event to Carlo Biado 11-10. Van Boening had defeated Biado in the finals of the US Open 8-Ball Championship some three months earlier. He had also beaten him during the Ultimate Ten Ball Championships (again on the hill).
But Van Boening more than balanced out his overseas troubles with domination at home. In 2013 he was either first or second nearly half of the time. He only came in worse than tenth four times out of 41 events. That pretty much defines consistency and demands the description of dominating.
Kelly Fisher also has a lot to say about consistency. As the opportunities for women were scanty in 2013 Ms. Fisher only had seven events in which she could compete. She won two of them and finished in the top five in six of them. In the other she took 9th. Top Ten in every event played.
Her first-place finishes came at big events with nice paydays. When she won the Amway eSpring Open (The Amway Cup) she brought home $34,000 and the Challenge of Champions garnered her another $17,500. Those two wins alone took her earnings for the year far above any of her competitors in tournament play. In tournament competitions reported to AZBilliards MS. Fisher earned $75,000 last year while her closest competitors (Yu Han and Liu Sha Sha ) were shy of the $50,000 mark.
Fisher comes with displays of cueing power that amaze and delight. At the Amway Open she cruised through her initial group with a 4-0 record, winning 28 of the 35 racks that she played there. In the final elimination stage she went unscathed with victories over Chihiro Kawahara, Xiao Ting Pan, Chieh Yu Chou and Jasmin Ouschan. Then, at the Women’s World 10-Ball in Manila, Fisher was undefeated going into the final match and favored to win. But on that day the balls favored home-town hero Rubilen Amit and Amit played a very solid final to leave Fisher in second place 10-7.
Kelly Fisher was only one match away from yet another finals at the China Open. She had won the event in 2012 and was knocking players over consistently with wins over quality players like Tsai Pei Chen (9-3) and Lan Hiushan (9-5). But when she played Siming Chen her cue ball speed slipped just the tiniest amount. Always the realist, Fisher afterward admitted she missed her standard in the match. “It was a quality match. She played solid but I made a few mistakes in the middle of the match that cost me. In the last rack I thought the safety I played on the 2 was perfect but I guess she could see just a little bit of that ball.”
At the Ultimate Ten Ball Championship Kelly Fisher had to fight for her bread. She dropped her second-round contest to Melissa Little 7-4. That loss must have opened up a large can of kickbutt in Ms. Fisher because she then went on a march that left her victims ravaged. She demolished Emily Duddy 7-2. Elanor Callado fought hard to lose 7-4. Janet Atwell lost 7-2 and Angel Paglia was unceremoniously dumped 7-1.
Jasmin Ouschan was the next victim at 7-4. World Champion Siming Chen was tossed aside 7-3. Monica Webb would fall next (7-4) and it was only then that Fisher proved herself fallible when Line Kjoersvik was able to send her to the sidelines with a hotly contested double-hill thriller of a match.
Ms. Fisher finished in third-place at the World Games in Cali, Colombia. In this single-elimination format she lost only to the Champion, Chieh-Yu Chou of Chinese Taipei. But she paid that little debt with a victory over Karen Corr to take the title of 2013 Champion of Champions.
Our congratulations go out to both of these Professionals not only for their performance in the past year but also for the manner in which they choose to represent the game. They are acutely aware of their positions in the sport and they lead their professional lives accordingly.
TULSA, OK – The WPBA US Open 9-Ball Championships continued with Round Two at the River Spirit Events Center and sixteen players have emerged undefeated so far in the 64 player field. The one big upset in the round was Phoenix sharp-shooter Angel Paglia knocking #2 ranked Monica Webb of Atlanta to the one loss side.
Winners of these matches all play at 1:30 today. Losers move to the one-loss side to attempt to make the final eight for the single elimination final stage of the tournament. Fans and media can keep up with ongoing results at http://www.wpba.com/images/stories/brackets/2012_us_open.pdf (refresh the link for the most up-to-date results!)
Schedule of Events:
Friday, June 8 at 10 am
Double elimination play in day and evening sessions
Saturday, June 9 at 1 pm
ESPN Quarterfinals (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
Sunday, June 10 at 1 pm
ESPN Semifinals and Final (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
The quarter final, semi final and final matches will be taped by ESPN for seven one-hour national broadcasts, airing Saturday, July 14, (Quarterfinals 12-4pm on ESPN2) and Sunday, July 15, (Semifinals/Final 1-4pm on ESPN2).
It all takes place at the River Spirit Event Center, adjacent to the River Spirit Casino at 81st and Riverside in Tulsa.
Tickets are just $10 on June 7th & 8th and $20 on June 9th and 10th! VIP tickets are available for $25. Visit www.riverspirittulsa.com/entertainment/eventcenter for tickets and more information!
TULSA, OK – The WPBA US Open 9-Ball Championships is down to the final eight undefeated players after an intense round on the winner’s side. Players still undefeated include defending champion Allison Fisher, Jennifer Barretta of NYC, Taiwan’s Jennifer Chen, junior national champion Brittany Bryant of Canada, Norway’s Line Kjorsvik (in a nail-biter 9-8 over the Texas Tornado Vivian Villarreal), Austrian native Gerda Hofstatter, and Swedish import Helena Thornfeldt. California’s Melissa Herndon upset the “Black Widow” Jeanette Lee this round with a 9-4 victory; Jeanette will attempt to come through the one loss side.
Winners of these matches all play at 8:15 p.m. this evening. Winners are guaranteed a spot in tomorrow’s ESPN quarter finals. Losers move to the one-loss side to attempt to make the final eight for the single elimination final stage of the tournament. Fans and media can keep up with ongoing results at http://www.wpba.com/images/stories/brackets/2012_us_open.pdf (refresh the link for the most up-to-date results!)
Schedule of Events:
Saturday, June 9 at 1 pm
ESPN Quarterfinals (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
Sunday, June 10 at 1 pm
ESPN Semifinals and Final (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
The quarter final, semi final and final matches will be taped by ESPN for seven one-hour national broadcasts, airing Saturday, July 14, (Quarterfinals 12-4pm on ESPN2) and Sunday, July 15, (Semifinals/Final 1-4pm on ESPN2).
It all takes place at the River Spirit Event Center, adjacent to the River Spirit Casino at 81st and Riverside in Tulsa.
Tickets are just $10 on June 7th & 8th and $20 on June 9th and 10th! VIP tickets are available for $25. Visit www.riverspirittulsa.com/entertainment/eventcenter for tickets and more information!
TULSA, OK – Following the player’s meeting and draw at the River Spirit Events Center, the following are the times and match ups for Round One. Double elimination rounds continue until the field is narrowed to the final 16 on Friday, when the tournament becomes single elimination. #1 ranked Allison Fisher will attempt to defend her title!
Schedule of Events: Thursday, June 7 at 10 am Double elimination play in day and evening sessions Friday, June 8 at 10 am Double elimination play in day and evening sessions Saturday, June 9 at 1 pm ESPN Quarterfinals (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP) Sunday, June 10 at 1 pm ESPN Semifinals and Final (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP) The quarter final, semi final and final matches will be taped by ESPN for seven one-hour national broadcasts, airing Saturday, July 14, (Quarterfinals 12-4pm on ESPN2) and Sunday, July 15, (Semifinals/Final 1-4pm on ESPN2). It all takes place at the River Spirit Event Center, adjacent to the River Spirit Casino at 81st and Riverside in Tulsa.
On Tuesday, May 15th from 7-9 pm, the annual CueSports International Challenge the Pros Fundraiser and Raffle in support of junior players took place as part of the 11 day BCAPL National Championships. This year, CSI raised $3,810 during the challenge event and raffle. The raffle was for a donated Ginacue valued at $3,000. All proceeds will be used to help fund junior players to the US Junior National Championships in 2013.
For the second straight year, WPBA Professional and former Junior National Champion, Sarah Rousey, organized this fun event on behalf of CSI. She was assisted Tuesday evening by well regarded coach, Randy Goettlicher, from Master’s Pool School. Amateur players paid $10-$40 to challenge a professional player a race to two. In addition, to the chance to beat pro, amateur participants received a certificate and a photo with the pro they played.
In 2013, CSI will be moving the BCAPL National Championships and all accompanying events, including the CSI Challenge the Pros, to the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino and will be held July 17-27th.
For more information about the BCAPL visit www.playbca.com.
CueSports International (CSI) is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. In the past seven years CSI has directly paid out approximately Seven Million Dollars to players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the US Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial, the US Open One Pocket Championship and the US Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.
CSI leads the billiard industry in the development of technology. For more information on the state-of-the-art software systems for league and tournament management visit www.leaguesys.net and www.ctsondemand.com.
MT. PLEASANT, MI – The WPBA Masters 9-Ball Championship wound up play tonight with completion of Round Two. Losing players in both rounds begin competition at 11 a.m. Friday in the one-loss bracket. Winners of the Round Two matches play at 3 and 6 p.m. Friday. Grand Ledge, Michigan's Vicki Paski upset top 8 ranked Brittany Bryant to join fellow Hall of Famers Allison Fisher, Karen Corr and newly inducted Jeanette Lee in the final sixteen.
For the first time in the history of the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, the entire semi final and final matches will run LIVE on ESPN3, beginning Sunday at 1 p.m. Fans can head to http://www.wpba.com for more info and tournament brackets, or visit the link direct at http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/817665/wpba-masters.
WPBA Masters Sponsors
Auto-Owners joins WPBA Masters sponsors Diamond Billiard Products, Iwan Simonis Cloth, Aramith pro balls, Delta-13 (racks) and online gameroom supplier Pooldawg in sponsoring this historic event on the 2013 Women’s Pro Billiard Tour.
Tickets
Tickets are available via startickets.com or the Soaring Eagle Box office at 888-726-9633.
The Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s (WPBA) top players have arrived in northern Michigan to compete in the WPBA Masters at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. The WPBA Masters 9-Ball Championship kicks off the 2012 Women’s Pro Billiard Tour season and the first round of competition begins at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 26, 2012.
Here is the first round schedule. (Note, the 16 winners will compete against the tournament’s top 16 seeds in round two, while the losers move to the one-loss side of the tournament chart.) To view the chart and ongoing results, visit www.wpba.com and click on “2012 Soaring Eagle Tournament Board.”
There will be two sessions of play each day. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, January 29 beginning at 1 p.m., when the final four players remaining will compete for the title of 2012 WPBA Masters Champion. These three final-round one-hour matches will be taped by ESPN for future television broadcasts. Tickets are available via startickets.com.
Alongside the WPBA Masters is the Soaring Eagle Open III, featuring amateur singles 8-Ball and 9-Ball tournaments in men and women’s divisions, with $10,000 in added prize money. This event also begins Thursday, January 26 and continues through Sunday, January 29, 2012. Visit www.soaringeagleopen.com for more information.
Defending Champion Xiaoting Pan Upset by Texas’ Kim White!
LINCOLN CITY, OR – The Women’s Pro Billiard Tour kicked off its culminating season Tour Championship at the Chinook Winds Event Center with 48 of the best women pool players in the world competing throughout Thursday.
32 competitors completed first round matches in the day session; the 16 winners of those matches then had to face the top 16 seeded players in the event. The big upset of this round was Texas player and Lone Star regional tour promoter Kim White’s victory over defending champion Xiaoting Pan of China in a 9-8 thriller for USA fans!
All first round losers moved to the one loss side of the double elimination chart — if they are defeated again, they are eliminated from the tournament. Elimination results will post later today. Beginning Saturday morning, quarter final, semi final and final matches will be taped by ESPN for seven one-hour national broadcasts. Here are the Round One Results:
Fans can keep up with match results at www.wpba.com via the Tour Championship Tournament Board.
For more information, or to obtain tickets (day passes are just $20), call 1-888-MAIN-ACT (624-6228) or 541-996-5775. Chinook Winds Casino Resort, located on the beach in Lincoln City, is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
About the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) The WPBA was established in 1976 as the Women’s Professional Billiard Alliance, and celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2011 as the oldest pro player organization in the sport. The WPBA sanctions and produces the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, which features ESPN-televised events with the world’s greatest women players. Visit www.wpba.com for more. The WPBA Classic Tour is sponsored by the American Poolplayers Association, Diamond Billiards, Iwan Simonis, Delta 13, Pooldawg and Aramith.
LINCOLN CITY, OR – The Women’s Pro Billiard Tour kicked off its culminating season Tour Championship at the Chinook Winds Event Center with 48 of the best women pool players in the world competing throughout Thursday.
In a double elimination format, players with one loss move to the one loss side; a loss from this side of the bracket means elimination.
The losing players in the results below have finished 33-48:
For more information, or to obtain tickets (day passes are just $20), call 1-888-MAIN-ACT (624-6228) or 541-996-5775. Chinook Winds Casino Resort, located on the beach in Lincoln City, is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
World’s Top Women Pool Players Begin Play at 10 a.m. PST
LINCOLN CITY, OR – The Women’s Pro Billiard Tour competes in Lincoln City, Oregon this week, November 9-13, 2011 for the WPBA’s culminating season Tour Championship! 48 of the best women pool players in the world are at Chinook Winds Casino to vie for the tour’s most prestigious title.
32 competitors will complete first round matches in the day session; the 16 winners will compete against the top 16 seeds; the losers will move to the one loss side. Beginning Saturday morning, quarter final, semi final and final matches will be taped by ESPN for seven one-hour national broadcasts. Here are the Round One Matchups:
Fans can keep up with match results at www.wpba.com via the Tour Championship Tournament Board.
For more information, or to obtain tickets (day passes are just $20), call 1-888-MAIN-ACT (624-6228) or 541-996-5775. Chinook Winds Casino Resort, located on the beach in Lincoln City, is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
About the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA)
The WPBA was established in 1976 as the Women’s Professional Billiard Alliance, and celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2011 as the oldest pro player organization in the sport. The WPBA sanctions and produces the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, which features ESPN-televised events with the world’s greatest women players. Visit www.wpba.com for more. The WPBA Classic Tour is sponsored by the American Poolplayers Association, Diamond Billiards, Iwan Simonis, Delta 13, Pooldawg and Aramith.
