WOMEN’S POOL Veronika Ivanovskaia 9-8 Rubilen Amit
Thursday night, Rubilen Amit of the Philippines stunned Germany’s Pia Filler with a pressure-packed, come-from-behind 9-8 victory, winning three consecutive racks to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
A mere 24 hours later, it appeared history might be repeating itself, as Germany’s Veronika Ivanovskaia jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage, only to watch it all evaporate as a handful of missed shots allowed her opponent to climb back into the match and tie the score, 8-8.
“I couldn’t finish easy tables anymore,” said Ivanovskaia. ”I was shaking and my head was all over.”
While the Filipino used a heavy dose of luck to advance the night before, this time her luck ran out, as Ivanovskaia received a timely roll after a missed shot to defeat Amit, 9-8, and advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
With the score tied at eight games each, Amit scratched on the break and gave the ball-in-hand to her opponent, who promptly missed a routine 3 ball minutes later. Fortunately for the German, the object ball rolled to a safe place on the table and forced her opponent to execute a kick shot. Amit’s kick left a wide-open table and, despite the rattled nerves along with the memory of a handful of missed shots, Ivanovskaia closed out the final rack with authority, rifling each ball into the pocket with confidence.
“I said to myself, ‘this is your final chance and if you don’t take it, then you’re just stupid,’” she said. “I just tried to stay committed on my shots and focus on my cue action and just make the
balls.”
Chieh-Yu Chou 9, Eunji Park 1
Chinese Taipei’s Chieh-Yu Chou led start-to-finish in her match against Korea’s Eunji Park and coasted to a commanding 9-1 victory in the quarterfinals of the World Games in Birmingham.
“I think I had a pretty good break today at the beginning and at the end,” said Chou.
After winning the first two racks, Park climbed onto the scoreboard to cut the deficit to 2-1. That would be her lone win of the match, as Chou won seven straight games to close out the set and advance to the semifinals.
Park’s play was the polar opposite of what she had exhibited a day earlier when she battled to the wire to defeat Monica Webb of the United States, 9-8, in the opening round, struggling with her break and ball pocketing throughout the evening session match.
“Yesterday, I think I had a good influence on the game by preparing my mind before the game and today, unlike yesterday, I lost because I was nervous,” said Park.
Aloysius Yapp will meet Sanjin Pehlivanovic in The World Games semi-finals. Pehlivanovic overturned a 5-1 deficit to beat John Morra 11-9, while Yapp defeated Spain’s Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 11-7.
Morra opened an early 5-1 lead over his opponent, but a scratch on the 7 ball allowed Pehlivanovic back in and the European 10-Ball Champion seized his moment, putting together a four-pack to tie the match.
The Canadian responded in the 11th to regain the lead at 6-5 but missed the 9 in the subsequent game. Pehlivanovic could only go safe and Morra made an up-table bank to lead 5-7.
The Bosnian took the next game and a golden break had him level at 7-7. The match continued to swing back and forth before it was the Bosnian who arrived first on the hill, and he wasn’t going to let his opportunity slip and he closed out an 11-9 victory.
“I was down 5-1 because I started badly. The last couple of months every match I was losing, I won, so that is good and gives me confidence. I had a little bit of luck, the same as him but I am happy to be in the semi-final. When he scratched on the 7, that was the turning point and I tried to play every rack as if it was the last one.
“It would be a dream to win The World Games. This is an important match tomorrow so I will look forward to it. To be the first player from Boznia to win a billiards gold, for the country, I cannot find the words to describe how big that achievement would be.
Yapp earned his place in the semis with an 11-7 win against in-form Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz of Spain. Sanchez-Ruiz had early leads of 2-1 and 4-2 before Yapp found his stride to open up an 8-5 advantage. Despite winning games on his break, Sanchez-Ruiz wasn’t given chances by Yapp, who closed out an 11-7 win.
The Olympic Channel is live streaming The World Games and billiards will feature on July 16 and July 17 when the finals take place. A full streaming schedule and links are at https://www.theworldgames.org/pages/twg2022streaming. The match schedule, results, and live scores are at esnooker.pl
Follow @wcbsbilliards on social media for full coverage of the billiards program from our team in Birmingham, Alabama.
South Korea’s Eunji Park fought back from an early 3-0 deficit in her round-of-16 match and defeated American Monica Webb, 9-8.
Webb had an opportunity to increase her lead in the fourth game but missed the winning 9 ball. Park climbed onto the scoreboard then won the next two to tie the match and the two players battled back-and-forth the rest of the way, with neither competitor holding more than a two-rack lead. Park climbed ahead 7-6 after Webb missed the 4 ball but the American quickly tied the score again when Park failed to pocket a ball on the break. Park pulled ahead again when she potted a successful combination shot on the 9 ball in the 15th rack but Webb was able to gut out the next game with a pair of victorious safety exchanges.
At the table with the break and a chance to win the match, Webb was unable to pocket a ball on the break and Park ran out the rack to snatch the victory.
“I feel like I played well, except for a couple of shots,” said Webb after the match. “I think she played well. She did her thing. I feel like I got a little unfortunate in that set, but with single elimination, that’s what we’re dealing with.”
Former Amway World Open champion Chieh-Yu Chou of Chinese Taipei came from behind and used an innovative jump shot to get past Costa Rica’s Adriana Villar, 9-6.
Chou jumped out to an early 3-1 advantage against Villar before the Costa Rican won four consecutive racks to build a 5-3 lead. Chou, starting to feel some pressure in championship competition, took a timeout to walk away and collect her thoughts.
“Before the timeout I felt like I was getting tense,” she said though her translator after the match. “After the time out, I relaxed and felt like I was okay.”
Villar, who struggled with her break at times, failed to maintain momentum as Chou on two of the next three to tie the match at six racks each. The player from Chinese Taipei, who was setting up the cue ball in the center of the table for break shots, regained the lead with a break and run in the 13th game to regain a 7-6 lead. After her opponent snookered her with a safety on the 2 ball, Chou jumped the cue ball over the blocking 7 ball, struck the 2 ball and watched the cue ball roll across table and pocket the game-winning 9 ball.
“I knew that was the route for the 9 ball but I know that was also lucky,” she said.
Chou then closed out the match with another break and run to eliminate Villar. “I feel good about how I played but she’s a good player,” Villar said.
Sanjin Pehlivanovic 11-3 Omar Al-Shaheen* *Al-Shaheen forfeited the match at 7-3
Canada’s John Morra will meet Sanjin Pehlivanovic in the Men’s Pool quarter-finals after a dominant 11-5 display against Hunter Lombardo.
Two sets of four consecutive games helped the Canadian to an 10-2 lead in the match. USA’s Lombardo, who only received the call to play this event at the end of last week, showed grit and determination in taking three games with his opponent on the hill, but the alternative break format was always going to afford Morra a chance to see out the win, and a runout in the 16th saw him complete an 11-5 win.
“I played well and was comfortable until 10-2, and then started to feel a little fatigued and made a few mistakes,” said Morra. “I broke well throughout the match, felt confident and was calm out there and comfortable with the conditions.
“I got tired towards the end of the match because I didn’t sleep too well last night. I was waiting for that opportunity to close out the match and I broke and ran out with a good shot on the 7; I wasn’t sure if it was going to drop but the pocket accepted the ball.
“I have represented Canada many times but never at this event, and it is awesome. It is an honor to be here, playing this event for the love of the game. The pure enjoyment and passion is what made me fall in love with the game and it is nice to know I still have it 20 years later.”
Despite his defeat, Lombardo was pleased to represent USA in this event and was determined to fight until the end despite a huge scoreboard deficit. “John played great. Every time he broke he seemed to run out and I broke dry a couple of times, and he capitalized when I missed a couple of balls early on.
“I hung in there and never quit; there was a time when things shifted a little bit but in the end he made a really nice out on the hill.”
Pehlivanovic, the European 10-Ball Champion, awaits Morra in the next round. The Bosnia and Herzegovina representative was 7-3 up against Kuwait’s Omar Al Shaheen when the 2021 World Championship runner-up forfeited the match.
“I understand he didn’t have his own cue,” said Pehlivanovic. “I feel bad for him because these things happen. I was happy with how I was playing and I will continue with that into the next round. The only thing is the break wasn’t quite working for me.”
One of the great aspects of The World Games is the number of other sports taking place, and Pehlivanovic was happy to find some time to take them in. “At home I do boxing for fitness, so it was incredible to watch some kick boxing yesterday; I loved it.”
The Olympic Channel is live streaming The World Games and billiards will feature on July 16 and July 17 when the finals take place. A full streaming schedule and links are at https://www.theworldgames.org/pages/twg2022streaming. The match schedule, results, and live scores are at esnooker.pl
Follow @wcbsbilliards on social media for full coverage of the billiards program from our team in Birmingham, Alabama.
Team Asia survived a dramatic comeback by Team West in the third and final day of the AM8.com Queens Cup. Asia's foursome had led each day of the event and extended to a 3 match lead, but the European/American squad bounced back and swept Asia in the first three matches of Day 3. The 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup aired nightly on primetime hours of 6:00pm – 10:00pm on ABS-CBN Sports + Action channel. The AM8.com Queens Cup re-ignited the greatest rivalry in women's billiards April 16-18th, 2015 which featured champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will took on the best in the West! The AM8.com Queens Cup was hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth , Aramith Balls, Viking Cue, with live streaming by Red Cube Productions. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
The day before, the Captain for the West made an near ominous prediction, "We started slow, but ended strong again. And tomorrow's line-up is in our favor. We are already doing better than the last Team West from the first Queen's Cup, so we know we are a different team. We can win", said Ewa Mataya Laurance, skipper for the West.
Captain Laurance chose to put Karen Corr to start the day. Corr had been the best player of the entire event thus far, so this was a sound decision. Captain Amit put her hopes in Korea's young Eunji Park. The last time the two had faced each other, Park had knocked Corr out of the US Open. Park and Corr dueled the first game in a cat and mouse game after Corr missed a golden chance to runout. Park played a great safety hooking Corr, but Corr came right back with a great kickshot. Park was forced to jump and made a good contact, and got a fortunate roll to re-safe Corr. Karen made a good contact but inadvertently scratched. Park took the game and the next jumping to a 2-0 lead, and things looked grim on the West's side as they had also dropped the first match of Day 1 and Day 2. A miss by Park in the third game gave Corr a chance to get on the board. Things turned around with a break and run by Corr and suddenly the tide turned. Park continued errors as Corr came on stronger and eventually took the match with 4 unanswered racks. Asia 7 West 5.
Corr was put right back in again with her familiar partner of the past 3 days, Jennifer Barretta. They faced Park/J.Chen. Captain Laurance's faith in the duo paid off in a 4-0 whitewash, and suddenly the West had come back to life! They were down only 1 match at Asia 7 West 6.
Corr was called upon one more time as she was placed in the first 3 matches as the anchor of Team West. This time would be the most challenging as she faced the #1 ranked player in the world in Siming Chen. Donned the "Most Dangerous Lady" in pool, Chen came out strong and making hardly an error, jumped to a 3-1 lead. Undeterred, the "Irish Invader" took each shot one by one and forced a final game to the cheers of her teammates. In the final game, a great break by Corr enabled a full clearance to not only defeat Asia's anchor, but to level the series at 7-7! This was the first time in the Queens Cup that the West had won 3 matches in a row thanks to the Irish workhorse in Karen Corr. Karen would later gain the distinction as the MVP of Team West with 6 match wins.
Next in the triples, Captain Laurance would finally join in along with Villarreal and Corr. Asia's Captain Amit, Jennifer Chen and Siming returned. The West's trio was not able to put anything together, and not even Corr was able to carry the rest of her teammates in her 4th straight match of the day. Asia was able to stop the West's momentum 4-1. The next match would add Barretta to her teammates in the 4-on-4, but the West was not feeling it in the big group matches unlike the day before where they excelled in the triples and quadruples. Amit was able to keep her team calm and led them to their own 2 match streak pulling away to the hill 9-7.
Singles was up next, and the West had Villarreal up while Amit had placed herself in this position. Villarreal had been on a hot streak during the first 2 days and next to Corr, was the second best player on the team. Also, the next match would be losing team captain's pick singles which would mean that the West would be able to choose both players from the two teams. Likely this would be a re-match of Corr and Park from what Laurance had mentioned. And if the West would win that one, it would mean a score of 9-9 resulting in a 4 on 4 finale. So, the vital importance of winning this match was mountainous upon the shoulders of both players.
"If I lost that match I knew that it would mean we could very well goto 9-9 for a one match decider for the event. So playing Vivian was like the finals. There was so much pressure it was crazy", said Rubilen Amit, captain of Team Asia. Amit would be declared the MVP of the AM8.com Queens Cup for her outstanding leadership bringing together 4 countries into unison. Plus her monumental contribution of 8 wins and 2 loss record, including going undefeated in both her singles matches. Amit has yet to drop a singles match in her tenure during her two appearances at the Queens Cup.
With the whole continent upon her shoulders, the small in stature Amit came out big the first game with a break and run. An unexpected miss by Amit on the second to the last ball in game 2 breathed life into Villarreal and she tied 1-1. Amit struck back taking the next rack to hold the lead 2-1. Villarreal made some fantastic shots in game 4, playing fast and loose. She looked to have the game easily in hand when she abruptly missed the 9-ball! Amit took full advantage to take the game and placed herself on the hill 3-1, needing only one more game to finish the match. The final game saw Amit facing a difficult rack clearance, but possible to play nevertheless. The 2-time world champion held her nerve in check each shot, making the balls and playing good percentage position for the next ball. She shot herself out of each jam perfectly. Finally came the last ball of the event, an open 10-ball that was makeable but also one that could be missed, especially given what was at stake. With her teammates waiting, praying, and holding their breath on the sidelines, Amit steeled her nerves one last time and downed the winning ball. The ecstatic Asian champions all rushed into the arena to congratulate their captain and celebrate the hard fought victory that required three days of teamwork, discipline, and faith.
These four ladies proved for another year that Asia is the continent to beat when it comes to the sport of women's billiards.
Day 3 April 18th Results Asia vs West:
Singles: Karen Corr 4 vs 2 Eunji Park
Doubles – Corr/Barretta 4 vs 0 Park/J.Chen
Singles -Karen Corr 4 vs 3 Siming Chen (Captains pick)
3-on-3 – Laurance/Corr/Villarreal 1 vs 4 S.Chen/Amit/J.Chen
World #1 Siming Chen has done her job anchoring Team Asia
Manila, Philippines- Team Asia led by Captain Rubilen Amit managed to extend their lead over the West to a margin of 3 matches. Asia came out strong winning the first 3 matches of the day before Team West stopped the bleeding with a win in the triples. Amit and China's World #1 Siming Chen have been instrumental in Asia's success, while USA's Villarreal and Ireland's Corr have had the best performances by far for the West. The AM8.com Queens Cup concludes today with Team Asia going in up 7 to 4 against the West. Asia needs 3 more match wins to clinch the win and successfully defend their title.
The 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup will be airing live nightly on primetime hours of 6:00pm – 10:00pm on ABS-CBN Sports + Action channel. The AM8.com Queens Cup is igniting the greatest rivalry in women's billiards . On April 16-18th, 2015 the second installment of the AM8.com Queens Cup will feature champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will take on the best in the West! Last year, Team Asia dominated Team West during the 3 days of competition. This year the USA & Europe will be looking to even the score. The AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth , Aramith Balls, Viking Cue, with live streaming by Red Cube Productions. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
"I'm definitely more tired than usual as the captain has so many more duties. I think it's worn me down some, that's why I might have missed those two 10-Balls tonight", said the demure World Champion Amit. Rubilen is the most successful female athlete in the history of the Philippines, winning 7 gold medals for her country in the past 10 years. Amit had missed two game win chances by missing the final ball. Still, Amit was able to seal two wins of her own for the team.
Team Asia started off very strong again winning the triples 4-2. The next match in singles pitted Barretta against Siming Chen. Barretta had a golden opportunity to take a 2-0 lead, but squandered the opportunites against the World #1 and lost 4-2. The next match with Laurance vs J.Chen was a comedy of errors as both players succumbed to the pressures of the event. In one game, both players had 2 chances at the 10-ball before it went in.
Finally the West was able to stop the bleeding in the triples with Corr and Villarreal backing up the West with some superb firepower. Villarreal has been instrumental playing well and uplifting the team spirits. Corr has been the best player of the event on either sides, playing solid in all her matches with minimal mistakes.
Corr and Barretta were not able to take advantage of the momentum stoppage with Barretta again missing some golden opportunities against Amit & Siming Chen.
"The shot clock is fast at 30 seconds, and not really suitable to my style. I will have to adapt for it tomorrow", said Barretta.
In the final match of the day the 4 on 4, Team West came together once again playing well with some help from errors from Asia's Eunji Park who had a weak performance on Day 2. West won 4-2 which relieves some pressures off of Karen Corr who will go in today first in the singles against Park.
Day 2 Results:
Triples: Corr/Barretta/Laurance 2 vs 4 S.CHEN/ PARK/ AMIT
ABS-CBN Sports + Action will be airing QUEENS CUP 2015 on the following dates :
LIVE
Apr. 16, Thursday at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Apr. 17, Friday at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Apr. 18, Saturday at 6:00pm – 11:00pm
REPLAY
Apr. 20, Monday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Apr. 21, Tuesday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Apr. 22, Wednesday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
"We started slow, but ended strong again. And tomorrow's line-up is in our favor. We are already doing better than the last Team West from the first Queen's Cup, so we know we are a different team. We can win", said Ewa Mataya Laurance, skipper for the West.
Manila, Philippines- USA's Vivian Villarreal made sure that history would not be repeated. At least on Day 1. Villarreal's big win at the end of Day 1 of the AM8.com Queens Cup put Team West within one match going into the second day. Meanwhile, national hero of the Philippines Rubilen Amit, in her debut role as Captain of Team Asia, led her team to 3 match wins to clinch the lead on Day 1 over Team West's American/European squad. Amit herself participated in 3 of the 4 matches consisting of singles, doubles, and 4-on-4 play with all matches going to best of 7 games. She won all three of hers for a 3-0 personal record so far in the three day competition.
Billiards is going primetime. The 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup will be airing live nightly on primetime hours of 6:00pm – 10:00pm on ABS-CBN Sports + Action channel. The AM8.com Queens Cup is igniting the greatest rivalry in women's billiards . On April 16-18th, 2015 the second installment of the AM8.com Queens Cup will feature champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will take on the best in the West! Last year, Team Asia dominated Team West during the 3 days of competition. This year the USA & Europe will be looking to even the score. The AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth , Aramith Balls, Viking Cue, with live streaming by Red Cube Productions. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
"I just ask everyone to pray for us. It will be difficult to communicate perfectly with my teammates from China, Taiwan, and Korea. But I am up for the challenge", said the demure World Champion Amit. Rubilen is the most successful female athlete in the history of the Philippines, winning 7 gold medals for her country in the past 10 years.
Team Asia started off very strong starting with the 4-on-4 where Asia played in perfect unison, even breaking and running the very first rack of the event. Making a statement for sure that Asia was there to win. They proceeded to take a 3-0 lead before making an error which the West received a game win, but still dropped a 4-1 scoreline.
The West showed they could give as good as they get when the American/European duo of Jennifer Barretta and Karen Corr neutralized Asia's Jennifer Chen and world #1 Siming Chen in a 4-1 vice versa return. Corr played exceptional making numerous difficult pots including a tough 6ball to the 10-ball combination shot to seal the match win to the delight of her teammates.
Next the captain herself, Amit put Korea's rookie Eunji Park by her side in the first doubles match of the event and they broke out to a 3-0 , mostly capitalizing on 3 big errors from the "Texas Tornado" Vivian Villarreal. Team West skipper Ewa Mataya Laurance made great shots and used her knowledge and savvy to keep her team in the game and they clawed back to level the match at 3-3. With a great chance to win the match, the West inadvertently hooked themselves behind a ball and gave Team Asia an easy rack which put Asia in the lead again.
Ireland's Karen Corr was up first in the singles, playing as the anchor of the team, and Amit selected herself for the first singles match. Corr came out strong, first making an incredible "Bata-like" kickshot off a Amit safety, and proceeded to clear the table. Corr took a 2 game lead, but in the third rack, a lucky fluke by Amit off her own kickshot changed the momentum of the match. Amit took advantage of the situation and turned around the match to 3-2 in her favor. Corr made a good stop to tie th match at 3-3, but the final game belonged to Rubilen after a missed shot by Corr.
With their backs against the wall in a "need to win" Day 1 situation, veteran Villarreal was sent in to stop Asia's momentum. A win by Asia here would put them up 4-1, the same deficit West faced last year on Day 1 which led to their eventual doom of 10-4 two days later.Shaking off some earlier shaky performances, Vivian stormed to a lightning fast 4-1, and well needed, victory for Team West. Villarreal was super amped before the match, and afterwards could be seen twirling her finger in her trademark victory sign.
"We're playing good. We lost to matches that went hill-hill to the deciding game. We could easily be in the lead right now. So that makes us confident coming into tomorrow, just knowing that we are right there keeping up with Asia", said Jennifer Barretta, who went 1-1 on Day 1.
"ABS-CBN is pleased to be the host network of this international battle between the greatest champions of women's billiards. The Queens Cup is the biggest women's sporting event in the Philippines, and we fittingly have given this event the primetime slot, four hours each day of the three day competition. Everyone in the world is excited to see the West take on Asia in this rivalry," said Dino Laurena, Head of Integrated Sports for ABS-CBN.
Day 1 Results:
4-on-4 : All players partners match Asia 4-1 West
Doubles: CHEN SIMING & JENNIFER CHEN 1 vs 4 Karen Corr/Jennifer Barretta
Doubles: EUNJI PARK & Rubilen AMIT 4 vs 3 Ewa Laurance/ Vivian Villarreal
Singles: Rubilen Amit 4 vs 3 Karen Corr
Singles: Eunji Park 1 vs 4 Vivian Villarreal
Day 2 April 17th Line-up Asia vs West:
4-on-4 : All players partners match
Doubles: CHEN SIMING & JENNIFER CHEN vs Karen Corr/Jennifer Barretta
Doubles: EUNJI PARK & Rubilen AMIT vs Ewa Laurance/ Vivian Villarreal
Singles: Rubilen Amit vs Karen Corr
Singles: Eunji Park vs Vivian Villarreal
Triples: S.CHEN/ PARK/ AMIT vs Corr/Barretta/Laurance
ABS-CBN Sports + Action will be airing QUEENS CUP 2015 on the following dates :
Billiards is going primetime. The 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup will be airing live nightly on primetime hours of 6:00pm – 10:00pm on ABS-CBN Sports + Action channel. The captains of both Asia and the West have also announced their line-up to start the event, and it will feature some savory match-ups! The 亚美娱乐 AM8.com Queens Cup is igniting the greatest rivalry in women's billiards . On April 16-18th, 2015 the second installment of the AM8.com Queens Cup will feature champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will take on the best in the West! Last year, Team Asia dominated Team West during the 3 days of competition. This year the USA & Europe will be looking to even the score. The 亚美娱乐 AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth , Aramith Balls, Viking Cue, with live streaming by Red Cube Productions. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
"ABS-CBN is pleased to be the host network of this international battle between the greatest champions of women's billiards. The Queens Cup is the biggest women's sporting event in the Philippines, and we fittingly have given this event the primetime slot, four hours each day of the three day competition. Everyone in the world is excited to see the West take on Asia in this rivalry," said Dino Laurena, Head of Integrated Sports for ABS-CBN.
Triples: S.CHEN/ PARK/ AMIT vs Corr/Barretta/Laurance
ABS-CBN Sports + Action will be airing QUEENS CUP 2015 on the following dates :
LIVE
Apr. 16, Thursday at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Apr. 17, Friday at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Apr. 18, Saturday at 6:00pm – 11:00pm
REPLAY
Apr. 20, Monday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Apr. 21, Tuesday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Apr. 22, Wednesday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
The Queens Cup will air live 6:00pm-10:00pm daily for 3 days on ABS-CBN Sports channels, and for international viewers in USA, Europe, & elsewhere, 24 hour a day archive access on Pay-per-view is now available at a special $20 pre-event sale by going to QueensCupPool.com or clicking here
The Queens Cup will showcase the rivalry between the Asians and their western counterparts in Europe and USA, very similar to the Ryder Cup in golf or Davis Cup in tennis. Elite professional ladies from their respective countries and continents are selected onto two sides representing the East and West. The event will last 3 days in a 10-Ball format that will conclude when one team reaches 10 match wins. Style of play will include singles, doubles, triples, and 4-on-4. Captains will be put to the test to create the best strategy in partnerships and chemistry of match-ups. If the matches go 9 to 9 hill-hill, a final 4-on-4 play will set the scene for the dramatic conclusion.
The AM8.com Queens Cup brings a level of excitement and pressure never before seen in women's billiards. On April 16th, The Empresses of Pool Battle for Glory.
South Korea's Eunji Park has been selected to play for Team Asia in the upcoming AM8.com Queens Cup. The 27 year old Incheon native has proven herself a top notch opponent capable of big performances on the world stage. The greatest rivalry in women's billiards is about to re-ignite. On April 16-18th 2015 the second installment of the AM8.com Queens Cup will feature champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will take on the best in the West! Last year, Team Asia had a dominating performance over Team West in a 10-4 final score over the 3 days of competition. This year the quad squad from USA & Europe will be looking to even the score. The AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
"Eunji is an extremely solid player. She has a very consistent style, which has a basis in snooker from her father, a former national coach for South Korea. This has enabled her to topple numerous world champions. She never plays too fast or slow, and keeps a calm demeanor. Which will come in handy under the intense pressure of the AM8 Queens Cup", explained Charlie Williams, Executive Producer of the event.
"We promised everyone new faces with the highest level of skill. Eunji has learned from some of the most renowned coaches in the world, and has delivered great results in big time events. This is an opportunity she has trained her entire life for", said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.
"I'm very nervous but also excited to play my first time in representing Team Asia. It's a huge honor beyond just ordinary prize money and trophies. It's an awesome feeling to know I will have great players around me every moment, and I am ready to give my all for the team and bring glory to our respective Asian countries", said Eunji Park originally from Incheon, South Korea. The Philippines may be a lucky place for her as she has had some major victories including two top 5 finishes at the World Championships there.
Park has won numerous pro events in Korea and showed promised early on in her career representing South Korea at the World Junior Championship. She was awarded the Korea Pro Tour Rookie of the Year at age 19, and a few years later trained in the United States under the tutelage of renowned pro player and coach Charlie Williams. She went on in her first year in America to win a WPBA US Open qualifier and then finished 3rd at her debut WPBA appearance defeating Jeanette Lee on ESPN in the quarter-finals. She has stayed in the top 3 rankings of Korea for the past 5 years.
The Queens Cup was broadcasted worldwide to very receptive audiences. This year predicts for an even bigger viewership for this highly entertaining and competitive event. Yahoo Sports writer Bob Guerrero described the event in his article "Queens Cup is a breath of fresh air for pool" .
The AM8.com Queens Cup brings a level of excitement and pressure never before seen in women's billiards. Last time Team Asia celebrated a commanding performance over their Western counterparts during the 3 days of the historic inaugural event. Eunji Park will be aiming to continue the celebration into 2015.
(Shanghai)–You don’t come to the China Open with the gall thinking you are going to win this tournament. You just hope to survive long enough, say to the semi-finals, where you then have as good a chance as anyone to pull off a career defining victory.
It’s not only the stacked field comprised of most of the world’s best male and female pool players that makes the odds so long. It’s the conditions. Lightning quick tables, generous pockets, template racking which practically guarantees one, two and sometimes even three balls on the break. The result is the ultimate equalizer, a wide open shootout with the world’s best gunslingers letting it all hang out.
Welcome to the Wild West of professional pool.
“It’s really hard to say what’s good and what’s bad out here because it’s so easy to pot balls,” said 2011 China Open champion Chris Melling, after he staved off elimination on day 1 with a losers side win over American Oscar Dominguez. “The pockets are so big and the cloth is so fast. Everyone’s making two and three balls on the break. It makes the whole tournament level. I think we’re going to have a surprise winner here.”
Maybe or maybe not. Things may look topsy turvey at the beginning, but the pressure that is unique to professional pool at this level tends to favor the best and the bravest. And pool generally follows the tenets of that famous phrase, “the crème always rises to the top.”
Indeed day one of the 2013 China Open 9-ball inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium arena in Shanghai produced plenty of nail biting, down- to-the-wire drama, but few shockers.
Leading the pack in the men’s event, which features 64 players divided into 8 groups of eight playing double elimination, was the defending champion Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines. Orcollo had no time to get loose as he immediately found himself in a dog fight with unknown Taiwanese Ahen Yuxuan. Yuxuan had the race to 9 match tied at 7 but succumbed to the pressure late and handed Orcollo a 9-7 win.
China’s number one player Li Hewen, who came within one rack of winning the 2012 World 9-ball Championship in Qatar, came from behind in a TV table match against Orcollo’s talented countryman, Carlo Biado, and won 9-8. Later on, Li laid down his marker when he easily beat Canada’s John Morra to advance to the knockout stage of 32. Biado, who is due to go far in a major tournament, later got his feet back under himself with a 9-1 drubbing on the losers side over China’s Zhou Long.
Taiwan looks set to put its usual dent in the proceedings as world number 1 Chang Jung Lin, along with Ko Pin Yi and Fu Chei Wei all won handily with Fu already advancing. In all, Taiwanese players won 8 out of 11 matches today.
As befitting a major tournament, there were some high quality matches straight out of the gates that could have easily been contested as finals. Former World 9-ball champion Alex Pagulayan went up against former World 8-ball champion Karl Boyes in the first round. Pagulayan took advantage of just a few mistakes by Boyes and won 9-5.
European Mosconi Cup teammates Nick Van Den Berg of Holland and Nick Ekonomopolous of Greece took their match to a one rack decider with the Nick the Greek squeaking by, 9-8.
One of the most intriguing matches of the day pitted Hollands talented Niel’s Feijen against two time former world champion Wu Jiaqing(formerly known as Wu Chia Ching.) Wu, who made pool history back in 2005 when he won the World 9-ball championship when he was just 16 years old, and then went on to win the World 8-ball championship just five months later, only recently completed a 16 month stint in the Taiwan military. And this was on the back of four straight years of personal drama and intrigue which has left the sport without one of its biggest stars. In the military Wu was forced to mop floors and clean windows for the entire time and he never once touched a cue stick. In addition, in August of last year, Wu was diagnosed with Lukemia. Fortunately doctors caught the blood disease in its very early stages and Wu says it can be controlled with medication.
Having only practiced for one month since being discharged from the military, Wu came into the match against Feijen with no expectations. Wu, however, looked like the boy wonder of old as he thumped the Dutchman 9-4.
“I’m happy with the way I played today,” Wu, who now resides in China, said afterwards through an interpreter, “but to be honest I have no confidence that I can win the tournament. “ Of course nobody who knows pool believes that.
On the women’s side, which features 48 player divided into 8 groups of six, defending champion Kelly Fisher kept the express train barrelling down the tracks with a 7-0 win over China’s Liu Jia. The match took an incredible 20 minutes to complete.
Hall of Famer Allison Fisher won her first match, then had to face old rival Ga Young Kim of Korea in a marquee affair. Kim won 7-4.
Chinese stars Fu Xiaofang, Pan Xiaoting and Chen Siming all won their opening matches.
The group stages continue on Friday in Shanghai. After completion of play on day 2, the men’s field will be down to 32 players and the women’s field will be down to 16. Both tournaments will then be single elimination knockout through to the finals on Sunday.
*The 2013 China Open will be held in Shanghai, China from May 12-19 and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association(WPA). 64 men and 48 women will compete in separate 9-ball events. The China Open is a WPA ranking event. The main event will begin on May 16 and run through May 19.
The WPA will be providing full coverage of the 2013 China Open via its website at www.wpapool.com, and through Facebook at www.facebook.com/WpaChinaOpen. The WPA will be providing live scoring of all matches, daily articles and analysis from WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner, and photographs. Fans can also follow the event through Twitter; @poolwpa.
The 2013 China Open will be streamed online through several Chinese websites. The WPA will be providing the links through our Facebook page as we receive them.
