It’s been a long time since BJ Ussery sported a pool resume that could be contained on a single page. Available records indicate that it’s been 19 years now, and while there have been some lean years (2017, for example, when his only reported cash prize came with a 5th place finish at that year’s NC State 10-Ball Open), there have been some really good ones, like 2005 and 2011, his first and second-best earnings year, to date. His 2005 reported earnings were $5 better than his 2011 earnings. On the weekend of February 23-24, Ussery added an undefeated run on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour to his multi-page resume. It was his first win on the tour since August of last year. The event, the first Chris Walsh Memorial Tournament, held to commemorate the loss of a member of the tour who passed away recently, drew 67 entrants to Walsh’s home room, Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC. The event raised $600 for the Walsh family.
Ussery faced separate opponents in the hot seat and finals. After an 11-3 victory over Matt Harrell in a winners’ side semifinal, Ussery squared off against Stevie McClinton, who had just defeated teenager Casey Cork 7-1. Ussery claimed the hot seat 11-4 over McClinton and waited on the return of Filippino competitor Francisco Felicilda.
On the loss side, Felicilda worked his way closer to his eventual matchup against Ussery by downing Dalton Messer 11-3 and Matt Lucas, double hill (11-4 with Lucas racing to 5). This set Felicilda up to face Harrell. Cork, in the meantime, met up with Brian Francis, who’d defeated Marcio Smith 6-2 and another Filippino competitor, Raymund Faraon 6-1 (Faraon racing to 12).
Felicilda eliminated Harrell 11-2 and was joined in the quarterfinals by Francis, who’d downed Cork 6-1. After giving up only four racks over his last three matches, Francis had the tables turned on him by Felicilda, who shut him out to advance to the semifinals.
Felicilda completed a fairly impressive run over five loss-side matches with an 11-2 victory over McClinton in the semifinals. He entered the finals against Ussery having won 85% of his games (64-11) over the past six matches. He proved to be no match for Ussery, however, who completed his undefeated run with an 11-5 win; his first of 2019.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph Billiards for hosting the 1st Chris Walsh Memorial, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (March 2-3), will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
There was good news and bad news for tour directors Herman and Angela Parker last weekend. The scheduled stop on their Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour (Feb. 9-10) drew a hefty 114 entrants to Steakhorse Restaurant & Billiards in Spartanburg, SC, due, in part, to an ongoing four-day, $56K, 8-Ball battle between Justin Bergman and Corey Deuel at the same location. It was originally to have been a battle between Bergman and Jayson Shaw, but some (shall we say) differences of opinion emerged regarding the table particulars of that matchup and at the last minute, Deuel stepped in and agreed to play the match against Bergman; a best-of five sets, racing to 30, with Deuel getting three on the wire for each set. It’s not often that the Parkers get to play host to that many players, but when it became known that entrants to his tournament would be granted free admission to watch the challenge match, the numbers swelled. And predictably, with a lot of Pro types racing to 11, 12 and 13 games, their tournament went on a little longer than their normal weekend tournaments; like, 7 a.m. Monday morning longer.
Deuel won the challenge match 3-1, and it spilled over into Monday evening. A couple of the sets were close; close enough to question whether giving Deuel three on the wire in those circumstances was such a good idea for Bergman.
Brian White, who is the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour’s current Bar Box Champion (from an event held last September) and winner of another stop on the tour, two days before Christmas, was declared the official winner of the tour stop when, at 7 a.m. Monday morning, he and Steakhorse Restaurant and Billiards house pro, Roberto Gomez agreed to a split of the top two prizes. White was the hot seat occupant at the time. Gomez had spent a lot of time on the loss side, winning nine matches to get to the finals that didn’t happen.
There were several players of some renown who didn’t make it to the money rounds of the handicapped tournament. Francisco Bustamante and Tony Chohan were among them. White advanced through the field to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match against Keith Yates. Francisco Felicilda, in the meantime, squared off against teenager Landon Hollinsworth.
White got into the hot seat match with an 11-3 win over Yates. Felicilda, also racing to 11, gave up only a single rack to Hollinsworth and joined White. White claimed the hot seat 11-9, in what proved to be his last match.
Gomez, in the meantime, after an early-round loss to Josh Miller was at work on the loss side, racing to 13 through it all. He got into the money rounds with a 13-3 victory over Kevin Ping (racing to 6), chalked up his sixth loss-side win against Junior Gabriel 13-1 and picked up the youngster, Hollinsworth, coming over from the winners’ side semifinal. Yates drew Raymund Faraon, who’d eliminated two members of the Frank family, back to back; Trey Frank, double hill (12-5) in the first money round and then, Trey’s father Ron, double hill (12-7) to meet Yates.
Faraon went on to win his third straight double hill match (12-4) over Yates. He was joined in the quarterfinals by Gomez, who’d eliminated Hollinsworth 13-2. Playing with one on the wire at the start in a race to 13 in those quarterfinals, Faraon had chalked up only five, when Gomez won his 13th and advanced to the semifinals.
Felicilda started the semifinal match against Gomez with two on the wire in a race to 13. He managed to get to 8, before Gomez finished it, about 10 minutes after daylight started painting the Spartanburg sky and 15 minutes ahead of the official sunrise at 7:16 a.m.
The decision to split the top two prizes was made, everyone settled up and tour directors Herman and Angela Parker went back to their hotel to catch a few hours sleep before they had to check out shortly after noon.
The Parkers thanked Steakhorse Restaurant and Billiards’ owner, Dayne Miller for his hospitality (to include added money) and his entire staff for what had to have been a hectic weekend. They also thanked title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Feb. 16-17), will be hosted by Gate City Billiards in Greensboro, NC.
It’s time to get down to the serious business end of things in Doha, as the field of 128 has been cut in half after three days of group play at the 2017 World 9-ball Championship. From here the remaining 64 players will engage in a three day sprint to pool’s most prestigious title. Whoever wins six straight matches will be crowned the new WPA World 9-ball Champion on December 14th.
There was no escaping the tension on Monday inside the cavernous Al Arabi Sports Club as all 32 matches played were do-or-die. “Judgment Day” as it’s known in pool circles always brings out the drama as players, many of them who could just as easily find themselves lifting the title, scramble for their pool playing lives trying to escape the always dreaded group stages. One single roll of the ball could spell the difference between total disaster and a life changing run at glory.
Myanmar’s Maung Maung is not one player pool fans would expect to be a serious contender over the next few days. But the 23 year old ex-snooker player, who has lived and practiced in Beijing, China for the last three years, certainly turned some heads yesterday with a scintillating performance against the Philippines talented Johann Chua. Chua, who recently won the All Japan Championship in Osaka a few weeks back, is one Filipino player many fans thought might make a run at the title this year. But the sharp shooting Pinoy never had a chance as Maung cruised to an impressive 9-3 win. It’s the first time in the history of the World 9-ball Championship that a player from Myanmar has made it to the knockout rounds.
Die hard Filipino fans need not worry, however, as seven other Pinoys passed the grade and made it through to the knockout rounds. On Monday, veteran Warren Kiamco, Roland Garcia, and Qatar based Israel Rota and Francisco Felicilda all won handily to punch their tickets to the Final 64. There they’ll join Carlo Biado, Jeffrey De Luna and Jeffrey Ignacio in the quest for pool glory. A Filipino has not won the World 9-ball Championship since legend Francisco Bustamante pulled off the feat here in Doha in 2010.
In terms of numbers via country, the Taiwanese are the clear winners at this point. 10 Taiwanese make up the final 64, including world number one Chang Jung Lin, and 2015 World 9-ball Champion Ko Pin Yi. The pressure of Judgement Day certainly didn’t affect the Taiwanese as four players made it through including Lo Li Wen, Nien Rong Chih, Hsieh Chia Chen and Yu Li Si. The only Taiwanese player not to make it through yesterday was Cheng Yu Hsuan, who just happened to be up against a compatriot, Lo Li Wen.
The Polish side has been quietly putting in a stellar performance in this year’s championship with six Poles qualifying for the final 64. On Monday, players from Poland stepped up big time, going 4-1 for their best performance perhaps ever. Winners included Mateusz Sniegocki, Mieszko Fortunski, Wojciech Szewczyk, and Wiktor Zielinski. Zielinkski, it should be noted, is just 16 years old and is one of the rising stars on the European pool playing circuit, having recently won a Euro Tour event.
The Chinese team also cashed in their chips on Monday with four out of six winning and going through. Team China will have 5 players competing for the title starting today. One noted player who will not be among them, however, is former World 9-ball Champion, Wu Jiaqing. Wu fell to 21 year old Swede Daniel Tangudd, 9-5 and was eliminated from the event.
One player that seems to have caught the eye of many fans around the world is Canada’s John Morra. Two years ago Morra was a definite rising star in the pool world, and proved it by reaching the quarterfinals at the World 9-ball Championship in Doha in 2015. Morra then briefly stepped away from the game only to return with a renewed hunger for the winner’s circle. Several months back he won the Canadian 9-ball championship which won him a paid trip to Doha. Yesterday, Morra took down Argentina’s Arial Castro, 9-6, to advance to the knockout rounds. Nobody in the pool world would be surprised if the talented Canadian makes some serious noise over the next few days.
“Today I played pretty well,” a refreshed looking Morra said after qualifying. “I’m over the jet lag and I feel pretty well. The last few months I’ve been playing really well. I’ve been traveling all over the US. I got in some big money matches. I got the hunger back. I had lost it last year. I didn’t feel like playing the game. I had problems in my neck and I was stressed. I’m an emotional player. But right now I feel great and I’m motivated. I feel I can go all the way.”
Play in the round of 64 begins at 10am Doha time(GMT +3.) The round of 64 and 32 will be played today, with 16 players remaining at the end of the three sessions.
All matches will be race to 11, alternate break. The final on Thursday will be a race to 13, alternate break.
The players will compete on Wiraka DYNASTY Tables with Simonis 860 Cloth, Electric Blue Color and using Aramith Tournament Pro cup TV Pool Balls featuring the new Duramith Technology.
The 2017 World 9-ball Championship is hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and was sanctioned by the The World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.
Young German star joins 31 other players in the final 64 as the field is cut in half after Day 2 of the World 9-ball Championship.
The action at the 2017 World 9-ball Championship picked up apace on Day 2, as 32 players out of the field of 128 were shown the exits, while another 32 punched their tickets to the Final 64 single elimination knockout stage.
The remaining 32 players to vie for pool’s most prestigious crown will be determined on Monday at the Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha. From there all eyes will be on the prize, as whoever wins six straight matches over three days will be crowned the new champion of the world in 9-ball come December 14th.
For those who hastily got their pink slips on Sunday, there wasn’t too much misery to speak of. This was due to the fact that most of the 32 players who took their second defeats really had no hope of making much noise in the first place. However, there were several shockers that still turned some heads throughout the pool world.
Mika Immonen is normally a player fans expect to make a run in big events. But the 44 year old Hall of Famer never seemed to get it together this week. In a do or die match against Korea’s Woo Seung Ryu, Immonen fell flat for the second day in a row, bowing out of the tournament in the group stage via a 9-5 score line.
Alex Pagulayan reached the semi-finals last year here in Doha, but 2017 in Doha turned out to be a stinker for the Fil-Canadian. The gregarious 39 year old fell to Lebanon’s Mohammad Berjawi , 9-7, and was knocked out barely after the proceedings had begun.
Other notable players who were shown the exits included China’s Wang Can, and Japan’s Toru Korubiyashi.
For the Americans, the 2017 campaign will go down as perhaps the worst in the illustrious 25 year history of the World 9-ball Championship. No big name American players bothered to make the trip to the Middle East this year. And the two that did, Hunter Lombardo and Robert Hart, both went two matches and out. This could be the first time in history that the last 64 of the World 9-ball Championship will not feature one single American player.
The field that is taking shape for the final 64 is, however, looking very deep indeed. One thing that is certainly quite apparent already is that the youth movement throughout the sport will continue and expand this week in Doha.
20 year old German Joshua Filler has been generating tons of excitement throughout the pool world lately. His incredible talent and devil-may-care shooting style has many proclaiming that the German youngster is destined to be the Ronnie O’Sullivan of the pool world. Despite a long trip from Vegas where he won the Mosconi Cup and captured the MVP prize for Team EUROPE, Filler hasn’t missed a beat here in Doha. On Sunday he played without a care in the world, first taking down Greece’s Damianos Giallourakis, 9-6, and then handily defeating China’s Kong Dejing by the same score for a spot in the final 64.
“I feel really exhausted and not quite the same,” Filler said after his second win. “I won both matches 9-6. I just have to improve my break and let’s see what happens over the next few days.
“You can’t really compare this to the Mosconi Cup where you play in front of 1500 people and millions at home. There is so much pressure because you play for your team and your country. Here I play more relaxed and there’s not too much pressure.
“Inside I feel very confident, I say to myself I’m the best player but I need that. I just play my best game and I want to win this world championship. At 20 years old it would be perfect. At the beginning of this year I had two dreams. One was to win the Mosconi Cup and the other was to win the World Championship.”
Another youngster grabbing a lot of attention is 19 year old Albanian Klenti Kaci. While the exact opposite of Filler in terms of speed and style, the talented Kaci always seems to find a way to win, no matter the opponent. On Sunday, the Albanian star defeated Chu Bingjie of China to qualify for the final 64.
In terms of countries, Taiwan easily had the best day on Sunday with six players qualifying for the final 64. World number one Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, Ko Pin Yi, Ko Ping Chung, Lin Wu Kun and Chieh Liu Cheng all won their second straight matches to make the knockout rounds.
The Philippines is looking like it will send its usual armada to the knockout rounds. Carlo Biado, Jeffrey De Luna and Jeffrey Ignacio all won their second straight matches and qualified for the final 64. Warren Kiamco, Johann Chua, Francisco Felicilda, and Roland Garcia all lost on the winners side of their groups and will have one more chance on Monday to try and make the knockout rounds.
It was a good day for South America at the World 9-ball Championship. Venezuela’s Jalal Al Sarisi(Yousef) beat the Philippines Johann Chua 9-8 to advance. Peru will have its first ever player in the knockout rounds after Martines Gerson defeated Germany’s Andre Lackner 9-8.
Japan’s Naoyuki Oi barely squeaked by Canada’s John Morra, 9-8, to qualify. While compatriot Hayato Hijikata took down Estonia’s Dennis Grabe on the winners side to make the knockout rounds.
Play in the group stages continues at the Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha on Monday beginning at 10am Doha time(GMT +3). All matches will be do-or-die on the one loss side of the brackets. The winners will advance to the final 64, while the losers will be out of the tournament.
The Final 64, single elimination round begins on Tuesday Dec. 12. All matches will be a race to 11, alternate break. The final will be a race to 13, alternate break.
**The 2017 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Al Arabi Sports Club Sports Club in Doha, Qatar from December 5-15,2017
The winner of the 2015 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The runner up will receive $15,000. The total prize fund is $200,000.
Fans around the world will be able to view many of the matches via the QBSF’s free live streaming platform. Multiple tables will be available to view online at no charge to the public.
For live stream, live scoring and updated brackets, please go to the following links:
The players will compete on Wiraka DYNASTY Tables with Simonis 860 Cloth, Electric Blue Color and using Aramith Tournament Pro cup TV Pool Balls featuring the new Duramith Technology.
The 2017 World 9-ball Championship is hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and was sanctioned by the The World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.
(Doha, Qatar)-–Omar Al Shaheen knows that success in championship pool is as much about perseverance as it is about being an amazing shot maker. Sometimes, when things aren’t going your way, you just have to be patient. When your time finally does come, you have to be ready to grab the cherry.
Today at the Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha, that cherry came in the form of a brilliantly played match against former World 9-ball Champion Darren Appleton. Today was Judgement Day at the 2016 World 9-ball Championship, the last chance to make it into the Final 64, the knockout rounds and the real road to 9-ball glory.
Of course Appleton, one of pool’s giants, was the heavy favorite. But the 23 year old Kuwaiti played flawlessly and completely carefee, while the Brit couldn’t find the measure of the break shot and looked tight. Al Shaheen won in a master class, 9-5, putting Appleton out, and himself in the money rounds of pool’s biggest event.
To understand just how Al Shaheen got to this point of being able to oust one of pool’s best players, it helps to look back over the last few days. The talented and good looking youngster didn’t even have a spot in the tournament a few days ago. He entered the brutally tough qualifiers last week, reached the finals two times, only to lose to two top players. But as he was lamenting what could have been this year, he got the call that another player had dropped out and, as the leading point holder of the qualifiers, he got the very last spot in the world championship.
Al Shaheen then lost his very first match and was forced over to the losers’ side of his group bracket. But then the Kuwaiti found his groove, handily beating Sweden’s Marcus Chamat, to set up a showdown with Appleton. He suddenly realized all the tough competition and, yes, the losing, had prepared him for this moment.
“I think it’s good that I lost many times,” an ecstatic Al Shaheen said after disposing of Appleton. “In the qualifiers I lost three times, two of them in finals to very good players. In the group stages I lost my first match. So that’s four times. So now I can accept losing. And it was good practice. Today I just play my game and I am relaxed. Darren is a very good player and I feel very good right now.”
31 one other players left the Al Arabi with similar wide grins today as they booked their spots in the Final 64 which begins Tuesdaymorning here. They join the 32 players who qualified on Sunday in what is a brutally stellar field of pool greats ready to do battle over the next three days for pool’s most prestigious prize.
Leading the way, as usual, are the Taiwanese and the Filipinos. Taiwan brings 10 heavyweights into the knockout stages, including defending champion Ko Pin Yi, Chang Yu Lung and Chang Jun Lin. Filipino fans will have nine players to get behind including Dennis Orcollo, Warren Kiamco, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado, Jeffrey De Luna and Johann Chua. Filipino Alex Pagulayan, who won the World 9-ball crown in 2004, plays out of Canada and also made it through to the knockout rounds.
It wouldn’t be surprising if China finally takes its first World 9-ball title. Former champion Wu Jiaqing(formerly Wu Chia Ching) is playing rock solid pool, while Lui Haitao has consistently been raising his game over the last few years. Six Chinese players will be featured in the Final 64.
Poland has proved this year that it could arguably be Europe’s leading pool country with four players qualifying. A slew of other Europeans make up the field as well.
Perhaps the most notable statistic this year is the rise of the Middle Eastern players. Six players from the Middle East have qualified for the knockout rounds, a first in the history of this prestigious event. Clearly having the World 9-ball Championship in Qatar for the last seven years has significantly helped the sport grow.
Judgement Day always brings with it plenty of jangling nerves and high drama as players wilt under the gravity of the circumstances. One small roll of the ball can spell the difference between a player going 2 games and out, and perhaps a run at a world title. If there was ever a sport where whole careers rest on a razor’s edge, pool is it.
The Philippines young Jeffrey Ingacio has given Pinoy fans high hopes for the young generation to make their mark, but he had to get very lucky in holding off tough Canadian Francis Crevier to advance, 9-7.
Great Britain’s Jayson Shaw has played himself into being one of the top players in the world over the last six months, but today he had to come from way behind against a stingy Justin Campbell of Australia to qualify, 9-7.
2007 World 9-ball Champion Daryl Peach had to go toe to toe with the Philippines Antonio Gabica, but the Brit prevailed 9-7 in a high quality match.
Bangladesh isn’t the first country to come to mind when one thinks of great pool players. Today, however, will stand as a monumental day in Bangladeshi cue sports history. 29 year old MD Alim became the first player from Bangladesh to make it to the knockout rounds of the World 9-ball Championship. Alim, who owns a business installing satellite TV services in Dhaka, was playing in his very first world championship this week. Today, he went to the wire with Italy’s Bruno Muratore and showed major league poise and skills in crossing the finish line to qualify.
Another player to look out for is Iran’s Ali Maghsoud. A few days ago Maghsoud took down the great Mika Immonen. Today the Iranian sucked up the massive pressure and beat Japan’s Hiroshi Takenaka, 9-7 to make his first Final 64.
Other Middle Eastern players continued to impress. Abdul Rahman Al Amar of Saudi Arabi continues to show maturity beyond expectations. Today he came from behind to win at the wire against Poland’s Konard Juszczyszym, 9-8, and move on to the money rounds.
Other notable players bouncing back from defeats and advancing today include the Netherlands’ Niels Feijen, Germany’s Ralf Souquet, the Philippines Dennis Orcollo, Japan’s Yukio Akagariyama and Taiwan’s Chang Yu Lung.
One particular match at the end of today’s play seemed to encapsulate the drama and pressure of Judgement Day to a “T.” The Philippines Carlo Biado was not playing well and found himself down to Japan’s Hayato Hijikata, 7-4 in a race to 9. Hijikata pushed the score to 8-6, but with the finish line and a qualification in sight, the Japanese began to wilt and the match went to 8- 8 and a pressure packed one rack decider, with Hijikata breaking.
The Japanese sank a ball on the break and then proceeded to make a superb full table bank on the two, with an open table to the win. But just as Biado started to slink down in defeat in his chair, Hijikata missed a wide open shot on the 4-ball. The Filipino bounced out of his chair but even then his legs looked weak from the pressure. Biado held it together and cleared the table for an unlikely spot in the knockout stages.
“When he made that 2-ball, I just knew the match was over,” a seriously relieved Biado said after the match. “But then he missed the 4-ball and I knew this was my chance. My heart was beating and it was pressure. Now that I won the match, I have a lot of confidence. I’m in the Final 64. Anything can happen, and anyone can win. May the best man win.”
Play in the first day of the group stages begins Tuesday at 10am(GMT +3). All matches now become race to 11, alternate break. The round of 64 and round of 32 will be played on Tuesday. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday. The Semi-finals and Finals will be played on Thursday. The final will be a race to 13, alternate break.
**The 2015 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Al Arabi Sports Club Sports Club in Doha, Qatar from July 30-August 4, 2016. The winner of the 2015 World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000. The runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $200,000.
The players will be competing on Wiraka DYNASTY Tables with Simonis 860 Cloth, Electric Blue Color and using Aramith Tournament Pro cup TV Pool Balls featuring the new Duramith Technology.
The 2016 World 9-ball Championship is being hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and is sanctioned by the The World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.
The WPA will be on hand in Doha throughout this year’s World 9-ball Championship providing up to the minute information, live scoring, photographs and in depth articles with insights and analysis from WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner.
Drawing on a strong field of players, many of whom had recently competed in the 40th Annual US Open 9-Ball Championships in Virginia, including winner Yu-Hsuan Cheng, and world champion Pin-Yi Ko, the 4th Annual Steinway Classic in New York drew the largest field of competitors, 92, in its history. Yu-Lung Chang defeated Ko Pin Chung twice to go undefeated and claim title to the $7,000-added event, hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY, from November 1-3.
"It was our largest field, and the most competitive," said event director Tony Robles, "because it was truly an international event."
Though Yu-Hsuan Cheng, Pin-Yi Ko and four-time US Open champion Shane Van Boening entered the tournament among the highly favored competitors, all were eliminated early. Cheng went two and out, Ko finished in the tie for 9th place and Van Boening finished out of the money.
Chang and Ko Pin Chung advanced to the winners' side semifinals; Chang, against Warren Kiamco and Ko, squaring off against Jayson Shaw. Chang and Kiamco battled to double hill before Chang advanced to the hot seat match. He was joined by Ko, who'd sent Shaw to the loss side 9-6. Chang took the first of two against Ko 9-7 and waited in the hot seat for his return.
Awaiting Shaw and Kiamco on the loss side were Nick Van Den Berg and Darren Appleton. Nick Van Den Berg had eliminated world champion Pin-Yi Ko 9-6 and Rodney Morris 9-4 to draw Shaw. Appleton had won two straight double hill matches, against Alex Kazakis and Francisco Felicilda, for the right to face Kiamco. Appleton had been down 2-7 to Felicilda, before rallying to win that match. Appleton and Shaw downed Kiamco and Van Den Berg, both 9-7, and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Shaw opened those quarterfinals with five straight racks, and though Appleton would split the final eight games with Shaw evenly, Shaw won it 9-4. Shaw's loss-side run came to end in the semifinals, with Ko eliminating him 9-5 for a second shot against countryman Chang. Chang punctuated his undefeated run with a 13-11 victory over Ko in the finals.
Predator Tour director Tony Robles thanked the ownership and staff at Steinway Billiards for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League (PlayNAPL.com), Ozone Billiards, Delta-13 racks, Gothamcitytechnologies.com, PoolontheNet.com, Phil Cappelle of Billiards Press, and TheDevitoTeam.com. Special thanks went out to event photographers Eli Ceballos, Karl Kantrowitz and to Robles' tour staff – William Finnegan, Mandy Wu, Ron Mason, Rob Omen, Irene Kim, Upstate AL of AZBTV (which streamed the event throughout the weekend), Dan Faraguna, Jim Gutierrez, Joe Wilson Torres, and (his) "amazing wife, Gail Robles."
Singapore's Aloysius Yapp arrives on pool's biggest stage with a dominating win over England's Darren Appleton on day 2 at the World 9-ball Championship.
(Doha, Qatar)– Each year at the World 9-ball Championship seems to bring pool fans a revelation, a new talent who makes his mark on the scene with such aplomb and style that you just know that big time success is surely in this young man’s future. This year in Doha it only took until the beginning of day 2 for one such player to arrive.
Singapore’s 19 year old Aloysius Yapp has been on the international scene for about a handful of years, but was never really noted for much more than an interesting sounding name. Then late in 2014 the teenager pulled off his biggest success to date; capturing the WPA World Junior 9-ball Championship in Shanghai.
Still, while winning the junior world title is quite the accomplishment, it’s a whole different ball game playing and winning against the big boys. But today at the Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha, Yapp showed he truly has the goods to be a serious star on the world pool scene. Paired against World number 2 Darren Appleton in a race to 9, first round match in group play, Yapp put on a memorable performance, taking everything the multi-titled world champion could give and dishing out a beating of his own, winning the match going away, 9 – 5.
Rest assured this result was not a fluke, or the result of Appleton having an off day. The English great actually played a near flawless match. But he was up against an opponent who had an answer for everything thrown at him. On top of terrific shot making, Yapp also showed an ice cold demeanor and confidence that belied his years. The Singaporean led from the start and turned the screws on Appleton seemingly at will. When it was over, Appleton suddenly found himself one loss away from a shock exit, while Yapp was basking in the tournament’s biggest upset.
Afterwards, Yapp revealed how he had gone from a relative unknown to a player clearly on the rise. He has been playing pool since he was 9 years old. For the last five years he’s been a member of the Singaporean national pool team, a program funded by the government of the prosperous island state. In the last year his game started to seriously improve as he has traveled and played pool extensively overseas, including several events in China and even joining a Euro Tour event in Portugal.
The experiences have not just helped Yapp’s game but his mental skills as well. Responding to a question about how he could possibly be so cool when playing against a monster like Appleton in the year’s biggest tournament, Yapp revealed a mindset that seemed downright alien to his baby faced looks.
“It was a good match,” Yapp said. “We both played well. I think there was only one mistake during the whole match. I didn’t think I was going to win and I didn’t think I was going to lose. I just went in with an empty mind, and just played my game and tried to do my best.
“I wasn’t nervous when I found out I was playing Appleton. I was actually quite excited. I wanted to draw him a long time ago. I looked forward to playing with him. All I told myself was ‘just be calm and do your best. Don’t think about winning and don’t think about losing. Just think about what’s on the table, and you’ll handle it from there.’
“I feel I can play and beat anybody in this event. In 9-ball the ball is round, anything can happen. Everyone stands an equal chance to win the world title.”
Appleton, who would later rebound with a solid losers side win to stay in the tournament, was genuinely impressed by Yapp’s ability.
“He played really well,” Appleton said. :I was never in the match. If he plays the rest of the way like he did against me he can win the tournament. But the problem is he is very young and inexperienced. He’s well capable of the getting into the quarters. You can see when he’s playing that he doesn’t fear anyone, he just plays the game which is the right thing to do.
“He’s a good player, he’s got a good future. Obviously the deeper he goes in the tournament, it adds more pressure. He’s a long shot but he if got to the quarterfinal then it wouldn’t surprise me. We all know the potential he’s got.”
Day 2 at the 2015 World 9-ball Championship saw the completion of all first round matches in the double elimination group stages, followed by second round matches on the one loss side of each group. By the end of the day, 32 players had been given their walking papers from the event.
The Philippines Dennis Orcollo looked very strong against Spain’s capable Francisco Diaz Pizarro, winning easily, 9-4. Two time world 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann also found victory with an easy 9-3 win over Jordan’s Nizar Mosbah Tamimi.
Taiwan’s Fong Pang Chao, who has also won this event twice, the first time 22 years ago, has clearly rolled back the years. Chao came to Doha without a spot and won one of the brutal qualifiers to gain entry into the main event. Today in his first match Chao manhandled China’s top player, Liu Haitao, 9 – 5.
The Philippines Antonio Gabica, who lives in Qatar and coaches the Qatar national pool team, always seems to perform well in this event, and today he showed he is going to be a stingy opponent as he easily beat one of the Middle East’s best players, Kuwait’s Omar Alsheen, 9 – 3. One of the Philippines rising young players, Jeffry Ignacio, who gained entry into the event by winning a qualifier, looked solid today, in a 9-7 win over Sweden’s Andreas Gerwen.
With all matches on the losers side do or die, the tension began to rise, but most of the name players pulled through to give themselves one more chance to make the Final 64 single elimination stage. Japan’s Kuribayashi Tohru, Qatar’s Waleed Majid, the Philippines Lee Vann Corteza, Tawain’s Chang Jun Lin, the Netherland’s Nick Van Den Berg, England’s Karl Boyes, China’s Liu Haitao and Kuwait’s Al Shaheen all won their second matches to stay alive.
The World 9-ball Championship of course, is not all about the name players. Each year the talent level from all corners of the globe becomes deeper and better. This year’s field includes players from non-traditional 9-ball locales such as Bangladesh, the Maldives, Iran, Peru, Egypt and even one player from Palestine, a first for this championship.
Play continues at the Al Arabi Sports Club on Monday with three sessions, all with winners’ side matches in group play. Winners of these matches will qualify for the Final 64 single elimination knockout stage, while the losers will get one more chance to qualify on Tuesday.
**The 2015 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Al Arabi Sports Club Sports Club in Doha, Qatar from September 7-18, 2015. The winner of the 2015 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The runner up will receive $15,000. The total prize fund is $200,000.
The players will be competing on Wiraka New Model Tables with Simonis 860 Cloth, Electric Blue Color and using Aramith Super Pro TV Balls.
The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), which is once again hosting and organizing the World 9-ball Championship, will be providing free live streaming of the entire tournament, in cooperation with Kozoom. Fans can watch the action live on the QBSF website at, http://live.qbsf.qa/. With all 14 tables streamed live, fans can select which table they want to watch and switch between tables at their convenience.
Complete up to date brackets can be found here: http://competition.kozoom.com/en/home/qatar/
The WPA will be on hand in Doha throughout this year’s World 9-ball Championship providing up to the minute information, live scoring, photographs and in depth articles with insights and analysis from WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner.
Fans can interact with us through the WPA’s official Facebook Page for the event at this link;https://www.facebook.com/wpaworld9ballchampionship
Amidst some of the toughest competition ever assembled, pool's best shine on day 1 of the World 9-ball Championship in Doha.
(Doha, Qatar)–Like all the top players, Canada’s John Morra just wanted to get out of the starting gates on Day 1 of the 2015 World 9-ball Championship with a win. A loss on the first day of group play can be a total downer as you’re now suddenly faced with a pressure packed, do-or-die match in the double elimination format. If you don’t get your head in the game and your game in gear, you can quickly be headed for the exits in a New York second, you’re dreams of pool glory gone for another 12 months.
That’s the prospect the 26 year old from Toronto surely faced as he found himself down 6-1 and then 7-3 and playing miserably in his opening race to 9 match against Austria’s tough Mario He. Morra, however, has built up a steady stream of high finishes in the last 18 months and understood that winning in championship pool often requires patience, a positive attitude, and the ability to pounce when you’re opponent shows even the slightest bit of weakness.
And so when the big Austrian made a few mistakes, and showed his disgust with himself, Morra took it as his cue that he had life remaining. Slowly Morra fought back, gained confidence, while He became more frustrated with the mounting mistakes. Tied at 8-8 Morra had the Austrian by the throat, played a lockdown safety, and won the match 9-8.
“I was down 7-3, I just couldn’t find my stroke,” a clearly pumped Morra said after match. “I was getting some bad rolls and that’s expected when you’re not playing well. I just clawed my way back game by game. I was saying to myself ‘you’re going to get your opportunities so just stay calm.’ I started breaking well and I trusted my instincts under the pressure and just committed to each shot. Every little mistake he made gave me energy because he was getting upset with himself. I just fed off of that.”
Having turned near failure into opportunity and success, the talented Canadian suddenly feels the experience bodes well for his chances this year.
“I feel like I have a new life now. I was facing defeat and then maybe elimination if I lose my next one so that would’ve been a lot of pressure. But I managed to come back and win. So now I can just come out and play without pressure because I had my back against the ropes and I didn’t expect to win that one but I did.”
Morra’s gritty victory was easily the comeback of the day as the 2015 World 9-ball Championship got under way with 36 matches played out over four sessions at the sparkling Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha. Fans used to stunning upsets in the early going in this event got nothing of the sort. What they did get was a quick reminder of the sheer amount of incredible talent from all corners of the globe and that over the next week, we are surely going to be treated to some of the highest level of pool ever seen.
Defending champion Niels Feijen found himself down 3-0 early to Qatar-based Filipino Francisco Felicilda, who has recently been playing some of the best pool in the Middle East. But the Dutchman stormed back and played brilliantly, routing the talented Pinoy 9 – 4. Only one player in history, Earl Strickland, has ever won back to back World 9-ball titles. Feijen’s opening salvo today showed he has every intention of trying to become the second player to accomplish the feat.
Plenty of other top names and favorites looked exceptional today as well. Mika Immonen has been showing his old Hall of Fame form in the last few weeks. The Finn put in a terrific performance today against another solid Qatar based Filipino, Amir Rota, winning handily 9-4. Last year’s runner-up Albin Ouschan of Austria won handily. Taiwan’s Ko Pin Yi, the current World 10-ball champion, won easily over Estonia’s Denis Grabe, 9-2. Ko’s 19 year old brother Ko Pin Chung looked solid in defeating Sweden’s Marcus Chamat. Former 9-ball champion and legend Ralf Souquet squeaked by Taiwan’s Chang Jung Lin, 9-8. American Shane Van Boeing struggled against the UAE’s Omran Salem but eventually prevailed 9-6. The Philippines’ Carlo Biado, who has been knocking on the door of big time success in the last two years, also saw victory today.
While Biado represents the best of the younger generation of great Pinoys, 45 year old Warren Kiamco is ably carrying the flag for the older generation of Filipino greats, especially with the absence of legends Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante. As expected Kiamco easily beat Norway’s Vegar Kristiansen today.
Filipino fans looking for one of their own to go far can surely look to the low key Kiamco to deliver the goods this week. The 20 year veteran has been playing the best pool of his long career this year, as evidenced by his win at the Derby City 9-ball event back in January and quarter final finish at the World 10-ball in February. Kiamco, who spends nearly five months out of the year honing his game in the US, says his recent resurgence in pool is a result of a renewed commitment to the sport.
“I’m dedicated to this game,” Kiamco said. “I’m still practicing hard for the tournaments and also I’m quite disciplined and focused on my game. I need it. I have to make a living. This is the job that I know. I am also a member of the Philippine national team so I need to practice hard.
“In 2006 I stopped playing pool for a while but I got a new interest in pool. And now I practice all the time because I really want to do well. But in the World 9-ball you need to not just play good, you also need luck. If I can win this tournament that would really mean a lot to me. This is one of my dreams to be a world champion some day. But it’s really tough. Too many good players, too many young players. And you have to be able to compete with all of them.”
Mike DechaineOne of those young players Kiamco could be referring to is the USA’s Mike Dechaine. Except for Shane Van Boening, top Americans have been scarce at the World 9-ball Championship for six years running, a sorry fact that nobody in pool wants to see continue. The 28 year old from the US state of Maine has been one of the USA’s best players for the last several years, and his recent string of near misses seems to indicate he is on to something big. This is the young American’s first ever time to play in the World 9-ball Championship. After defeating Chile’s Alejandro Carvajal today 9-4, Dechaine said he was thrilled with the experience and that it will be the first of many testing the waters overseas.
“I played Ok but not as good as I wanted to, probably 60 to 70 percent, but I’m just getting over my first World 9-ball Championship jitters,” Dechaine said. “I’m very pleased with the atmosphere, it’s incredible. You’ve got a big arena, every table is in perfect condition and they do it right here. The atmosphere is right. The jet leg is what hurts me but hopefully I’ll get past that and do well.
“I’m trying to expand my horizons. I want to start traveling a lot more overseas and getting more experience playing in different atmospheres and playing against different people who have different techniques. I think more of these trips are going to be in the future. I think I’m going to team up with Shane, maybe go to Moscow, go to Japan.
“I definitely think I can win this tournament. I play rotation pool with the best in the world. I think it comes down to the break. It’s very important that you get a shot after the break. That’s a little bit of luck. I just have to think positive and continue to make balls.”
The group stages continue on day 2 on Sunday at the Al Arabi Sports Club. Players in the remaining 4 groups will play their first round matches followed by losers bracket matches which will see two dozen players head for the exits.
**The 2015 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Al Arabi Sports Club Sports Club in Doha, Qatar from September 7-18, 2015. The winner of the 2015 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The runner up will receive $15,000. The total prize fund is $200,000.
The players will be competing on Wiraka New Model Tables with Simonis 860 Cloth, Electric Blue Color and using Aramith Super Pro TV Balls.
The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), which is once again hosting and organizing the World 9-ball Championship, will be providing free live streaming of the entire tournament, in cooperation with Kozoom. Fans can watch the action live on the QBSF website at, http://live.qbsf.qa/. With all 14 tables streamed live, fans can select which table they want to watch and switch between tables at their convenience.
The WPA will be on hand in Doha throughout this year’s World 9-ball Championship providing up to the minute information, live scoring, photographs and in depth articles with insights and analysis from WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner.
Fans can interact with us through the WPA’s official Facebook Page for the event at this link;https://www.facebook.com/wpaworld9ballchampionship
Pool’s next generation of superstars took a giant leap towards claiming their place in the sun today, producing a slew of shocking and unexpected results as the field at the 2014 World 9-ball Championship was cut in half from 64 players down to 32.
It was an extraordinary day given over to unknown upstarts, newcomers, fearless young guns, and a few wily but unheralded veterans, all of whom seemed to collectively state to pool’s elite that it was time for some new and different names to grab the headlines for a change.
So how bad was it for pool’s biggest names? Well, here’s a statistic that could come straight from the crime blotter; five former world 9-ball champions, and the defending champion Thorsten Hohmann all went down to defeat. Heavy favorites like the Philippines’ Dennis Orcollo and Lee Van Corteza also were sent home.
The remaining field still comprises two former world champions, and plenty of pool’s top ranked players. And when they set off tomorrow with all these fresh faces in the mix, the results are likely to remembered for some time to come. That’s because Thursday’s breakneck schedule will see the remaining 32 players whittled down to just four by the end of the day. The semi-finals and finals will them be contested on Friday.
The tone of the day was set early in the first session by Qatar’s very own Waleed Majid. On paper the 26 year old Qatari had no chance against world number four Lee Vann Corteza, who was tapped by some to win this world title. Majid had never before even gone beyond the group stages.
Majid, though, played like he was the one pegged for greatness. Smooth, confident, fearless, the Qatari played near flawless 9-ball, putting the Filipino on the ropes early and keeping him there until the very end and taking an impressive 11-6 victory. It’s the first time a Qatari pool player has ever reached the round of 32 in the World Championship.
While drinking in the hugs, kisses and accolades of his fellow countrymen, Majid revealed that playing the world’s best players doesn’t scare him, but rather it motivates him to play beyond his own capabilities
Marc Teutscher of the Netherlands“During the match I always just look at the table,” Majid said. “I don’t look at my opponent. But before the match if I see I’m playing a world class player, then that really helps me concentrate and play better.
“I felt good in practice before the World 9-ball Championship. I want to do good because I want to help pool in Qatar. I will give everything to help Qatar because Qatar supports me.”
Majid said that before the tournament, he actually had the fervent desire to meet 2012 World 9-ball champion Darren Appleton, a wish which will now come true in the round of 32 on Thursday in front of what promises to be a very one-side home town crowd.
“Before the tournament I was actually hoping to play Darren Appleton. I want to test my skills. I’m ready to play him. I will try my best and hopefully I can win and bring a big honor to Qatar and Qatar Billiard Federation.”
Appleton would present a very formidable obstacle to even the most seasoned veteran as he is clearly playing at the top of his extraordinary game. The Brit found himself up against fellow Englishman and good friend Daryl Peach in a match of two former champions. Appleton got off to a quick start and never looked back and cruised to an easier than expected 11-3 win.
Appleton said not only was he feeling confident about his game, but he was feeling very relaxed and comfortable in the Al Saad Sports Club. It was in this very building two years ago where Appleton had his greatest triumph, winning the World 9 ball Championship in a thriller against China’s Li He Wen.
“I feel at home here in the Al Saad because this is where I won the World 9-ball Championship in 2012. Last year they had the tournament in another venue so in a way I feel like I’m defending my title. I have a lot of fond memories here. And I’d like to create a few more in the next few days.”
The Philippines Dennis Orcollo was expected to create a major memory this year, but the Filipino star ran into a streaking Naoyuki Oi of Japan. Oi, who reached the semis here two years ago, has a marvelous game when he gets his engine cranked and today he played in full gear from the beginning. Orcollo fell behind big early and never recovered, as Oi held him off for an 11-8 win.
Two more Filipinos fell by the wayside early to two of the tournaments impressive young guns. China’s Wang Can certainly seems headed for big things and today he continued his imposing play as he won a stingy victory over the Philippines Warren Kiamco, 11-8. Austria’s young Mario He appears to be coming into his own and looked solid in outlasting former world champ Alex Pagulayan 11-9.
While Filipino fans were in shock at the early exit of many of their big names, several others, including a few newer players, stepped into the void to grab the limelight. Last year’s semi-finalist Carlo Biado played strong today, as did Johann Chua who continued to look brilliant with a dominating performance over Italy’s Daniele Corrieri, 11-4. Raymond Faraon and Elmer D. Haya, two relative unknowns who toil as overseas workers teaching pool in the Middle East also advanced with solid wins.
Canada’s Jason Klatt has been on the scene for a few years but he has never looked better than in the last few days.. The 28 year from Selkirk, Canada, and who now lives in Bloomington, Illinois, manhandled the Philippines Jeffrey De Luna, 11-6. Klatt’s spent much of the last two years on the road in the US, playing tournaments, money games and practicing his craft. Much of this travel has been with his good friend, Darren Appleton. Klatt says the lessons learned from hanging around with a talent like Appleton are starting to sink in.
“Just being around a guy of his caliber rubs off,” Klatt said. “He was always telling me, ‘You’ve just got to believe in yourself.’ And I think I’m starting to see the results now.”
Later in the day Shane Van Boening kept the USA’s hopes alive with a hard fought win over Taiwan’s Chang Jung Lin. Former world champion Wu Jiaqing, now playing for China, finally showed his world class form with a drubbing of Taiwan’s Lo Li Wen, 11-4. Taiwan’s young Hsu Kai Lun and China Open champion Chiang Yu Lung also moved on.
Some the day’s best fireworks were saved for the last session of the day. The Czech Republic’s Roman Hybler has been on the scene for over ten years but hadn’t made much noise in about that much time. Today the 37 year old Hybler roared back into the pool spotlight with an impressive outing against former world champ Mika Immonen, winning 11-7.
“When I woke up today and went to the practice hall I felt good, I felt I had a chance today,” Hybler said. “If I can Mika, I can beat anyone.”
China’s Li He Wen, last year’s runner up Antonio Gabica, and Austria’s Albin Ouschan all put in solid efforts today to advance. The Philippines veteran Ramil Gallego, who lives in Japan, took hall of famer Ralf Souquet to the brink and squeaked by at the wire, 11-10, sending the German great home earlier than anyone expected.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire day happened at about the same time on the other side of the arena. Dutch newcomer Marc Teutscher was hanging around defending champion Thorsten Hohmann for much of their tense match. But absolutely nobody could imagine the 22 year old, playing in his very first world championship, could overtake the great German. But Teutscher kept battling away and after trailing for most of the match, finally took a late lead and held off Hohmann with some amazing pressure shots to pull off a shock win, 11-9.
Teutscher’s win was the perfect ending to an amazing day in pool. With many of the sport’s biggest names sent packing, and the appearance of many new names, young sharp shooters, and grizzled veterans rising to the fore, the next two days are sure to see some unusual and exciting turn of events as pool crowns a new world champion.
The round of 32 begins Thursday at 11am Doha time, GMT +3.
**The 2014 World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Al Saad Sports Club in Doha, Qatar from June 16-27. The winner of the 2014 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The runner up will receive $15,000. The total prize fund is $200,000.
The players will be competing on Wiraka New Model Tables with Simonis 860 Cloth, Electric Blue Color and using Aramith Super Pro TV Balls.
The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation, which is once again hosting and organizing the World 9-ball Championship, will be providing free live streaming of the entire tournament on its website, http://live.qbsf.qa/.
The WPA will be on hand in Doha throughout this year’s World 9-ball Championship providing up to the minute information, live scoring, photographs and in depth articles with insights and analysis from WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner.
For more information you can also visit the WPA website at www.wpapool.com. Fans can also visit the website of the Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation at; www.qbsf.qa
*The 2014 World 9-ball Championship will be held in Doha, Qatar from June 16-27,2014 and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association(WPA), the world governing body of the sport of pocket billiards. 128 players from across the globe will compete for the most prestigious prize in Men’s Pool. The 2014 World 9-ball Championship is a WPA ranking event.
