There were 3 venues used for meetings, practice and matches for stage 1. The 2 hotels that all the players were staying at and a school auditorium. All stage 2 matches were played in the auditorium and Table #1 was the TV table but there were 3 tables that were being streamed. The matches played on Table #1 were filmed during all stages of the tournament. A players lounge, media room, interview room, and practice room were all provided at the auditorium for the entire tournament. The player’s lounge was spacious with comfortable seating and provided a large screen tv to watch the live matches on table #1. It was also constantly stocked with drinks, sandwiches, and snacks for the players. The International players stayed at The Yutai International Hotel and the Chinese players stayed at the other hotel. The Hotels provided 3 complimentary meals/day in a banquet style and at least 2 1/2hours was offered for each meal time.
Staff
There were dozens of volunteers working to assist the players with anything they needed at all of the venues at any time of day. Most of these volunteers spoke English and Chinese and did a good job as translators. They were all very friendly and helpful. The service from the actual employees was also wonderful and quick.
Travel
Once we arrived at our airport we were met by volunteers to help us get to our hotel. However many of us arrived too late to take the last bullet train to Yushan City so they bused us to the train station and put us up at the hotel there. In the morning the tournament organizer and the volunteers met with us and helped us get on the bullet train. It was a 2 ½ hour ride at approx. 300 km/hr. When we arrived at the train station in Yushan we were met by many volunteers who organized us into 2 chartered buses. There were many Billiard fans at the station to welcome us and witness our arrival. It seemed that the whole city, no the whole country, knew that we were coming.
Equipment
Star Billiard Company was a major sponsor and provided all of the Billiard equipment for the event. The tables were 4 ½’ x 9’ Chinese 8 Ball tables. They were designed to be a very good test of excellent play. The pockets were rounded similar to Snooker tables but made large enough to accept a 2 ¼” pool ball from any angle. However, if the object ball touched the rail even slightly before the pocket it would not go in. The rails were also Snooker rails but designed to sit high enough to allow a 2 ¼” pool ball to rebound correctly. They covered these tables with #10, double shaved, one directional nap, Snooker cloth. I have never played on better cloth in my life. You could literally soft roll a ball the length of the table and trust that it would go straight. All the players I spoke with seemed equally impressed. To add to the quality of these tables the slate beds were constantly heated with an electric heater. The tables were cleaned and ironed after each session. The balls were the Cyclop balls. They played fine but the colors were different than some of us were used to.
Tournament Format
The tournament was played in 2 stages, Stage 1 was the qualifying stage, and Stage 2 was the championship Stage where everyone was already in the money. Stage 1 was divided by approx. 120 Chinese men players competing for 16 spots and approx. 80 International men players competing for 16 spots. The women had fewer players in Stage 1 but the format was the same. However the Chinese women competed for 8 spots and the International women players competed for 8 spots. There were 3 days of qualifiers in Stage 1 and every player who didn’t qualify on day 1 got a chance to try again on Day 2 and Day 3. Stage 2 for men consisted of 64 players; 16 Chinese players who were invited straight into Stage 2, 16 Chinese men who qualified from Stage 1. Also 16 International men who were invited and 16 International men who qualified from Stage 1. The women only had 32 players in Stage 2 but the player breakdown was the same as the men.
Rules
In stage 1 we played winner break and no call shot except on the 8 Ball. We could break from anywhere behind the baulk line but 4 balls needed to hit the rail in order for it to be a legal break. A scratch on the break gave the incoming player ball in hand from behind the baulk line. Other than that it was basically the same rules as BCA. In Stage 2 they played call shot for every shot and alternate break.
Expenses
All players competing in Stage 1 received approx. $500 towards their flight to China. There was a $100 entry fee charged at the time of check in to the host hotel. If you made it to Stage 2 you had to pay an additional $300 entry fee but you were then guaranteed $800 for making it to the last 64. Once you arrived in China they covered your food, hotel, and travel. They even paid for the day hiking excursion. We were told that the area in and around where we were hiking was where the movie Avatar was filmed. However I am not sure how to substantiate that claim.
Prize Fund
The Men’s event had a total prize fund of approx. $500,000 with the Champion getting a whopping $100,000US. The Women’s event had a total prize fund of approx. $300,000 with the Champion getting approx. $60,000. The Men’s event paid out 64 spots while the women’s event paid out 32 spots. Over and above the prize fund it appears that the total cost of this event was in the millions.
Champions
The Men’s event saw Darren Appleton and Mark Selby, both from England, compete in the finals, with Darren winning by a score of 21-19 to claim the title of 2015 Chinese 8 Ball World Champion. The women’s event Champion was Bai Ge from China. Other noteable finishes were Neil Robertson from England finishing in 3rd place and Allison Fisher finishing in 4th place. Stan Tourangeau from Canada was the only player from our little group that made it to Stage 2.
Future plans
I was told that the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) and Star Billiard Tables have committed to a minimum 5 year plan to promote this game in China and Internationally.
Traffic in China
From a foreigners perspective it appears that there are no rules or very few rules to driving in China. Every day and all day long we witnessed cars, buses, taxis, rickshaws, mini trucks, mopeds, etc. moving in all directions on the roads and streets. They were also almost constantly on their horns, warning others of their approach. I never saw an accident but I did notice that the vehicles never moved at a very fast pace. They got where they were going slow but sure. Good peripheral vision is a must there.
Elevators
The elevators were much the same as in North America. However every time I reached the floor I wanted to get out on I had a difficult time getting out of the elevator because the people waiting to get on the elevator quickly entered it without letting passenger get off first. It was quite frustrating as this happened every time.
Food
The food at the hotel was always buffet style and was ok but unfortunately it was pretty much the same food every day. Breakfast was exactly the same every day. Lunch was the same with an occasional change and dinner was also the same with an occasional change. However the special dinners, like on opening day, were always fabulous. They never seemed to stop bringing more dishes and many choices as well. A feast in every sense of the word. I never saw so many bottles of water in my life. They were always supplying us with bottles water, at the venue, in the practice room, by our match table, in the players room, in the hotel room, everywhere. Cases and cases of water every day. It seemed that there were volunteers that were there just to supply us with bottled water.
The first ever "China Billiard World Championship" (Chinese 8-Ball*) was held from 29 January 2015 in the beautiful YuShan City (JiangXi Province) of China. A total prize money of RMB¥ 3 million (approximately US$480,000), out of which ¥600,000 was awarded to the Men's Champion, while ¥400,000 was awarded to its lady counterpart. Although it might seem to be "odd cents" when comparing to most major snooker championships, the tournament is already head-to-head with the World 9-Ball Championship in terms of prize monies paid.
The tournament was hosted by the China Billiard Association (CBSA), and in a scale much larger than any snooker or pool tournaments. Apart from regular Chinese 8-Ball players, many current snooker and pool professionals joined the scene, 23 countries, spanning all 5 continents, and over 300 renowned international players participated in the event. Shaun Murphy, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Thorsten Hohmann, Chris Melling and so on are just a few names to mention. Almost all the top women players came to YuShan to compete for the honour.
In the Men's Division, Darren Appleton was the one who laughed to the last, with tears and on his knees, by claiming the title in the end and pocketed away the US$90,000+ first prize.
It was 4 days before the stage 2 of the tournament came to its Final. Ironically, the two biggest name in its own category staged in this "clash of the titans". Mark Selby, world snooker champion, and Darren Appleton, world pool champion, met in a race to 21 for the first ever world title in Chinese 8-Ball.
The path to the final was never easy for either player. Selby had to take on Chris Melling on the way then Liu HaiTao (China #1) in the semi-final, while Appleton saw off Neil Robertson (former world #1 in snooker) then the 2015 CBSA World 9-Ball Champion Chu Bingjie of China in the other semi.
Soon after the award ceremony completed as Bai Ge of China claimed the women's title, the 20-racks first session of the men's final commenced. In the first 16 racks, Appleton led only by a mere 2-rack margin (9-7). At the end of the session, the differnce remained the same when Appleton and Selby (11-9) left the battlefield during recess.
The final session started at 7:30 in the evening, and Appleton immediately increased the lead by winning the first 4 racks after returning. Mark Selby, who is renowned for his "comebacks", took the next three racks, then two more in the next three to make it all square at 18-18.
Selby then took the 37th, and made the score 19-18 in his favour and took the lead for the first time in the match. The 38th rack was a tough one and after far too many attempts by both players in making pots, Appleton demonstrated top-level defense and gained "ball-in-hand" to clear the table.
Selby had the break in the 39th. With balls potted on the break, the audience was about to witness a clearance by this world snooker champion. Dramatically, Selby missed an easy pot. Appleton once again taught the world what top class defensive play is and reached the hill.
"Break and Run" was what the almighty Darren Appleton did in the 40th rack and brought himself down to his knees celebrating the tough and difficult win. Appleton could not hold back his tears, it was a sweet revenge for Appleton after losing to Mark Selby in the English Blackball final in 2006 for a prize of £10,000.
Some might not understand why Appleton had four fingers up when receiving the trophy. This was because, after 24 years of hard work, he finally has in his pocket four world titles in the different categories of 9-Ball, 10-Ball, 14.1, and now Chinese 8-Ball.
Appleton revealed that the prize money could relief his recent mortgage. As well, buying a few drinks for his friends waiting for him to party in the Philippines (where the next tournament is being held) is inevitable. However, since Appleton has been too busy lately, the most important of all will therefore be going on a honeymoon trip with his newly wedded (in 2014) and beautiful wife Angie.
AZBilliards would like to thank our colleague Samuel Lai from TOP147.com for providing use this report.
The first ever "China Billiard World Championship" (Chinese 8-Ball*) was held from 29 January 2015 in the beautiful YuShan City (JiangXi Province) of China. A total prize money of RMB¥ 3 million (approximately US$480,000), out of which ¥600,000 was awarded to the Men's Champion, while ¥400,000 was awarded to its lady counterpart. Although it might seem to be "odd cents" when comparing to most major snooker championships, the tournament is already head-to-head with the World 9-Ball Championship in terms of prize monies paid.
The tournament was hosted by the China Billiard Association (CBSA), and in a scale much larger than any snooker or pool tournaments. Apart from regular Chinese 8-Ball players, many current snooker and pool professionals joined the scene, 23 countries, spanning all 5 continents, and over 300 renowned international players participated in the event. Shaun Murphy, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Thorsten Hohmann, Chris Melling and so on are just a few names to mention. Almost all the top women players came to YuShan to compete for the honour.
In the Women's Division, world champions including Liu ShaSha, Han Yu, Kelly Fisher, Jasmin Ouschan, Allison Fisher, Kim Ga-Young, together with some other top class players are in the final round of Stage 2. In the end, Bai Ge (白鸽), a player registered in Shanghai) claimed the championship by beating another seasoned Chinese 8-Ball player Zhang XiaoTong (张晓彤), walking away with a US$60,000+ first prize. The final score was 17-13.
The direct translation of the name Bai Ge is "Pigeon", and the champion really spreaded her wings and won the tournament with flying colours. She eliminated two world champions, Han Yu (韩雨) and Kelly Fisher, in the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively. Another world champion Liu ShaSha suffered from serious flu during the tournament and lost to Kelly Fisher in the last 16. Zhang XiaoTong stormed into the final as strong as Bai Ge did, also took on two world champions (Allision Fisher and Fu XiaoFang) befoer meeting Bai Ge for a race to 17 final.
The two-session women's final was played one day before the men's last match. In the first session, Bai Ge took the lead very soon and led by 7-3. Zhang worked hard and fought back to close the margin at 9-7 before the session ended.
The final session started on the next day, Bai Ge again was dominating the games. When the score was 15-11 in Bai Ge's favour, and when she sunk the 8, she literally jumped up and started celebrating. Obviously she forgot that it was a race to 17. "I was too emotional and thought I had won after sinking that black." said Bai Ge, "When I started celebrating, the crowd was dead quiet, then I realised that the match was not over yet. After that I warned myself that I have to cool down immediately."
This is the first international event that Bai Ge had even won. "My form was better than the day before!" said the Champion. "I did not feel any pressure and I was just trying to play my best. I was physically tired in the first session and hence I was not playing too well. My original target was to make it into the quarter-finals and that had already been acquired. I got into form very quickly in the final session. Whoever got into the final would like to win, and that was why I had that embarfassing 'early celebration' earlier on".
Bai Ge expressed her gratefulness to her parents who had supported her all the way. The champion also made appreciation to the Shanghai Billiards Association and the PuDong Billiards Association, both councils have been taking care of her billiards career.
The Shanghai Billiards Association is planning to present a special "Non-Olympic Athlete Award" to Bai Ge. Previously, Pan XiaoTing, Fu JianBao, Liu YuZhen and Chu BingJie had also received this honour.
The China Open begins on Thursday, June 5, and we have received the draw for the first round. Players that play one another in the first round are grouped together.
Ga Young Kim (photo courtesy of Tai Chengzhe/top147.com)
A SHOOTOUT'S IN THE OFFING AS THE WOMEN'S WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP GETS DOWN TO THE FINAL 16
(Shenyang, China)–After a day of ups and downs as only 9-ball pool can offer up, the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship has been whittled down to 16 players. And a quick glance at the line-up ready to do battle over the next two days tells you clearly that this is going to be one fun ride to the biggest prize in women’s pool.
Fascinating facts about this year’s final 16 include; the appearance of four out of the last five world 9-ball champions, two BCA Hall of Famers, a four time winner of this event, a four time runner up, the current World 10-ball champion, and seven out of the top ten women players in the world. There are also a few young upstarts, tested veterans, and a few prodigies who are certainly due to win the biggest event in women’s pool. And, to ensure good storylines for the fans around the world, a total of six countries are represented.
The fact that the final 16 is so stacked with talent means that Day 2 inside the Richgate Shopping Center provided few massive upsets. But there was still plenty of edge of your seat drama to be had.
Easily the biggest story of the day belonged to Great Britain’s Allison Fisher. The “Duchess of Doom” began Saturday’s play fighting for survival on the losers side of her group in a marquee match against 2010 World 9-ball Champion Fu Xiaofang that could easily have been a big time final.
In a short race to 7, Fisher was up 4-2. Fu, last year’s runner up to Kelly Fisher, tied it at 5-5, then moved to within one of qualifying at 6-5. Fisher, a four time winner of the Women’s World 9-ball, then tied it at 6. In the final rack, Fisher had two balls remaining when she missed the 8-ball in the corner. But before she could head to her seat and begin the postmortems, the 8 ball careened off the rail and into the side pocket. Even better, the cue ball landed with shape on the 9. Fisher advanced to the final 32 knockout round, while Fu looked like she’d been struck by lightning.
Later in the knockout round of 32, Fisher found herself up 8-3 against Taiwan’s Chan Ya Ting in a race to 9. Chan stormed back to tie it at 8 and had the final break shot. But Fisher prevailed yet again, to move into Sunday’s Final 16.
“I’m proud of myself for keeping it together,” a delighted Fisher said afterwards. “Everything went my way at first. I had control of the match. But then she didn’t miss a ball and I got a bit tentative. You have to be committed in this game. It’s always a battle with yourself. I do feel like I have an angel looking over me today.”
Even without the vaunted Fu in the field, the lineup of Team China appears to be very formidable. 20 year old Chen Siming, who many feel is the most naturally gifted pool player in a veritable Chinese sea of talent, looked very good on the TV table today, as she taught a lesson to 13 year old—yes you read that right– Chinese player Jiang Teng, 9-4. Teng is one of these amazing talents that seem to pop up regularly in China and is definitely one to keep an eye on in the coming years. She wields a beautiful stroke and dazzles with her shot making ability and cue ball control.
Chen, on the other hand, was only recently where Jiang is now; a child prodigy with awe inspiring talent. Chen, however, has put in her time, suffered stinging defeats and won several big events. She hasn’t yet won a world title but nobody would be surprised if this is her year.
China’s Liu Shasha is another heavy favourite here. The 20 year old Liu won the China Open in May and that win propelled her belief in her game to sky high levels.
“I think maybe I got a bit lucky to win the China Open,” Liu said through an interpreter after defeating fellow Chinse Bai Ge, 9-7. “But after I became the China Open champion, I’d say my confidence is really high right now.” Liu acknowledged that playing in front of tens of millions of her countrymen and women provides serious pressure, but it also helps motivate her to play better.
“I want to win the championship so we can keep the title in China,” she said. “Yes there’s a lot of pressure on Chinese players, but there’s also a lot of motivation playing in front of your own people. Actually there’s more pressure on me because when you win a tournament, people expect you to win all the time.”
Liu will face the 2011 World 9-ball Champion, fellow Chinese, Bi Zhuqing in the final 16. At about 4’10” and decidedly boyish looking, Bi is the polar antithesis of the striking Liu in terms of marketability in China. But Bi can flat out play the game and this match should be a cracker.
Defending champion Kelly Fisher of Great Britain finally caught a gear today, looking solid in beating Russia’s Anna Mazhirina, 9-4. Hall of Famer Karen Corr of Ireland continued her fine run in her comeback to pool, defeating the Philippines’ Iris Ranola, 9-6. Corr, who has been runner-up in the world championship four times, says she will retire if she doesn’t win this week. She’s clearly living on the edge as she goes up against Chen Siming in the round of 16.
Korea’s Ga Young Kim also seems to be in a grove, as she proved with a solid 9-3 win over China’s Gao Meng. Should Kim go all the way, it would prove a massive hit with the Chinese fans. The dashing and fashionable Kim, who speaks fluent Mandarin, is adored by Chinese fans, who besiege her for photos and autographs everywhere she goes.
Taiwan brings four solid players into the final 16, including 2008 World 9-ball champion Lin Yuan Chun. As one of the world’s great pool playing countries, Taiwan always can be counted on to offer up new talent and this year is no exception.
Wei Tzu Chein is part of the new generation of pool talent coming out of the island nation. The 23 year old from Taipei studies business management at university and plays pool every chance she gets. She won a local qualifier in Taipei to gain a spot in the World Championship. She came out of the losers bracket today and met up with Taiwan’s number one woman player Chou Chieh-Yu, who just returned from Columbia with a gold medal in the World Games. The bright lights certainly didn’t faze Wei, however, as she played superb in a 9-7 win to advance.
Pool is very much a mind sport and Wei explained she is using her brain to keep herself together.
“I have no stress,” Wei said afterwards. “In Taiwan she(Chou) is more famous than me. So if I win it’s ok. If I lose, it’s ok. This is my best result in a world championship so it’s all new to me. I’m just enjoying it.
“Before the match I got a piece of paper and wrote down all the bad thoughts that I have, and also all the good thoughts. I took the paper with the bad things and ripped them up and threw it in the garbage. The good list I kept with me in my bag. I even looked at it when I went to the bathroom during a break.”
The round of 16 begins at 10am Sunday(GMT +8). The quarterfinals commence at 1pm local time and will be played separately on the TV table. The semi-finals and finals will be played Monday.
The winner of the 2103 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000 while the runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $150,000.
*The World Pool-Billiard Association(WPA) will be on hand in Shenyang throughout the week bringing you all the drama from the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship. WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner will be reporting from the Richgate Shopping Center with daily articles containing insight and analysis, as well as photos. Ted will also be manning the WPA Facebook page and Twitter feed and responding to fans queries and comments. Fans can also follow all matches via the WPA live scoring platform.
Please visit the WPA Facebook page for the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship here; http://www.facebook.com/pages/2013-WPA-Womens-World-9-ball-Championship/360470447416060?ref=hl
Follow the WPA on Twitter: @poolwpa
Visit the official website of the WPA at www.wpapool.com
*The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball will be held in Shenyang, China from August 6-12, and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association(WPA). 64 women players from across the globe will compete for the biggest prize in Women’s Pool. The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship is a WPA ranking event.
Hall of Famer Karen Corr Continues Her Comeback With Two Wins on Day 1
(Shenyang, China)–To say that Karen Corr is a big name in the sport of women’s professional pool would be quite the massive understatement. In a career spanning 13 years in the US, the native of Northern Ireland has won just about everything there is to win in pool, including 15 Classic Tour titles, four BCA Open titles, three WPBA National Championships and three Tournament of Champions titles. In 2012 Corr was rewarded for her accomplishments with the greatest accolade of them all; she was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America(BCA) Hall of Fame.
Corr, however, arrived in Shenyang, China this week for the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship practically unnoticed. In 2011 she stepped away from the game to care for her dying mother, who passed away in July of last year. Late last year, however, Corr decided to come back to pool. And clearly she’s got plenty of the legendary fight left in her.
In her first match of the tournament on Day 1 here in Shenyang, Corr found herself up against the formidable Jasmine Ouschan of Austria. Down 6-3 in a race to 7, Corr pounced on several horrid mistakes by Ouschan, and ended up taking a miraculous win, 7-6.
Later, in a winner’s side match for a slot in the final 32 knockout stage, Corr looked rock solid and handily defeated Germany’s Ina Kaplan, 7-4.
Afterward, Corr explained how this tournament just might be her last go around in pool.
“I need a good result or that’s it,” the 42 year old said. “I’m going to retire from pool.”
Corr said she traveled to Shenyang on her own dime. With the tight economy back home combined with her time away from the game, she has found it near impossible to find any backing whatsoever. The lack of playing opportunities hasn’t helped either.
“I think I’m going to have to find a real job.”
A good result, according to Corr, means nothing short of winning the World Championship this week. While her lengthy sabbatical would seem to mean her chances of taking the trophy are quite slim, Corr has had more than a little success in this event in the past. Four times she’s finished runner up in the World 9-ball Championship, the last in 2009, when she lost 9-5 to 16 year old Liu Shasha, after leading 5-1.
And then, of course, there’s that old saying, something about playing loose when nobody, even yourself, expects you to do anything.
“I have no expectations,” Corr said, “which I guess is a good thing.”
One who did come into this event with plenty of expectations was Corr’s first opponent today, Ouschan, who shockingly went two and out and will be flying back to Austria tomorrow. Ouschan’s quick exit, and how it happened, was easily the biggest story of the day inside the warm and humid Richgate Shopping Center.
After blowing her match against Corr, Ouschan came up against China’s formidable Bai Ge on the losers side. Ouschan played catch-up throughout the match and at 6-4 down it looked to be curtains as she scratched on the break. But then Bai incredibly blew a massively easy 9-ball to hand the Austrian a lifeline. At 6-5, Bai again choked on a run out and the score was tied at 6 all. After Bai scratched in the final rack, Ouschan was running the colors when she inexplicably bobble a fairly straight in 7 ball in the jaws and lost the match.
Most of pool’s other big names rolled through to the final 32 today. Defending champion Kelly Fisher didn’t look her championship best, but it was good enough to win two straight and start fresh in the knockout stage Saturday. She said the conditions were difficult to get used to.
“I’m playing good but I’m also making silly mistakes,” Fisher said. “I’m getting used to the conditions. It’s very hot out there. I have to get more control of the cue. I stepped it up here and there. I’m not thinking of repeating. I can’t get a better result than last year. I just take each match as it comes.”
World number 2 Liu Shasha of China won two straight to qualify, as did fellow Chinese and world number 3 Chen Siming. World number 4 and 2010 World 9-ball Champion, and last year’s runner up, Fu Xiaofang lost her first match to fellow Chinese Zhou Doudou. Fu bounced back with a solid 7-2 win over the USA’s Jennifer Baretta.
Fu will play on Friday for a spot in the final 32 against Hall of Famer, and four time winner of this event, Allison Fisher. Fisher lost her second match of the day against Singapore’s Charlene Chai, 7- 3.
China’s superstar and “Queen of 9-ball,” Pan Xiaoting, kept the home fans delighted as she won two straight matches on the TV table to reach the round of 32.
Another notable who qualified with two straight wins was Taiwans’s Chieh-Yu Chou. Chieh, who just won gold at the World Games in Columbia, was a semi-finalist here last year and is the currently number one player in Taiwan and world number 8. Her game looks unflappable and fans can expect to see her go far again this year.
Another popular player looking solid is Korea’s Ga Young Kim. Kim, who won two straight today to qualify, recently won the ladies division at the Ultimate 10-ball tournament in the US. After routing fellow Korean Park Eunji 7-0, Kim said she is better prepared to win this year. Last year during this same event she was in the middle of training for her appearance on Korea’s Dancing With the Stars. She actually flew in her dance partner to Shenyang to train four hours of dancing between matches. Without such distractions this year, and a recent win under her belt, Kim has to be one of the strong favorites to lift the trophy on Monday.
“I’d love to have another title,” she said.
Play continues on Saturday with the last rounds on the losers side of the brackets. The round of 32 single elimination knockout will also be played tomorrow leaving 16 players left at the end of play Saturday. Four players will be left afterSunday. The semi-finals and finals will be played on Monday.
The winner of the 2103 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000 while the runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $150,000.
*The World Pool-Billiard Association(WPA) will be on hand in Shenyang throughout the week bringing you all the drama from the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship. WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner will be reporting from the Richgate Shopping Center with daily articles containing insight and analysis, as well as photos. Ted will also be manning the WPA Facebook page and Twitter feed and responding to fans queries and comments. Fans can also follow all matches via the WPA live scoring platform.
*The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball will be held in Shenyang, China from August 6-12, and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association(WPA). 64 women players from across the globe will compete for the biggest prize in Women’s Pool. The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship is a WPA ranking event.
RESULTS FROM DAY 1
Group A
Kelly Fisher(GBR) 7 -0 Wendy Cook Berylin(NZL)
Wei Tzu Chein(TPE) 7 – 3 Hou Shu Wah(CHN)
Wang Xiaotong(CHN) 7 – 5 Angeline Magdalena Ticaalu(INA)
Chichiro Kawahara(JPN) 7- 1 Amanda Rahayu(INA)
Group C
Kim Ga Young(KOR) 7 – 6 Li Jia(CHN)
Park Eunji(KOR) 7 – 5 Lyndall Hulley(AUS) Chen Xue(CHN) 7 – 6 Chang Chiung-Wen(TPE)
Lin Yuan-Chun(TPE) 7 – 4 Bi Zhuqing(CHN)
Group D
Allison Fisher(GBR) 7 – 4 Choi Sullip
Charlene Chai(SIN) 7 – 2 Susanna Booyens(RSA)
Chan Ya Ting(TPE) 7 – 3 Jennifer Barretta(USA)
Zhou Doudou(CHN) 7 – 5 Fu Xiaofang(CHN)
Group E
Chen Siming(CHN) 7 – 1 Ana Gradisnik(SLO)
Sone Kyoko(JPN) 7 – 5 Jung Bo Ra(KOR) Wu Jing(CHN) 7 – 2 Rebecca Tsang(HKG) Jennifer Vietz(GER) 7 – 5 Cha Yu Ram(KOR)
Group F Gao Meng(CHN) 7 – 5 Rubelin Amit(PHL)
Pan Xiaoting(CHN) 7 – 0 Martine Christiansen(NOR)
Huang Yi Ting(TPE) 7 – 4 Taylor Meyer(AUS)
Tsai Pei Chen(TPE ) 7 – 2 Natalia Seroshtan(RUS)
Group G
Tan Ho-Yun(TPE) 7 – 4 Akimi Kajatani(JPN)
He Hsin Ju(CHN) 7 – 4 Brittany Bryant(CAN)
Ina Kaplan(GER) 7 – 5 Bai Ge(CHN)
Karen Corr(IRL) 7 – 6 Jasmin Ouschan(AUT)
Group H Han Yu(CHN) 7 – 2 Cheung Pui Man(HKG)
Anna Mazhirina(RUS) 7 – 6 Jiang Teng(CHN) Ine Helvik(NOR) 7 – 6 Severine Titaux(FRA)
Liu Shasha(CHN) 7 – 1 Lin Hsiao Chi(TPE)
Day 1, Losers Bracket
Loser is out, winner gets 1 more chance to qualify on Saturday
Group A
Hou Shu Wah(CHN) 7 – 0 Wendy Cook Berylin(NZL)
Angeline Magdalena Ticaalu(INA) 7 – 5 Amanda Rahayu(INA)
Group B
Caroline Roos(SWE) 7 – 4 Mirjana Grujici(VEN)
Wu Zhi Ting(TPE)7 – 4 Meenal Thakur(IND)
Group C
Li Jia(CHN) 7 – 3 Lyndall Hulley(AUS
Bi Zhuqing(CHN) 7 – 4 Chang Chiung-Wen(TPE
Group D
Fu Xiaofang(CHN) 7 – 2 Jennifer Barretta(USA)
Choi Sullip( ) 7 – 1 Susanna Booyens(RSA)
Group E
Cha Yu Ram(KOR) 7 – 0 Rebecca Tsang(HKG)
Jung Bo Ra(KOR) 7 – 5 Ana Gradisnik(SLO)
Group F
Rubelin Amit(PHL)7 – 3 Martine Christiansen(NOR)
Natalia Seroshtan(RUS) 7 – 3 Taylor Meyer(AUS)
Group G
Bai Ge(CHN) 7 – 6 Jasmin Ouschan(AUT)
Akimi Kajatani(JPN) 7 – 6 Brittany Bryant(CAN)
Group H
Cheung Pui Man(HKG) 7 – 0 Jiang Teng(CHN)
Lin Hsiao Chi(TPE) 7 – 0 Severine Titaux(FRA)
Winners Bracket, 2nd round
Winner goes thru to final 32, Loser goes to losers side of the bracket for one more chance to qualify on Saturday
Group A
Kelly Fisher(GBR) 7 – 4 Wei Tzu Chein(TPE)
Chichiro Kawahara(JPN) 7 – 5 Wang Xiaotong(CHN)
Group B
Chou Chieh-Yu(TPE) 7 – 5 Iris Ranola(PHL)
Nouchi Masami(JPN) 7 – 2 Lai Hui Shan(TPE)
Group C
Kim Ga Young(KOR) 7 – 0 Park Eunji(KOR)
Lin Yuan-Chun(TPE) 7 – 2 Chen Xue(CHN)
Group D
Charlene Chai(SIN) 7 – 3 Allison Fisher(GBR)
Chan Ya Ting(TPE) 7 – 5 Zhou Doudou(CHN)
Group E
Chen Siming(CHN) 7 – 1 Sone Kyoko(JPN)
Wu Jing(CHN) 7 – 1 Jennifer Vietz(GER)
Group F
Pan Xiaoting(CHN) 7 – 5 Gao Meng(CHN)
Tsai Pei Chen(TPE ) 7 – 2 Huang Yi Ting(TPE)
Group G
He Hsin Ju(CHN) 7 – 5 Tan Ho-Yun(TPE)
Karen Corr(IRL) 7 – 4 Ina Kaplan(GER)
Group H
Han Yu(CHN) 7 -4 Anna Mazhirina(RUS)
Liu Shasha(CHN) 7 -3 Ine Helvik(NOR)
Fu Xiofang, Liu Shasha, Pan Xiaoting, Allison Fisher, Ga Young Kim
As the 2013 Women's World 9-Ball Championship Begins in Shenyang, China, the organizers give the ladies a send-off fit for Queens.
(Shenyang, China)–Anyone who has ever been to any kind of event in China knows the importance that the Chinese place on ceremony. Everyone, especially the organizers, and other local dignitaries who didn’t even have anything to do with putting the event together, are all given their moment to shine, usually with long winded speeches that nobody listens to. Guests are made to feel that they are about to get the keys to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Often times food is involved, lots of it, as well as copious amounts of alcoholic drink. Teenage girls in elaborate get-ups dance to some loud and catchy song. Throngs of rabid photographers swarm the event recording it all.
And so it was at the opening ceremony of the 2013 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship on Thursday night inside the ultra-hip Richgate Shopping Center complex here in Shenyang.
For some reason, the organizers didn’t throw out the succulent spread of Chinese delicacies. But as usual, they spared no effort in providing plenty of pomp and pageantry.
As teams of youngsters scurried about preparing the arena for the event, orchestral music filled the atrium, as dozens of photographers and hundreds of fans and onlookers waited for the event to begin. At one end of the mall, towering over a Star pool table, a giant LED screen flashed information about the event’s title sponsor, a giant construction company named the Guoao Group.
The festivities began with some sort of press conference. I say “some sort of” because in China, the press doesn’t really ask proper questions. Any questions are usually giant “softballs” designed to let the person answering enumerate all the positives of the event and the people involved. Nothing controversial will ever be brought up.
After several minutes the chairs were pushed aside and the entertainment commenced. The theme for this year’s Women’s World 9-ball Championship is “All Stars” and “Shine 9-ball,” and the two phrases are plastered on every poster throughout the mall. Suddenly an all-girl band appeared on the floor. They carried instruments like the violin, guitar, flute, keyboard, all wrapped in brightly colored blue LED lights. They wore knee-high leather boots, wide-frilly skirts, and had microphones attached to their cheeks.
The loud catchy music commenced and they girls went into action, dancing to the music, pretending to play their instruments. Right from the start it was obvious they were just miming as several of the instruments were clearly broken. Still, the effect was pretty cool.
When the polite applause died down, it was time to bring on the main event of the evening. The introduction of the players. In one of the more bizarre juxtapositions one could find anywhere on the planet, the theme of the classic American western movie, The Magnificent Seven, filled the hall as the lady emcee brought out the players. And what an entrance it was.
There’s an escalator that descends straight into the atrium and the organizers had each of the players descend down the escalator as they were being introduced. First up was defending champion Kelly Fisher of Great Britain. As she slowly descended, a phalanx of photographers clicked away furiously down at the bottom. Kelly, clearly awed and delighted at the attention, waived and smiled. She then walked through the gauntlet of pool paparazzi, and posed next to the pool table, as camera flashes filled the air. Next she walked over to a wall that had been set up with a giant tournament poster. She signed a styrofoam star, then stuck the star onto one of the blank stars of the poster.(All Stars..get it?). She then turned and posed for another wall of photographers. Finally she took her seat in the audience.
The big stars each got their own introduction and it was fashion and glamor straight down the line. China’s Fu Xiaofang stunned in an all black dress. Her close friend Liu Shasha elicited a few ooh and ahhs with a sporty new hairstyle and a colourful outfit. Many of the European players were dressed in their finest, this their one and only opportunity to shine like nowhere on else on earth.
Some of the biggest responses were given to Korea’s Ga Young Kim. With her dramatic looks and sense of flair, Kim is a total natural at this sort of thing. She just oozed glamor in her white strapless dress which the Chinese clearly went gaga over as she milked the cameras for every last ounce of publicity.
Another popular player was Korea’s Yu Ram Cha. Yu Ram clearly has the look that Chinese fans adore; Petite, demur, regal and cute all wrapped up into one. One could say she has the look of a, well, China doll. The pool paparazzi simply went bonkers when she descended that escalator.
The biggest applause of the evening was reserved for the legend, Pan Xiaoting. Pan fits the bill for the Chinese public in every sense of the word. Pretty, demure, polite and a great player to boot. She was the original pioneer in Chinese pool. Pan, known nationwide here as "the Queen of 9-ball," was the first Chinese player to win a world 9-ball Championship(2007). She also spent a fair amount of time playing in the US.
The introduction phase when on for thirty minutes. I must point out that for the Chinese players, this type of kick off to a tournament is clearly par for the course. Pool in this country is considered a proper sport, backed by the government with real money and training no different than the gruelling training that gymnasts and swimmers go through. And why not? Pool is after all, under the Olympic umbrella.
But for the foreign players in the event, being greeted in this grand fashion was obviously a wide-eyed experience that they won’t soon forget. Outside of China, and perhaps the Philippines, pool is a sport often looked down upon by the powers that be and society at large. Pool players are generally not even allowed into pool halls until they are 18 years old.
These foreign players will never, ever be greeted by adoring fans and rabid photographers. No matter that much of the adoration had nothing to do with their ability to play the sport at the top level. That this was more akin to a fashion show, and a pageant didn’t matter one darn bit.
“That was really nice,” said Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan of the introduction. “We don’t get treated like that anywhere else except here in China.”
*The 2013 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship gets underway August 9 at the Richgate Shopping Center in historical Shenyang, China. The players will be divided into 8 groups of 8 players. They will play a double elimination format in the group stage, race to seven, alternate break. The top four players from each group will progress to the final 32, where the format will become single elimination knockout, race to 9, alternate break. The final, to be played on Monday August 12, will be a race to 11.
The winner of the 2103 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000 while the runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $150,000.
The World Pool-Billiard Association(WPA) will be on hand in Shenyang throughout the week bringing you all the drama from the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship. WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner will be reporting from the Richgate Shopping Center with daily articles containing insight and analysis, as well as photos. Ted will also be manning the WPA Facebook page and Twitter feed and responding to fans queries and comments. Fans can also follow all matches via the WPA live scoring platform.
*The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball will be held in Shenyang, China from August 6-12, and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association(WPA). 64 women players from across the globe will compete for the biggest prize in Women’s Pool. The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship is a WPA ranking event.
Photo courtesy of Tai Chengze/top147.com
Group A
Kelly Fisher(GBR)
Wendy Cook Berylin(NZL)
Wei Tzu Chein(TPE)
Angeline Magdalena Ticaalu(INA)
Wang Xiaotong(CHN)
Amanda Rahayu(INA)
Chichiro Kawahara(JPN)
Group B
Lai Hui Shan(TPE)
Mirjana Grujici(VEN)
Nouchi Masam( Caroline Roos(SWE) Iris Ranola(PHL)
Meenal Thakur(IND)
Wu Zhi Ting(TPE)
Chou Chieh-Yu(TPE)
Group C
Kim Ga Young(KOR)
Li Jia(CHN) Lyndall Hulley(AUS)
Park Eunji(KOR)
Chang Chiung-Wen(TPE) Chen Xue(CHN)
Bi Zhuqing(CHN)
Lin Yuan-Chun(TPE)
Group E
Chen Siming(CHN) Ana Gradisnik(SLO)
Jung Bo Ra(KOR)
Sone Kyoko(JPN)
Rebecca Tsang(HKG) Wu Jing(CHN) Jennifer Vietz(GER)
Cha Yu Ram(KOR)
Group F
Rubelin Amit(PHL) Gao Meng(CHN) Martine Christiansen(NOR)
Pan Xiaoting(CHN)
Huang Yi Ting(TPE)
Taylor Meyer(AUS)
Natalia Seroshtan(RUS)
Tsai Pei Chen(TPE)
(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.
(Shenyang, China)–Korea’s Ga Young Kim and Great Britain’s Kelly Fisher are two giant names in today’s world of women’s professional pool. And today, as the 2012 Women’s World 9-ball Championship entered the knockout stages, the two put on a show that will surely enhance their reputations many fold for years to come.
Kim is a two time former world 9-ball champion and US Open champion who lights up arenas wherever she plays. Besides her prodigious talents on the table, Kim is about as good an ambassador as the sport will ever find. In addition to her native tongue, she speaks fluent Chinese and English. And her looks, charm and fashion sense are impeccable.
With her rugged looks and style, world number 2 Fisher can appear at first to be almost the antithesis of Kim. But the affable Brit is just as deadly on the pitch, and just as nice off of it.
So when the two met up today in the round of 32 inside the ultra hip Richgate Shopping Center here in Shenyang, the match had the feel of a finals showdown. For some reason the organizers decided not to put this match on the TV table, and instead stuck the pair in the very back of the 2nd floor trade hall where all the outside table matches have been played. Perhaps it was just as well because the barebones setting gave the match the feel of a back alley brawl, which is what it turned out to be.
The few dozen fans squeezed into the small space who watched the pair slug it out will not soon forget what they saw. Both players, who know each other’s games well, played their usual manner of fast and aggressive pool. And they combined that fan-friendly style by playing just about as perfect as one could play over the course of 17 racks.
Up early, Kim, fiery and intense, continually repulsed every effort by Fisher to grab the lead. Along the way, Kim continually pushed her lead up then always saw it shrink back again. The pair executed one amazing shot after the next, as if the contest was a great heavyweight fight of years past, where every bomb was answered with another bomb back. Stellar banks, pots off kicks, lock down safeties, great escapes, you name it; this was championship 9-ball at its best.
Eventually Kim found herself on the hill, up 8-6. But Fisher would have the last laugh, as she pounced on Kim’s one missed shot in the match, in the last rack, and took a 9-8 win, to move into the final 16.
“That was one of the best matches I’ve ever played,“ an obviously ecstatic and relieved Fisher said afterward. “The standard was so high. I had to play that good to beat her because when she’s on fire, she’ll kill me. She has in the past.”
Fisher has to like her chances as the world championship heads into the last two days, but with the quality of the field remaining, she knows the deal.
“Just give 100% and hope that the luck is on my side,” she said. “I can win here. But this is 9-ball and anything can happen. I just have to take it one match at a time.”
Fisher will now face the lone American entry in this year’s championship, Monica Webb, on Wednesday. Webb came off the losers side in the group stages today and took down China’s Bai Ge in the round of 32, 9-4 in a fairly sloppy match.
The remaining two days are shaping up to be a fascinating slugfest of epic proportions as the race to the world title intensifies. Unlike last year where the Chinese had already taken over by the final 16, this year the remaining field is much more varied; six Chinese, four Taiwanese, two Brits, 2 Japanese, 1 Korean and 1 American.
China had 33 players in the field of 64 but the six remaining are all capable of taking the title. 18 year old Chen Siming looks like she is going to be very difficult to stop. First out on the TV table today, world number 1 Chen demolished former world champion Shin Mei Lui of Tawain, 9-3. 2010 World 9-ball Champion Fu Xiao Fang, and 2009 World 9-ball Champion Liu Shasha also looked ready for glory as they easily won their matches.
One of the surprises of the day came when Japan’s Sone Kyoko shocked the home town fans by defeating defending champion Bi Zhu Qing of China 9-7 on the TV table. Kyoko will join compatriot Chichiro Kawahara in the round of 16 after Kawahara easily beat the Philippines’ Rubilen Amit, 9-2.
Hall of Famer and four time world 9-ball champion Allison Fisher made it a bummer of a day for the Philippines, as she knocked out Iris Ranola, 9-6.
The contingent from Taiwan is looking very strong so far, especially 2008 World 9-ball champion Lin Yuan Chun and two time and current Amway champion Chou Chieh Yu, who both advanced today.
Two dark horses fans should look out for are Korea’s Park Eunji and China’s Yu Han. Yu made it to last year’s semi-final where she barely lost to Chen Siming. Yu is quietly playing strong pool and can beat anyone in the field. Park is surely a bit of a longer shot but this stylish young lady seems to have a knack for finding the finish line.
The round of 16 begins Wednesday in Shenyang at 10am local time(GMT +8). The field will be down to four after tomorrow’s play. The semi-finals and finals will take place on Thursday June 21. The winner will receive $40,000 while the runner up gets a check worth $20,000. The total prize fund is $160,000.
The WPA will be providing full coverage of all the action from the 2012 Women’s World 9-ball Championship in Shenyang on our website,www.wpapool.com. There you can get all the latest updates with live scoring of all matches, articles offering insights and analysis, updated brackets and photos. Fans around the world can also follow the tournament via the WPA Twitter feed, @poolwpa.
Round of 16 Matches Wednesday June, 20, 2012 Race to 9, Alternate Break
Chen Siming(CHN) vs. Chichiro Kawahara(JPN) Lin Yuan Chun(TPE) vs.Fu Xiao Fang(CHN) Yu Han(CHN) vs. Li Jia(CHN) Tsai Pei Chen(TPE) vs. Shou Chieh Yu(TPE) Sone Kyoko(JPN) vs. Park Eunji(KOR) Kelly Fisher(GBR) vs. Monica Webb(USA) Allison Fisher(GBR) vs. Tan Ho Yun(TPE) Chen Xue(CHN) vs. Lui Shasha(CHN)
Day 2 Results, Tuesday, June 19, 2012 Round of 32 Knockout Stage. Race to 9, Alternate Break
Chou Chieh Yu(TPE) 9 – 7 Lin Hsiao Chi(TPE) Li Jia(CHN) 9 – 4 Han Fang(CHN) Lin Yuan Chun(TPE) 9 – 4 Line Kjorsvik(NOR) Chen Siming(CHN) 9 – 3 Liu Shin Mei(TPE) Yu Han(CHN) 9 – 4 Ren Qiuyue(CHN) Fu Xiao Fang(CHN) 9 – 4 Wei Tzu Chien(TPE) Chichiro Kawahara(JPN) 9 – 2 Rubelin Amit(PHI) Tsai Pei Chen(TPE) 9 – 5 Lai Hui Shan(TPE) Kelly Fisher(GBR) 9 – 8 Ga Young Kim(KOR) Monica Webb(USA) 9 – 4 Bai Ge(CHN) Sone Kyoko(JPN) 9 – 7 Bi Zhu Qing(CHN) Park Eunji(KOR) 9 – 5 Angeline Ticoalu(INA) Lui Shasha(CHN) 9 – 4 Wu Jina(CHN) Allison Fisher(GBR) 9 – 6 Iris Ranola(PHI) Tan Ho Yun(TPE) 9 – 5 Caroline Roos(SWE) Chen Xue(CHN) 9 – 5 Marika Poikkijoki(FIN)
1st Session. Losers Bracket. Winner is through to final 32, loser is out
Group A Wei Tzu Chien(TPE) 7 – 0 Jing Siya(CHN) Li Jia(CHN) 7 – 2 Liu Yichen(CHN)
Group B Ren Qiuyue(CHN) 7 – 5 Masami Nouchi(JPN) Kim Ga Young(KOR) 7 – 2 Chan Ya Ting(TPE)
Group C Iris Ranola(PHI) 7 – 6 Charlene Zhai Zeet Huey(SIN) Angeline Ticoalu(INA) 7 – 2 Keiko Yukawa(JPN)
Group D Kyoko Sone(JPN) 7 – 4 Sylvia Lopez(ESP) Marika Poikkijoki(FIN) 7 – 6 Jung Bo Ra(KOR)
Group E Caroline Roos(SWE) 7 – 2 Junko Tsuchiya(JPN) Monica Webb(USA) 7 – 5 Wu Zhiting(TPE)
Group F Line Kjorsvik(NOR) 7 – 6 Zhou, Doudou(CHN) Lin Hsiao Chi(TPE) 7 – 5 Kaori Ebe(JPN)
Group G Tsai Pei Chen(TPE) 7- 1 Gao Meng(CHN) Liu Sha Sha(CHN) 7 – 3 Akimi Kajatani(JPN)
Group H Liu Shin Mei(TPE) 7 – 5 Zheng Xiaochun(CHN) Kawahara, Chichiro(JPN) 7 – 4 Liu Liying(CHN)
