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Title Defended: Liu ShaSha Crowned World Champion

Sha Sha Liu (Photo Courtesy of Alison Chang)

Liu ShaSha of China successfully defended her title and proved to the world that she is the best in women’s pool by snatching the World 9-Ball Championship title for a third time. A tight tug-of-war would be expected between the defending champion and the current Euro Tour champion Jasmine Ouschan (Austria), but the final resulted with a rather surprising and preposterous score of 9-4.
 
In the playoff, Chieh-Yu Chou of Chinese Taipei took the 2nd runner-up place by beating Chihiro Kawahara 9-7.
 
When the battle reached the semi-finals, Liu was then the only player from China left in the field. If she goes out at that stage, record would be made for the first time ever that no Chinese players were in the final since the tournament had moved to China in 2009. Immense pressure then on Liu’s shoulders.
 
Nervousness also came from other sources, such as being in the final again, the burden of defending the title, the desire to lift the trophy up for the third time, the possibility of winning the most world titles amongst team China players,… all these contributed to Liu’s tension and it was shown on her face during the final match.
 
“All along I was playing from behind throughout the whole tournament. I did not perform well. The thought of defending the title had been haunting me. Too much nerves and pressure. My coach was trying to adjust my thoughts by asking me to focus on one ball at a time; but with him being on the bench not much could be changed anything while I was out there at the table…” said the champion after the match.
 
The night before the final, Liu was telling us about her desire to defend the title in Guilin. “70% of the performance will depend on psychological, if I could clear my mind then I could play well. Judging on the regular training, being in the top 4 is already satisfactory. The final tomorrow will be mere expectation. Whether win or lose I’ll just play my game.”
 
In the double-elimination stage, Liu beat Bai Ge and Han Fang to move into the next round. After that, she knocked out Akimi Kajitani of Japan (9-0), Wei Zih-Chian of Chinese Taipei (9-5), her Chinese colleague Gao Meng (9-2), and then the 3-times Amway Cup champion Chieh-Yu Chou in the semi to reach the final against Ouschan.
 
In the group round, Jasmin Ouschan won over Jennifer Barretta and Kelly Fisher with 7:5 and 7:3 qualified for the single-knockout stage. After that, Ouschan defeated Park Eun-Ji (KOR) 9:4、Chezka Centeno (PHI) 9:8、Pan Xiaoting (CHN) 9:6 and Chihiro Kawahara (JPN) 9:8 to booked her seat in the final.
 
Having successfully defended her title, Shasha had already won the World Women 9-Ball Championship three times, passing Kim Ga-Young of Korea (2), and fell short with just one from the all time legend the “Duchess of Doom” Allison Fisher of England.

Return Of The Boy Wonder

Wu Jia Qing (Formerly Wu Chia Ching)

(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.  
 
 
Men’s Division Round 1 matches
 
Group A
Chang Jung Lin(TPE)  9 – 3 SHAW So(IRI)
Zhu Hongming (TPE) 9 – 3. AL SHAHEEN Omar (KUW)
Zhu Xihe (CHN) 9 – 6 HAN Haoxiang (CHN)    
Xu Kailun(TPE) 9 – 6 OI Naoyuki  (JPN)     
 
Group B
Nguyen Ann Tuan(VIE) 9 – 8 Yukio Akagariyama(JPN) 
AlRiwani, Salah  (UAE) 9 – 8  Mohammed Ahmad Al-Bin Ali(QAT)
Seungwoo Ryu(KOR) 9 – 8 Phil Burford(GBR)   
Ke Bign Zhong(TPE) 9 – 7 Thorsten Hohmann(GER)
 
Group C
Fu Che Wei(TPE) 9 – 6  Sharik Aslam Sayed(SIN)
Dang Jinhu(CHN) 9 – 6 Fu Jianbo(CHN)
Kenny Kwok(HKG) 9 – 3 Rafath Habib(IND)
Alex Pagulayan(CAN) 9 – 5 Karl Boyes(GBR)
 
Group D
Li Hewen(CHN)  9 – 8 Carlo Biado(PHL)
John Morra(CAN) 9 – 8 Zhou Long(CHN)
Afrinneza Isral Nasution(IND) 9 -7 Oscar Dominguez(USA)   
Jeffrey De Luna(PHL) 9 – 5 Chris Melling(GBR)
 
Group E
Darren Appleton(GBR) 9 – 5 Jalal Yousef(VEN)
Wang Can(CHN) 9 -1 Cristian Tuvi(URU)   
Wu Jiaqing(CHN) 9 – 4 Niels Feijen(NED)   
Nick Ekonomopoulos(GRE) 9 – 8  Nick Van Den Berg(NED)
 
Evening Session
 
Group F
Ko Pin Yi(TPE) 9 – 4 Chu Bingjie(CHN)
Johann Chua(PHL) 9 – 3 Zeng Zhaodong(CHN)  
Do The Kien(VIE) 9 – 1 Tursaikhan Amarjargal
Lee Van Corteza(PHL) 9 – 6 Nick Malai(ALB)  
 
Group G
Ralf Souquet(GER) 9 – 0  Zbynek Vaic(RSA)
Chang Pei Wei(TPE) 9 – 3 Hunter Lombardo(USA)   
Radoslaw Babica(POL) 9 – 3Bashar Hussain(QAT) vs. 
Zhang Yulong(TPE) 9 – 5 Liu Haitao(CHN)
 
Group H
Dennis Orcollo(PHL) 9 – 7 Ahen Yuxuan(TPE)
Albin Ouschan(AUT) 9 – 1 James Delahunty(AUS)
Daryl Peach(GBR) 9 – 3 Alejandro Carvajal(CHI)
Cheng Tsung Hua(TPE) 9 – 3 Huidji See(NED)
 
 
 
Men’s Division Round 2 Matches, Losers Side
Loser is out, Winner continues on
 
Group B
Yukio Akagariyama(JPN) 9 – 5 Mohammed Ahmad Al-Bin Ali(QAT)
Thorsten Hohmann(GER) 9 – 8 Phil Burford(GBR)   
 
Group C
Fu Jianbo(CHN) 9 – 8  Sharik Aslam Sayed(SIN)
Karl Boyes(GBR) 9-7 Rafath Habib(IND)
 
Group D
Carlo Biado(PHL) 9 – 1 Zhou Long(CHN)
Chris Melling(GBR) 9 – 4 Oscar Dominguez(USA)
 
 
 
 
Men’s Division Round 2 Matches, Winners Side
Winner qualifies for Round of 32, Loser goes to Losers bracket
 
 
Group B
Seungwoo Ryu(KOR) 9 – 7 Ke Bign Zhong(TPE)
AlRiwani, Salah (UAE)9 – 5 Nguyen Ann Tuan(VIE)  vs
 
Group C
Fu Che Wei(TPE) 9 – 2 Dang Jinhu(CHN)
Alex Pagulayan(CAN)  9 – 5 Kenny Kwok(HKG)
 
Group D
Li Hewen(CHN)  9 – 5 John Morra(CAN)
Afrinneza Isral Nasution(IND) 9 – 8Jeffrey De Luna(PHL)  
 
 
 
Women’s Groups 1st round matches
 
Group A
Liu Jia(CHN) 7 – 2 Xia Yuying(CHN)
Chichiro Kawahara(JPN) 7 – 5 Karen Corr(IRL)   
 
Group B
Chan Ya Ting(TPE) 7 – 4 Hyun Ji Won(KOR)
Yang Fan(CHN) 7 – 1 Doan Thi Ngoc Le(VIE)
 
Group C
Gao Meng(CHN) 7 – 5 Ma’sum Fathrah(IND)
Wei Tzu Chien(TPE) 7 – 3 Angeline Magdalena Ticoalu(RSA)
 
Group D
Eunji Park(KOR) 7 – 2  Brittany Bryant(CAN)
Allison Fisher(GBR) 7 – 1 Carlynn Sanchez(VEN)   
 
Group E
Li Jia(CHN) 7 – 1 Mrjana Grujicic(VEN)
Zhu Tingting(CHN) 7 – 4 Jasmin Michel(GER)
 
Group F
Bi Zhu Qing(CHN) 7 – 4 Charlene Chai Zeet Huey(SIN)
Jing Jia(CHN) 7 – 5 Nicola Ilse Rossouw(RSA)
 
Group G
Wu Jing(CHN) 7 – 1 Keiko Yukawa(JPN)
Akimi Kajatani(JPN) 7 – 2 Liu Yichen(CHN)
 
Group H
Liu Shin Mei(TPE) 7 – 3 Bai Ge(CHN)
Rubelin Amit(PHL) 7 – 4 Han Fang(CHN)
 
 
 
Women’s Groups, 2nd Round
 
Group A                 
Kelly Fisher(GBR) 7 -0 Liu Jia(CHN)  
Pan Xiaoting(CHN) 7 – 6 Chichiro Kawahara(JPN)
 
 
Group B
Tan Ho Yun(TPE) 7 – 6 Chan Ya Ting(TPE)    
Yang Fan(CHN) vs. Lin Yuanjun(TPE)
 
Group C
Liu Shasha(CHN) 7 – 5 Gao Meng(CHN)
Wei Tzu Chien(TPE) 7 – 6 Chen Xue(CHN)
 
 
Group D
Yu Ram Cha(KOR) 7 – 6 Eunji Park(KOR)  
Ga Young Kim(KOR) 7 – 4 Allison Fisher(GBR)
 
Group E
Chen Siming(CHN) 7 – 0 Li Jia(CHN)
Lan Hiushan(TPE) vs Zhu Tingting(CHN)
 
 
Group F
Han Yu(CHN) 7 – 2 Bi Zhu Qing(CHN)
Chou Chieh Yu(TPE) 7 – 3 Jing Jia(CHN)
 
 
Group G
Tsai Pei Chen(TPE) 7 – 4 Wu Jing(CHN)
Keiko Yukawa(JPN)
Liu Yichen(CHN)
Jasmin Ouschan(AUT) 7 – 3 Akimi Kajatani(JPN)
 
 
Group H
Zhou Doudou(CHN) vs Liu Shin Mei(TPE)
Bai Ge(CHN)
Han Fang(CHN)
Rubelin Amit(PHL)
Fu Xiaofang(CHN)

An Epic Worthy of A Final

Kim, Fisher, Photo courtesy of Pan Yulong

(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)