Team Asia survived a dramatic comeback by Team West in the third and final day of the AM8.com Queens Cup. Asia's foursome had led each day of the event and extended to a 3 match lead, but the European/American squad bounced back and swept Asia in the first three matches of Day 3. The 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup aired nightly on primetime hours of 6:00pm – 10:00pm on ABS-CBN Sports + Action channel. The AM8.com Queens Cup re-ignited the greatest rivalry in women's billiards April 16-18th, 2015 which featured champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will took on the best in the West! The AM8.com Queens Cup was hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth , Aramith Balls, Viking Cue, with live streaming by Red Cube Productions. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
The day before, the Captain for the West made an near ominous prediction, "We started slow, but ended strong again. And tomorrow's line-up is in our favor. We are already doing better than the last Team West from the first Queen's Cup, so we know we are a different team. We can win", said Ewa Mataya Laurance, skipper for the West.
Captain Laurance chose to put Karen Corr to start the day. Corr had been the best player of the entire event thus far, so this was a sound decision. Captain Amit put her hopes in Korea's young Eunji Park. The last time the two had faced each other, Park had knocked Corr out of the US Open. Park and Corr dueled the first game in a cat and mouse game after Corr missed a golden chance to runout. Park played a great safety hooking Corr, but Corr came right back with a great kickshot. Park was forced to jump and made a good contact, and got a fortunate roll to re-safe Corr. Karen made a good contact but inadvertently scratched. Park took the game and the next jumping to a 2-0 lead, and things looked grim on the West's side as they had also dropped the first match of Day 1 and Day 2. A miss by Park in the third game gave Corr a chance to get on the board. Things turned around with a break and run by Corr and suddenly the tide turned. Park continued errors as Corr came on stronger and eventually took the match with 4 unanswered racks. Asia 7 West 5.
Corr was put right back in again with her familiar partner of the past 3 days, Jennifer Barretta. They faced Park/J.Chen. Captain Laurance's faith in the duo paid off in a 4-0 whitewash, and suddenly the West had come back to life! They were down only 1 match at Asia 7 West 6.
Corr was called upon one more time as she was placed in the first 3 matches as the anchor of Team West. This time would be the most challenging as she faced the #1 ranked player in the world in Siming Chen. Donned the "Most Dangerous Lady" in pool, Chen came out strong and making hardly an error, jumped to a 3-1 lead. Undeterred, the "Irish Invader" took each shot one by one and forced a final game to the cheers of her teammates. In the final game, a great break by Corr enabled a full clearance to not only defeat Asia's anchor, but to level the series at 7-7! This was the first time in the Queens Cup that the West had won 3 matches in a row thanks to the Irish workhorse in Karen Corr. Karen would later gain the distinction as the MVP of Team West with 6 match wins.
Next in the triples, Captain Laurance would finally join in along with Villarreal and Corr. Asia's Captain Amit, Jennifer Chen and Siming returned. The West's trio was not able to put anything together, and not even Corr was able to carry the rest of her teammates in her 4th straight match of the day. Asia was able to stop the West's momentum 4-1. The next match would add Barretta to her teammates in the 4-on-4, but the West was not feeling it in the big group matches unlike the day before where they excelled in the triples and quadruples. Amit was able to keep her team calm and led them to their own 2 match streak pulling away to the hill 9-7.
Singles was up next, and the West had Villarreal up while Amit had placed herself in this position. Villarreal had been on a hot streak during the first 2 days and next to Corr, was the second best player on the team. Also, the next match would be losing team captain's pick singles which would mean that the West would be able to choose both players from the two teams. Likely this would be a re-match of Corr and Park from what Laurance had mentioned. And if the West would win that one, it would mean a score of 9-9 resulting in a 4 on 4 finale. So, the vital importance of winning this match was mountainous upon the shoulders of both players.
"If I lost that match I knew that it would mean we could very well goto 9-9 for a one match decider for the event. So playing Vivian was like the finals. There was so much pressure it was crazy", said Rubilen Amit, captain of Team Asia. Amit would be declared the MVP of the AM8.com Queens Cup for her outstanding leadership bringing together 4 countries into unison. Plus her monumental contribution of 8 wins and 2 loss record, including going undefeated in both her singles matches. Amit has yet to drop a singles match in her tenure during her two appearances at the Queens Cup.
With the whole continent upon her shoulders, the small in stature Amit came out big the first game with a break and run. An unexpected miss by Amit on the second to the last ball in game 2 breathed life into Villarreal and she tied 1-1. Amit struck back taking the next rack to hold the lead 2-1. Villarreal made some fantastic shots in game 4, playing fast and loose. She looked to have the game easily in hand when she abruptly missed the 9-ball! Amit took full advantage to take the game and placed herself on the hill 3-1, needing only one more game to finish the match. The final game saw Amit facing a difficult rack clearance, but possible to play nevertheless. The 2-time world champion held her nerve in check each shot, making the balls and playing good percentage position for the next ball. She shot herself out of each jam perfectly. Finally came the last ball of the event, an open 10-ball that was makeable but also one that could be missed, especially given what was at stake. With her teammates waiting, praying, and holding their breath on the sidelines, Amit steeled her nerves one last time and downed the winning ball. The ecstatic Asian champions all rushed into the arena to congratulate their captain and celebrate the hard fought victory that required three days of teamwork, discipline, and faith.
These four ladies proved for another year that Asia is the continent to beat when it comes to the sport of women's billiards.
Day 3 April 18th Results Asia vs West:
Singles: Karen Corr 4 vs 2 Eunji Park
Doubles – Corr/Barretta 4 vs 0 Park/J.Chen
Singles -Karen Corr 4 vs 3 Siming Chen (Captains pick)
3-on-3 – Laurance/Corr/Villarreal 1 vs 4 S.Chen/Amit/J.Chen
World #1 Siming Chen has done her job anchoring Team Asia
Manila, Philippines- Team Asia led by Captain Rubilen Amit managed to extend their lead over the West to a margin of 3 matches. Asia came out strong winning the first 3 matches of the day before Team West stopped the bleeding with a win in the triples. Amit and China's World #1 Siming Chen have been instrumental in Asia's success, while USA's Villarreal and Ireland's Corr have had the best performances by far for the West. The AM8.com Queens Cup concludes today with Team Asia going in up 7 to 4 against the West. Asia needs 3 more match wins to clinch the win and successfully defend their title.
The 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup will be airing live nightly on primetime hours of 6:00pm – 10:00pm on ABS-CBN Sports + Action channel. The AM8.com Queens Cup is igniting the greatest rivalry in women's billiards . On April 16-18th, 2015 the second installment of the AM8.com Queens Cup will feature champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will take on the best in the West! Last year, Team Asia dominated Team West during the 3 days of competition. This year the USA & Europe will be looking to even the score. The AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth , Aramith Balls, Viking Cue, with live streaming by Red Cube Productions. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
"I'm definitely more tired than usual as the captain has so many more duties. I think it's worn me down some, that's why I might have missed those two 10-Balls tonight", said the demure World Champion Amit. Rubilen is the most successful female athlete in the history of the Philippines, winning 7 gold medals for her country in the past 10 years. Amit had missed two game win chances by missing the final ball. Still, Amit was able to seal two wins of her own for the team.
Team Asia started off very strong again winning the triples 4-2. The next match in singles pitted Barretta against Siming Chen. Barretta had a golden opportunity to take a 2-0 lead, but squandered the opportunites against the World #1 and lost 4-2. The next match with Laurance vs J.Chen was a comedy of errors as both players succumbed to the pressures of the event. In one game, both players had 2 chances at the 10-ball before it went in.
Finally the West was able to stop the bleeding in the triples with Corr and Villarreal backing up the West with some superb firepower. Villarreal has been instrumental playing well and uplifting the team spirits. Corr has been the best player of the event on either sides, playing solid in all her matches with minimal mistakes.
Corr and Barretta were not able to take advantage of the momentum stoppage with Barretta again missing some golden opportunities against Amit & Siming Chen.
"The shot clock is fast at 30 seconds, and not really suitable to my style. I will have to adapt for it tomorrow", said Barretta.
In the final match of the day the 4 on 4, Team West came together once again playing well with some help from errors from Asia's Eunji Park who had a weak performance on Day 2. West won 4-2 which relieves some pressures off of Karen Corr who will go in today first in the singles against Park.
Day 2 Results:
Triples: Corr/Barretta/Laurance 2 vs 4 S.CHEN/ PARK/ AMIT
ABS-CBN Sports + Action will be airing QUEENS CUP 2015 on the following dates :
LIVE
Apr. 16, Thursday at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Apr. 17, Friday at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Apr. 18, Saturday at 6:00pm – 11:00pm
REPLAY
Apr. 20, Monday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Apr. 21, Tuesday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Apr. 22, Wednesday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
"We started slow, but ended strong again. And tomorrow's line-up is in our favor. We are already doing better than the last Team West from the first Queen's Cup, so we know we are a different team. We can win", said Ewa Mataya Laurance, skipper for the West.
Manila, Philippines- USA's Vivian Villarreal made sure that history would not be repeated. At least on Day 1. Villarreal's big win at the end of Day 1 of the AM8.com Queens Cup put Team West within one match going into the second day. Meanwhile, national hero of the Philippines Rubilen Amit, in her debut role as Captain of Team Asia, led her team to 3 match wins to clinch the lead on Day 1 over Team West's American/European squad. Amit herself participated in 3 of the 4 matches consisting of singles, doubles, and 4-on-4 play with all matches going to best of 7 games. She won all three of hers for a 3-0 personal record so far in the three day competition.
Billiards is going primetime. The 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup will be airing live nightly on primetime hours of 6:00pm – 10:00pm on ABS-CBN Sports + Action channel. The AM8.com Queens Cup is igniting the greatest rivalry in women's billiards . On April 16-18th, 2015 the second installment of the AM8.com Queens Cup will feature champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will take on the best in the West! Last year, Team Asia dominated Team West during the 3 days of competition. This year the USA & Europe will be looking to even the score. The AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth , Aramith Balls, Viking Cue, with live streaming by Red Cube Productions. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
"I just ask everyone to pray for us. It will be difficult to communicate perfectly with my teammates from China, Taiwan, and Korea. But I am up for the challenge", said the demure World Champion Amit. Rubilen is the most successful female athlete in the history of the Philippines, winning 7 gold medals for her country in the past 10 years.
Team Asia started off very strong starting with the 4-on-4 where Asia played in perfect unison, even breaking and running the very first rack of the event. Making a statement for sure that Asia was there to win. They proceeded to take a 3-0 lead before making an error which the West received a game win, but still dropped a 4-1 scoreline.
The West showed they could give as good as they get when the American/European duo of Jennifer Barretta and Karen Corr neutralized Asia's Jennifer Chen and world #1 Siming Chen in a 4-1 vice versa return. Corr played exceptional making numerous difficult pots including a tough 6ball to the 10-ball combination shot to seal the match win to the delight of her teammates.
Next the captain herself, Amit put Korea's rookie Eunji Park by her side in the first doubles match of the event and they broke out to a 3-0 , mostly capitalizing on 3 big errors from the "Texas Tornado" Vivian Villarreal. Team West skipper Ewa Mataya Laurance made great shots and used her knowledge and savvy to keep her team in the game and they clawed back to level the match at 3-3. With a great chance to win the match, the West inadvertently hooked themselves behind a ball and gave Team Asia an easy rack which put Asia in the lead again.
Ireland's Karen Corr was up first in the singles, playing as the anchor of the team, and Amit selected herself for the first singles match. Corr came out strong, first making an incredible "Bata-like" kickshot off a Amit safety, and proceeded to clear the table. Corr took a 2 game lead, but in the third rack, a lucky fluke by Amit off her own kickshot changed the momentum of the match. Amit took advantage of the situation and turned around the match to 3-2 in her favor. Corr made a good stop to tie th match at 3-3, but the final game belonged to Rubilen after a missed shot by Corr.
With their backs against the wall in a "need to win" Day 1 situation, veteran Villarreal was sent in to stop Asia's momentum. A win by Asia here would put them up 4-1, the same deficit West faced last year on Day 1 which led to their eventual doom of 10-4 two days later.Shaking off some earlier shaky performances, Vivian stormed to a lightning fast 4-1, and well needed, victory for Team West. Villarreal was super amped before the match, and afterwards could be seen twirling her finger in her trademark victory sign.
"We're playing good. We lost to matches that went hill-hill to the deciding game. We could easily be in the lead right now. So that makes us confident coming into tomorrow, just knowing that we are right there keeping up with Asia", said Jennifer Barretta, who went 1-1 on Day 1.
"ABS-CBN is pleased to be the host network of this international battle between the greatest champions of women's billiards. The Queens Cup is the biggest women's sporting event in the Philippines, and we fittingly have given this event the primetime slot, four hours each day of the three day competition. Everyone in the world is excited to see the West take on Asia in this rivalry," said Dino Laurena, Head of Integrated Sports for ABS-CBN.
Day 1 Results:
4-on-4 : All players partners match Asia 4-1 West
Doubles: CHEN SIMING & JENNIFER CHEN 1 vs 4 Karen Corr/Jennifer Barretta
Doubles: EUNJI PARK & Rubilen AMIT 4 vs 3 Ewa Laurance/ Vivian Villarreal
Singles: Rubilen Amit 4 vs 3 Karen Corr
Singles: Eunji Park 1 vs 4 Vivian Villarreal
Day 2 April 17th Line-up Asia vs West:
4-on-4 : All players partners match
Doubles: CHEN SIMING & JENNIFER CHEN vs Karen Corr/Jennifer Barretta
Doubles: EUNJI PARK & Rubilen AMIT vs Ewa Laurance/ Vivian Villarreal
Singles: Rubilen Amit vs Karen Corr
Singles: Eunji Park vs Vivian Villarreal
Triples: S.CHEN/ PARK/ AMIT vs Corr/Barretta/Laurance
ABS-CBN Sports + Action will be airing QUEENS CUP 2015 on the following dates :
Billiards is going primetime. The 2015 AM8.com Queens Cup will be airing live nightly on primetime hours of 6:00pm – 10:00pm on ABS-CBN Sports + Action channel. The captains of both Asia and the West have also announced their line-up to start the event, and it will feature some savory match-ups! The 亚美娱乐 AM8.com Queens Cup is igniting the greatest rivalry in women's billiards . On April 16-18th, 2015 the second installment of the AM8.com Queens Cup will feature champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will take on the best in the West! Last year, Team Asia dominated Team West during the 3 days of competition. This year the USA & Europe will be looking to even the score. The 亚美娱乐 AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth , Aramith Balls, Viking Cue, with live streaming by Red Cube Productions. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
"ABS-CBN is pleased to be the host network of this international battle between the greatest champions of women's billiards. The Queens Cup is the biggest women's sporting event in the Philippines, and we fittingly have given this event the primetime slot, four hours each day of the three day competition. Everyone in the world is excited to see the West take on Asia in this rivalry," said Dino Laurena, Head of Integrated Sports for ABS-CBN.
Triples: S.CHEN/ PARK/ AMIT vs Corr/Barretta/Laurance
ABS-CBN Sports + Action will be airing QUEENS CUP 2015 on the following dates :
LIVE
Apr. 16, Thursday at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Apr. 17, Friday at 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Apr. 18, Saturday at 6:00pm – 11:00pm
REPLAY
Apr. 20, Monday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Apr. 21, Tuesday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Apr. 22, Wednesday at 2:00pm – 6:00pm
The Queens Cup will air live 6:00pm-10:00pm daily for 3 days on ABS-CBN Sports channels, and for international viewers in USA, Europe, & elsewhere, 24 hour a day archive access on Pay-per-view is now available at a special $20 pre-event sale by going to QueensCupPool.com or clicking here
The Queens Cup will showcase the rivalry between the Asians and their western counterparts in Europe and USA, very similar to the Ryder Cup in golf or Davis Cup in tennis. Elite professional ladies from their respective countries and continents are selected onto two sides representing the East and West. The event will last 3 days in a 10-Ball format that will conclude when one team reaches 10 match wins. Style of play will include singles, doubles, triples, and 4-on-4. Captains will be put to the test to create the best strategy in partnerships and chemistry of match-ups. If the matches go 9 to 9 hill-hill, a final 4-on-4 play will set the scene for the dramatic conclusion.
The AM8.com Queens Cup brings a level of excitement and pressure never before seen in women's billiards. On April 16th, The Empresses of Pool Battle for Glory.
A veteran force joins the Eastern team. Taiwan's world renowned Jennifer "China Doll" Chen is the next Asian player selected for Team Asia in the AM8.com Queens Cup to play against USA/Europe next month. Chen has 12 major international titles as well as a gold at the highly coveted Asian Games, and will be the senior member of Team Asia with 24 years of professional competitive experience. The greatest rivalry in women's billiards is about to ignite. On April 16-18th, 2015 the second installment of the AM8.com Queens Cup will feature champions vs champions as the best women from Asia will take on the best in the West! Last year, Team Asia had a dominating performance over Team West during the 3 days of competition. This year the quad squad from USA & Europe will be looking to even the score. The AM8.com Queens Cup will be hosted by the award winning Resorts World Manila Casino & Hotel and sponsored by Andy Cloth and Viking Cue. The Queens Cup is a Dragon Promotions production.
"Chen is a very fun player to watch. Especially when she get's hot on the pool table", says Shari Stauch, former veteran pro on tour & publisher for Pool & Billiard Magazine.
"Jennifer's has strong physical skills like jumping balls really well and she never goes to the table with doubt. She's always been that way", comments all-star American pro Vivian Villarreal. " The experiences she has playing great players for big stakes on the line and winning are huge. That's what gives her that killer focus, which is one of her biggest strengths and a big asset for Team Asia."
"I was surprised and very honored when I was selected for the AM8.com Queens Cup to play for Team Asia. I've been a 9-Ball player for 20 years, but I think now that I've been introduced to 10-Ball, I like that game more", said Chen. When asked on her Queens Cup predictions for this year, she replied, " Asians have been more dominant in pool. Because we start training at a young age and have so many good, young players compared to the West. So, I think this is why we will win."
The Queens Cup will showcase the rivalry between the Asians and their western counterparts in Europe and USA, very similar to the Ryder Cup in golf or Davis Cup in tennis. Elite professional ladies from their respective countries and continents are selected onto two sides representing the East and West. The event will last 3 days in a 10-Ball format that will conclude when one team reaches 10 match wins. Style of play will include singles, doubles, triples, and 4-on-4. Captains will be put to the test to create the best strategy in partnerships and chemistry of match-ups. If the matches go 9 to 9 hill-hill, a final 4-on-4 play will set the scene for the dramatic conclusion.
Jennifer Chen has had an incredible career in billiards, attaining world fame through her accomplishments on the table, as well as public fame off the table becoming a national celebrity in her home country of Taiwan. She started her junior career off winning the China/Japan Pool Championship and then a year later won the prestigious US Open 14.1. She then won the Japan Open and then achieved world acclaim with a silver medal at the World 9-Ball Championship, helping her earn the Rookie of the Year in women's pool. A couple years later she was world ranked at #1, and had added 2 more gold medals for Taiwan in consecutive Asian Games. Chen also won the coveted Amway Cup World Open, making her all in all a serious component of experience and class for Team Asia.
"Jennifer Chen is one of the very few Asian women that has achieved an iconic status in billiards. She is going to be a solid foundation of experience for the younger Asians on the team", said Charlie Williams, former top American pro and Executive Producer of the AM8.com Queens Cup.
Off the green felt, Jennifer Chen became a mainstream celebrity with her model looks backed up by world class skills. She was in numerous TV shows, soap operas, magazines, and even had books published on her. Today, Chen is a business woman running her upscale billiards bar and restaurant called JC Billiards & Club in Shanghai, China.
The AM8.com Queens Cup will be broadcasted worldwide to very receptive audiences who loved the last one. This year predicts for an even bigger viewership for this highly entertaining and competitive event. Yahoo Sports writer Bob Guerrero described the event in his article "Queens Cup is a breath of fresh air for pool" .
The AM8.com Queens Cup brings a level of excitement and pressure never before seen in women's billiards. On April 16th, The Empresses of Pool Battle for Glory.
Jennifer Barretta – Photo courtesy of Eli Ceballos CryFoto.com
New York City- Eight players have survived the first day of single knockout. Six countries are left which are Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden, USA, and Canada. The pro tournament is the longest women's billiard event of any kind with 6 days of heavy pool action with a round robin event that evolves into a final single elimination chart where players will start out races to 10 in 10-Ball and eventually rise to races to 11,13, and 17 in the finals. All activities are taking place at Steinway Billiards Cafe and sponsored by Andy Cloth, J.Pechauer Cues , Viking Cues, Steinway Billiards. , Olhausen Balls, Pool & Billiard Magazine , the NAPL & Focused Apparel . Patron sponsors include Dr. Greg Diehl, Tom Gleich, and Dr. Michael Frank. Media partners include PKE Partners, IB Sports, NYC Grind, Gotham City Technologies, Nona Photography, and Charles Eames Photography. 7 days of live pool will be filmed and streamed by Inside Pool TV. Pay per view on www.Dragonpromotions.com for the live marquee matches Andy Cloth Women's International Pool Championship taking place December 16th-21st at the same venue.
The day was full of upsets with alot of damage coming from the qualifier winners. Arizona's Bernie Store had played in 2 qualifiers in California and Washington, losing in both. She received a wild card and has made good use of it with easily qualifying in her group with a huge win over top 3 American pro Jennifer Barretta of NY. "She played amazing against me. She made every tough shot", said Barretta. Bernie then moved on and knocked out Canadian top pro Veronique Menard 10-5 and then faced Hiroko Makiyama of Japan. Ironically, Makiyama defeated Bernie in the Los Angeles qualifier and though Store held an early 4-2 lead in the sweet sixteen, she succumbed to Makiyama 10-6. Still, a very well deserved 9th place at her first major pro event and getting some good cash as well!
On that note, Makiyama also was utilizing her free entry from her qualifier win and knocked out #6 seed Li Jia from China 10-7. She faces #1 seed Vivian Villarreal of TX, USA in today's quarter-finals. By far it's the biggest accomplishment of her career so far.
Another qualifier winner Naomi Williams of Canada continued her outstanding play with a hard fought 10-8 win over Tara Williams of Texas. Williams finishes 9th in the money which included her 10-4 dominant win over local pro Erin McManus of NY.
In the biggest marquee match of the day, Jennifer Barretta played her best match of the event so far with a huge win over fellow top ranking American Jeanete Lee. Barretta came out with a 2-0 lead, and though Lee tied it at 2-2, Barretta took over from there and ended with a 10-6 victory to move into the elite 8. " I couldn't find my break and kept scratching. You can't do that against Jen. She played good behind my errors and deserves it", said the Black Widow who ends the event at 9th place.
Ga Young Kim of Korea barely broke a sweat with 10-1 and 10-3 wins over USA's Samantha Barrett and Japan's Akiko Kitayama. Her roomie Vivian Villareal of Texas dismantled Jeannie Seaver of Florida 10-3 to move to the quarters as well.
The most thrilling match of the day came from two players who came the furthest away. New Zealand's Denise Wilkinson trailed Taiwan's Jennifer Chen the entire match and at one point was down 3-8. Chen took a bathroom break, and the young Denise sheepishly smiled and admitted good naturedly to some fans she wasn't playing so well. She got a bit of encouragement back, and before you know it Denise stormed back with 5 straight games to tie the match at 8-8! Chen was visibly rattled and could not take advantage of the open table and hooked herself on the 7-ball. She made a great 2 rail kick but Denise made a nerve racking length of the table 7-ball and ran out to take the 9-8 lead. Chen came back and held steady on a 10-ball combo to tie 9-9. In the final rack both players showed nerves especially when Chen missed a ball in hand! Safety play engaged with Chen the more experience player winning the exchange but missed a very makeable 4-Ball. A ray of hope for Chen when Denise snookered herself on the 5-Ball , but she made a terrific rail first to make it and completed a difficult and pressure pounding runout to the delight of her aunt and uncle who accompanied her on this long trip! Wilkinson plays in the final quarter finals today against Canadian champ Naomi Williams.
See all the brackets can be found and full schedule of play times at www.dragonpromotions.com
Action continues on Day 5 Single Elimination with this TV lineup that can be ordered on www.dragonpromotions.com
The Finals is scheduled for Sunday December 21 at 1:00pm. See right side buttons.
Day 5 TV Schedule Race to 11 Quarter Finals . Watch on www.dragonpromotions.com click 12/20 $15 for entire day
11:00am Vivian Villarreal USA vs Hiroko Makiyama JAPAN
Nathalie Seichter – Photo courtesy of Joe Gonzalez Photography
New York City- DDD-Day! Today is Do-or Die- Day as half the field will be cut as 32 women face elimination from the Andy Cloth Women's International Pool Championship . China, Russia, Canada, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Sweden and USA look strong to take top seedings into the final rounds of the event. The pro tournament is the longest women's billiard event of any kind with 6 days of heavy pool action with a round robin event that evolves into a final single elimination chart where players will start out races to 10 in 10-Ball and eventually rise to races to 11,13, and 17 in the finals. All activities are taking place at Steinway Billiards Cafe and sponsored by Andy Cloth, J.Pechauer Cues , Viking Cues, Steinway Billiards. , Olhausen Balls, Pool & Billiard Magazine , the NAPL & Focused Apparel . Patron sponsors include Dr. Greg Diehl, Tom Gleich, and Dr. Michael Frank. Media partners include PKE Partners, IB Sports, NYC Grind, Gotham City Technologies, Nona Photography, and Charles Eames Photography. 7 days of live pool will be filmed and streamed by Inside Pool TV. Pay per view on www.Dragonpromotions.com for $10 daily or $50 for the entire week for the upcoming Andy Cloth Women's International Pool Championship taking place December 16th-21st at the same venue.
Who's looking good:
Players looking to take the top seeds in their groups include Ga Young Kim (KOREA) the event's original #1 seed, she has been storming through her opponents in record time with the exception of local NY pro Erin McManus who gave the 3 times World Champion a tough match who only lost 4-6. McManus looks prime to take one of the top 4 spots in the group, and Florida's Jessica Barnes could take the 2nd spot. In other groups, Taiwan's Jennifer Chen, Russia's Anna Mazhirina, and USA's Vivian Villarreal remain undefeated. Florida's top player Jeannie Seaver, a qualifier winner, could steal her Group 5 as she also remains undefeated!
Maureen Seto could steal away the top spot in Group 2 from #2 event seed Jeanette Lee today. Seto controls her own destiny after she came from behind to defeat the Black Widow and has remained undefeated. Lee still looks safe to get through.
In danger:
Some notable players that are in do or die situations today that likely must win all their matches include:
She was the third woman to lay claim to the WPBA Masters title, following victories by Jasmin Ouschan in 2011 and Ewa Mataya Laurance in 2012. On February 9, after four days at the Soaring Eagle Resort in Mt. Pleasant, MI, Korea's Ga Young Kim became the event's first back-to-back champion, wending her way through a field of 48 and completing the title run, undefeated. She faced and defeated Ouschan in the semifinals and downed Kelly Fisher in the finals.
The fourth annual five-day event began on Wednesday, February 5, with an afternoon Kid's Clinic and an evening Charity Pro-Am, supporting the Notah Begay III Foundation. The event matches began on Thursday, and as had been done last year, the semifinal and final matches were broadcast live on ESPN3.
The 48 entrants began in a standard, double elimination format. When both the winners' side and losers' side bracket had worked down to their final two players, those four re-drew to play two semifinals and then, a final match. The double elimination phase of the tournament featured races to 9, while the semifinals and final match were races to 4; best two out of three, unless the score, after two matches, was tied, in which case, a single, sudden death rack was played to determine the winner. This format worked to the benefit of both Fisher in her semifinal match against Siming Chen and Kim's final match against Fisher.
Sixteen of the women were seeded at the start and awarded byes. Kim's path in defense of her title went through Jasmin Ouschan twice. After downing Maureen Seto and then, Vivian Villareal, Kim shut out Ouschan in her third round of play. Kim went on to defeat Karen Corr 9-5 to advance to her single elimination final against Ouschan, as Chen defeated Kim White-Newsome 9-1 to become the other winners' side semifinalist.
On the loss side, Ouschan went to work on a three-match winning streak, downing Melissa Little 9-5 and Line Kjorsvik 9-4, before eliminating White-Newsome 9-6 to earn a re-match against Kim. Fisher, who'd been sent to the losers' bracket by Ouschan 9-7 in the second round, fought back through Laura Smith, Villareal, Jennifer Chen and Brittany Bryant, before downing Karen Corr 9-4 to earn the last semifinal spot.
In the first of the two semifinal matches, which began at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Kim turned in a dominating performance to defeat Ouschan a second time. With a cascading series of uncharacteristic and literally, breath-taking errors, Ouschan failed to win a game in either four-game set. At a potential turning point in the second set (Kim ahead 2-0), Ouschan had a chance to make it 2-1, possibly allowing the momentum to shift, but she rattled the 9-ball into its pocket, giving Kim what proved to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
The semifinal match between Chen and Fisher was something of a 'rubber' match between them. They had faced each other twice in the Queen's Cup team event in the Philippines last November. Chen shut out Fisher in their first meeting and Chen returned the favor by shutting Fisher out in their second meeting. Team East would go on to defeat the Western squad and claim the first Queen's Cup title.
As they'd done in the Philippines, Chen and Fisher traded the first two sets of their Michigan matchup; Fisher taking the opener 4-2, and Chen winning four straight to win the second set 4-1. Rules dictated a lag for the sudden death break and it went to Chen, who promptly sank five balls on the break, and left herself with a dead straight shot at one of the balls left. She dropped it, sunk the 5-ball and 8-ball and lined up easily for the shot that would advance her to the finals against Ga Young Kim. And missed it, badly. Fisher stepped to the table and sunk the long table 9-ball to earn the shot against Kim.
Kim opened the final proceedings by dropping the 9-ball on the opening break, which led Fisher to examine the subsequent rack (to the accompaniment of spectator laughter). They fought to a 2-2 tie, before Kim finished it 4-2. Fisher got out ahead 3-1 in the second set, and though Kim would narrow the lead to a single game, Fisher would win 4-2, forcing a sudden death finish.
As she had done in her semifinal, sudden death match, Fisher lost the lag (prompting a colleague to comment that while Fisher's game was fine, her lag could use some work). Kim sunk a ball on the break, but ended up right on top of the 1-ball and had to play a safety. Fisher almost made a two-rail, cross-corner shot work, but the 1-ball fell about a half-inch short of the corner pocket.
Kim stepped to the table and dropped the hanging 1-ball. Though she would run the table from there, it was not without drama, as the rolling cue ball forced her out of position in shooting her second-to-last ball. Kim settled herself, sunk the ball and watched the cue ball travel three rails and give her a good look at the 9-ball. She dropped it to claim her second straight WPBA Masters title.
Fisher acknowledged to commentator Ewa Mataya Laurance that the loss was disappointing and odd that the championship had come down, more or less, to the sudden death lag.
"You try to forget about the unlucky things," Kim told Laurance, in reference to scratching on the break in the second set of the finals. "I think the Soaring Eagle is real lucky for me. It is not easy to win back to back in the same tournament, and this is only the second time I have ever done that."
"I am really, really, really happy," she added.
The semi-finals and finals can be viewed online at www.espn3.com for the next 30 days.
The WPBA Masters wraps up today at the Soaring Eagle Casino. The four players left to contest the title are Ga-Young Kim, Jasmin Ouschan, Siming Chen and Kelly Fisher. Ga-Young finds herself here via victories over Maureen Seto, Vivian Villareal, Jasmin Ouschan and Karen Corr.
Jasmin enjoyed wins over Janet Atwell and Kelly Fisher before Ga-Young sent her left. Once there she bested Melissa Little. Line Kjorsvik and Kim White-Newsome to gain entry to the final four.
Siming Chen has yet to taste defeat. She plays Sunday due to victories over Emily Duddy, Jeanette Lee, Melissa Little, Jennifer Chen and Kim White-Newsome. Kelly Fisher won over Kelly Cavanaugh before Jasmin Ouschan beat her but then once on the one-loss side she dominated her opponents with none able to score more than four racks against her. In these five matches she lost only 13 racks. These wins were over Laura Smith, Vivian Villarreal, Jennifer Chen, Brittany Bryant and Karen Corr.
Matchups today begin at 1 PM with Jasmin Ouschan playing Ga Young Kim. At 3 PM Siming Chen will face off against Kelly Fisher. You may watch these matches live on your computer at ESPN3.com.
Day three of the Ultimate 10-Ball Championships at Harrah's in Tunica, Mississippi kicks off today with the winner's side offering one feature matchup after another. For the ladies we find Allison Fisher facing Jai Li, Monica Webb against Karen Corr, Jennifer Chen will battle Line Kjoersvik and Jasmin Ouschan is staring across the table at Ga-Young Kim.
The tournament has been remarkably shy of hitches. Director Ken Shuman has kicked off every round on time and the players are enjoying the fact that they always know exactly where and when they play next as the times are pre-printed on the tournament chart. As soon as a match is finished they know how much time they have to rest before returning to the fray.
Today is moving day. Most of the field will be eliminated and no one is looking for that early ride home. This event has more added money than any other on American soil this year and along with the heavy cash comes gorgeous crystal trophies. This is the event to win this year. The players are positive, the fans are smiling and the room is heavy with an air of expectation. We will begin the final day tomorrow with only four ladies left in the field and only six men. Everyone else will find disappointment at some point today.
Come join us! You may follow the live scoring here and watch the live stream here. The live scoring lets you follow the action rack by rack and there are twin streams so you may watch a men's and a ladies match at the same time.
This tournament is only a start. By combining the men with the women under the same roof and inviting the industry of billiards to participate here it is the start of a new day where the game can once again begin to grow and prosper. The tournament group is taking giant strides to formulate a rebirth of the professional game with a growing calendar of events and blossoming purses. There are new events and venues to come, but for now just enjoy this event as it is produced with spectators in mind.
Our thanks go out to all of those who have contributed to the past history of the game and who are dedicated to elevating the sport. While this list is by no means complete we wish to tip our hat to Simonis Cloth, Predator Cues, Aramith Balls, Diamond Tables, Master Chalk, Lucasi Hybrid Cues, Tiger Products, Poison Cues, OB Cues, Seyberts, Viking Cues, the Super Billiards Expo, McDermott Cues, Fury Cues, the APA, and Mueller's Sporting Goods.
