Carlo Biado, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Ko Ping Chung, and Max Lechner are the final four at the 2022 US Open Pool Championship, Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City.
Defending champion Biado was quick out the blocks against Hsieh Chia Chen and he never looked back as he rattled in a mammoth whitewash win without real fluster. It was clear Hsieh was struggling at the table, Biado left it open for the first time at 4-0 only for Hsieh to miss the six and allow Biado to go 5-0 up. A 2-9 combo from Biado put him on the hill after Hsieh had a chance at the table only to be hooked when lining up the 2 for a combo on the 9. Biado’s celebrations were held off temporarily after he thought he’d made a golden break in the last rack only to scratch. Hsieh had his time at the table, but it wasn’t his day as Biado sealed an emphatic win. Biado takes on Sanchez Ruiz next.
Sanchez Ruiz went toe to toe with close friend Alexander Kazakis with the latter looking to join FSR in the automatic spots for the 2022 Mosconi Cup at Bally’s Las Vegas. Kazakis had the first scare in the third rack at 2-0 down when he rattled the nine down the rail and was fortunate to see it drop and avoid Sanchez Ruiz leading 3-0. The Greek continued to push back, and it was soon 3-3 and 5-5 with not much separating them. They went toe to toe at 7-7 before Sanchez Ruiz scratched early in the 15th rack. Kazakis was up swiftly to edge ahead again. In the next rack, Kazakis thought he’d made the five safe, but Sanchez Ruiz had other ideas as he made it in the middle pocket when kicking at it before clearing up in the following two racks to seal it 10-8.
Over on Table 1, Lechner was the first to book his place in the last four after seeing off a valiant Chris Melling. Lechner will appear in his first Matchroom event semi-final after a convincing 10-4 win over the Brit. Lechner was setting the early pace to win the opening rack before both got stuck in a deep safety battle around the table before a leveler at 1-1. Lechner from there found a gear and raced into a 5-1 lead to be five away from a slice of his own history as the first Austrian to ever reach the semi-finals of the US Open.
He was soon writing himself into the history books as he rallied up to a 9-3 lead. Melling did pull one back, but Lechner made his way through to jubilation.
Lechner: “First of all, it is the biggest relief in my life after messing up in multiple quarter-finals. This time, I beat the demons in my head, and I came through it. I played well. I had a few rolls. Chris is a great player. I like this break rule, it suits me. It’s every pool player’s dream to win this trophy, it would mean the world to me if I got it done tomorrow.”
The last quarter-final action to wrap up saw Kaçi fresh off the back of a dismantling of Joshua Filler 10-1 in the Last 16 against Ko Ping Chung, who was made to sweat by Finland’s rising star Jani Uski.
Ko was aiming to emulate Kevin Cheng‘s US Open triumph for Chinese Taipei whilst Kaçi was on the hunt to avenge his loss in the 2017 final against Jayson Shaw. It was Ko who took the early exchanges better than Kaçi who could perhaps be forgiven for his slow start at 3-1 down. Kaçi had his moments and trailed at 5-3 when back at the table to gather some steam and level at 5-5. Ko capitalised on Kaci’s miss on the eight ball in the next rack to make it 6-5 and soon 7-5 to be three away.
Kaçi looked out of sorts at 7-6 missing a seven that could’ve put him level and Ko did the rest to establish a two-rack buffer again. The Kaçi fightback continued though, and he levelled at 8-8. The final downfall for Kaçi was soon around the corner though, a long raking two rattled the pockets and popped out to give Ko the table and his opening to run to the finish line 10-8.
Ronnie Wiseman, Ray Hansen, Bogies Owner Cody Parish and Nick Varner
Thirty one players came from all over the country to Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar in Houston, TX for the 7th Annual Senior One Pocket Championship.
My favorite tournament of the year, I couldn’t wait to see my longtime friends. “Tall Jeff” Sparks stopped by on the first day as well as Keith Thompson, the 1970 Johnston City All-Around champ. Texas legend, Jerry Prado, was supposed to play in the tournament but had car trouble – he showed up for the last two days to see everyone anyway.
My friends Linda Martin, Samm Rubin, LoreeJon Ogonowski-Brown, Julie Mason-Comitini, Chris Fields, Kelly Isaac were there as well as Phil Windham, Carl Honey, Big Tyme’s Jim Henry, Todd Comitini, Bogie’s House Pro Roberto Gomez and Alex Calderon. The Taiwan contingent including Cheng Yu-hsuan (“Kevin Cheng”) and Chang Jung-lin was also in town making a pit stop before heading to Atlantic City for the US Open Pool Championship. There was even a little ten ball action between Roberto and Alex and a couple of the Taiwanese players after the finals on Sunday night.
Presented by PoolActionTV, Bogies Billiards, Aramith, Simonis, Diamond Billiard Products and the Fort Worth Billiards Superstore, owner Cody Parish & Manager John Rizzo welcomed players such as BCA and One Pocket Hall of Famer Nick Varner, James Christopher (“The Sniper”), Moises Pouncey (“Gabby”), Scott Kitto, Ronnie Wiseman (“Wise Guy”), “Jumpin’ Sammy Jones, Erman Bullard, “Tyler Bob” Valliere, Joey Aguzin (“Joey A”) and Robert Newkirk (“Newk”) to the fray.
Among several first time players were Perfect Pocketz’ Mark Gregory (“Mags”) and “Colonel Bille” Miller as well as the returning northern California contingent – Bob Beaulieu, Ed Neves, Lee Wallick and Al Markasky. Warren Ruth, Tad Sowa, Larry Landsman, Mark Dimmick, Jim McCary, Ronn Rutan, Gary Urinowski, Kent Berthelot, Bob Hayes, Wayne Catledge, Mike Hoyt, James Christensen and Louis Vickio rounded out the field.
The $3,000 added double elimination event had a $200 entry fee with races to 4/3 and alternate breaks. The player auction was pretty healthy with Wiseman going as the first blind bid and Varner the second. The auction was followed by the players meeting, the draw and one round of play.
Shaking off the rust and slicing through the top part of the bracket was Perfect Pocketz’ Mark Gregory. “Mags” is better known today for his beautiful restorations of the classic Brunswick Centennial and Anniversary tables as well as perhaps the best table mechanic on the planet. Mark sent both Al Markasky and Ronn Rutan west with identical 4-1 scores and skunked Warren Ruth 4-0.
Plowing through the other part of the bracket was Iowa native Scott Kitto – also known as “911.” Along with Mark Wilson and Jeff Carter, the trio dominated pool in the Midwest in the eighties. Scott blitzed both Gary Urinoski and Larry Landsman 4-zip and “Joey A” 4-2 before running into Gregory. Gregory made short work of Kitto – score 4-1. Scott headed for the scenic route while Mark locked up his seat in the hot seat match.
On a collision course in the upper part of the bottom bracket was the “Kentucky Colonel,” Nick Varner and Ronnie Wiseman. Player of the Year in 1980, 1982, 1989, 1994 and 1999, Nick is one of the best all-around players of all time with over one hundred career titles beginning with ACUI Collegiate National Championships (representing Purdue University) in 1969 and 1970, as well as back to back US Open Nine Ball titles. Nick has also won world titles in nine ball, eight ball, straight pool, one pocket and bank pool and has represented Team USA eight times at the Mosconi Cup – four times as the team captain.
Originally from Windsor, ON, Ronnie Wiseman made his debut at this event. Although Ronnie played in tournaments here and there – even winning a few including the 2005 Reno Open, the “Wise Guy” is considered to be one of the smartest – if not THE smartest – action guys in the pool biz.
Nick blitzed both Ed Neves and Sammy Jones 4-0 while Ronnie toasted “J-Tom Pilot” 4-1 and skunked “Colonel Bille” 4-0. In a match that was closer than the score indicated, Ronnie sent Nick west 4-2. His next match was Moises Pouncey – the legendary player with a silky stroke. He was tagged “Gabby” early in his career for standing like a statue – never saying a word. Gabby mowed down “Newk” 4-0 and edged out Mark Dimmick 4-3. His next match was Jim McCary – score 4-2. Ronnie then made short work of Gabby 4-1 and met Gregory in the hot seat match.
Mark took the first two games over Ronnie and was on his way to winning game three when he picked out two different shots out of the stack, fired them in and ended up frozen to another ball in both cases with no shot. Ronnie clawed his way back and won four in a row over his frustrated opponent and locked up his seat in the finals. Mark headed to the one loss side to await an opponent.
After losing his second match, Sammy Jones battled his former running mate, James Christopher, and escaped with a 3-2 win. He then ran through both Warren Ruth and Mark Dimmick 3-0 before running into Gabby. That one went down to the wire also and Gabby survived with a 3-2 win. Varner spanked both Ronn Rutan and Jim Tomassoni 3-0 and then outlasted Kitto in an eight hour marathon 3-2.
Returning the following day at noon, Nick ground out a 3-1 victory over Gabby. He finished in fourth place. Next up was Mark Gregory – he went down with a 3-0 pounding. Mark finished in third place.
Since this tournament was double elimination, Nick had to defeat Ronnie twice to win the event. This title has eluded Varner for the past few years and he wanted it badly but it was not to be. Wiseman moved out quickly winning the first two games. Back to the grind, Nick managed to take the next two and tie it up.2-2! Bearing down, Ronnie won the next and was on the hill. Methodically making one ball at a time, Nick stayed in the game – keeping it close. It looked like he was going to tie it up and then he scratched! Wiseman, needing one, leaped out of his chair and got down on the spot shot. He stood up and then got back down and rifled it in! Boom! And we had a new champion!
Congratulations to Ronnie for snapping off the title on his first attempt with his beautiful Steve Lomax custom cue! Great effort, Nick!
Once again, PoolActionTV.com would like to thank Bogies owner Cody Parish, Manager John Rizzo and their staff for making all of us feel so welcome.
We’d also like to thank our great fans and sponsors. Our sponsors include JB Cases, Aramith, Hanshew Jump Cues, Bogies Billiards, Lomax Custom Cues, Simonis, Diveney Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Durbin Custom Cues, the Action Palace of Dayton, OH and Fort Worth Billiards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX.
Our next event is the One Pocket Champion Challenge featuring Tony Chohan and Alex Pagulayan with $100,000 plus in the middle! Hosted by Buffalo’s Billiards in Jefferson, LA, the dates are October 19th-22nd. Hope to see you there!
If the first day’s play of the 2019 World 9-ball Championship is any indication–and by all measures it certainly is just that–then fans around the world better be prepared for a wild roller coaster ride over the next three days. Drama, upsets, nerves, revelations, suprises, excitement and downright brilliant 9-ball at the highest levels were all on display as play commenced in the 28th running of pool’s premier crown. And with a loaded field just getting warmed up, it’s only going to get better leading to the final on Tuesday.
With 64 matches played on 16 tables at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Day 1 saw 32 players book their spots in the final 64 knockout stage which begins Sunday. None of the 96 players have yet to see the exits, but there were plenty of upsets, near upsets, and upstarts making their mark on pool’s biggest stage.
The top 32 seeds were given a bye in the first round of their groups, so these players only had to win one match to reach the single elimination knockout rounds. Defending champion Joshua Filler of Germany did just that, but not before a shaky start which saw him tied at 4-4 in the race to 9 alternate break match against Qatari veteran Bashar Hussain. The World number one was never in trouble, though, and cruised to a 9-5 win.
2017 champion and runner up last year Carlo Biado of the Philippines didn’t fair as well as he got dumped over to the one loss side of his group with a shocking 9-3 loss to Chile’s Enrique Rojas. It was Rojas’ second straight victory of the day, the first coming over Kuwait’s Abdullah Alyusef. Rojas now books his well deserved spot in the Final 64 tomorrow.
The USA’s Shane Van Boening is one of the favorites here this week, but he looked a bit cold early on in his match with young talented Chinese player Xu Xiaocong. Xu is part of a large crop coming from China’s youth movement and he had the American down three quarters of the way through their match. But SVB pulled it together at the last minute and squeaked by the Chinese, 9-8. Xu will get one more chance on Sunday.
Fellow American and Mosconi teammate Billy Thorpe also booked his spot in the final 64 with a 9-5 win over Canada’s Stephen Holem.
It was a solid day for team Taiwan. World 10-ball Champion Ko Ping Chung went up against Myamar’s rising star Phone Myint Kyaw, who also goes by the moniker, Muang Muang. Kyaw is a player that pool fans will want to pay attention to. He’s a former snooker player who has been winning regularly on the brutally tough Chinese 8-ball circuit, and he just grabbed two gold medals in the Southeast Asian games in Manila. His stroke is one of the most solid in the game and anyone who watches him play instantly can see the potential in this young man.
But of course, Ko is a young prodigy who has already proven his metal in American pool with his recent win at the World 10-ball in July in Vegas. Little Ko didn’t have much trouble with Muang Muang, winning handily, 9-4.
Little Ko will join his older brother Pin Yi in the final 64, who defeated the always stingy Jalal Al Sarisi of Venezuela, 9-4. Other Taiwanese cruising into the final 64 include Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, and Kevin Cheng.
The Philippines is surprisingly unrepresented in Doha this year with only four players in the field. With Biado losing early it was up to Johann Chua and Jeffrey Ingacio to save the day for the Pinoys. Both looked the goods and nabbed spots in the final 64.
It was a mixed bag for the European Mosconio Cup team. Greece’s Alexander Kazakis is one of Europe’s top bets here this week and he qualified for the knockout round with an easy 9-5 win over Qatar’s Waleed Majid. But Albania’s Eklent Kaci and former World 9-ball Champion Niels Feijen of the Netherlands weren’t so fortunate. Kaci lost big to the Netherlands’ Ivar Saris, who had earlier looked solid in a 9-6 win over Poland’s Karol Skowerski. Feijen went down to upstart Hong Konger Yip Kin Ling, 9-7, who took his spot in the Final 64 with his second win of the day.
The surprises kept coming throughout the day. Lithuania’s Pijus Labutis first squeaked by Peru’s Gerson Martinez, 9-8. Then he took on former World 9-ball Champion Wu Jiaqing, and shocked the Chinese great with a 9-7 upset, and a spot in the knockout rounds.
Also booking a spot in the final 64 was Canada’s John Morra, who continued his return to fine form with a 9-8 win over Poland’s Mateusz Sniegocki. Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp showed that he’s clearly a dark horse to watch here in Doha with a 9-4 drubbing of China’s talented Dang Jinhu. England’s Chris Melling came back from 6-2 down to defeat Vietnam’s Do The Kien, 9-7. Also advancing today were Japan’s Naoyuki Oi, Austria’s Max Lechner, China’s Lui Haitao, Estonia’s Dennis Grabe, Finland’s Petri Makkonen, Germany’s Ralf Souquet, and Spaniards David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz.
Play on day 2 on Sunday, Dec. 14th will begin at 10am Doha time(GMT +3). The field will be whittled down to 64 players playing single elimination knockout race to 11. The round of 64 will be completed in the first two session, and by the end of the day, the field will be down to the final 32.
The winner of the 2019 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The total prize fund is $150,00.
*The 2019 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Qatar from December 10-17, 2019. The event is hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and is sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.
Fans around the world will be able to view live scoring, results, brackets and live streaming of many of the matches via the QBSF’s free live streaming platform at esnooker.pl. Multiple tables will be available to view online at no charge to the public.
A host of former US Open 9-Ball Champions are among the first players to have entered the 2020 event, which will take place at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center from April 13-18.
Germany’s Joshua Filler will bid to become only the fifth player to successfully defend the prestigious title. The World No.1 was imperious as he won the Barry Behrman Trophy for the first time in Vegas in April and if he takes his 2019 form into 2020 will undoubtedly be one of the favourites again.
The $375,000 event offers free entry to all previous champions and American greats like Earl Strickland and Shane Van Boening have already signed up. The pair share the record for having won five US Open 9-Ball titles and will be joined in Vegas by fellow American former champions Jeremy Jones, Corey Deuel, Gabe Owen and John Schmidt, who recently ran 626 balls to break Willie Mosconi’s 526 record.
Jayson Shaw lifted the trophy in 2017 and will look to win it back next year, while his fellow Brit Darren Appleton will be on the hunt for his third US Open 9-Ball success. Finland’s Mika Immonen completes the list of European former champions who will compete at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino next April.
Alex Pagulayan reached the quarter-finals of this year’s US Open 9-Ball and will have his eyes set on another deep run in 2020, while Kevin Cheng has also confirmed his place as he hunts for a second title.
Player entries for the 2020 Open 9-Ball Championship are open now at www.matchroompool.com. Player entry fees remain at $1,000 and former champions receive free entry to the event. After sold-out crowds, record TV ratings and a full field of 256 players for the 2019 US Open 9-Ball Championship, players are encouraged to enter the 2020 Championship early to avoid disappointment.
Prize money payouts will start from 97th place, with players reaching this stage receiving $1,000. Those who successfully progress from the double elimination stage will earn at least $5,000 with quarter-finalists taking home $7,750, semi-finalists earning $15,000 and the runner-up to be paid $30,000.
Spectator tickets for the 2020 US Open 9-Ball Championship will go on sale on Friday, September 13th with full details including pricing to be announced shortly.
The 2020 US Open 9-Ball Championship will be partnered by Diamond, who supply the Official Table; the cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc. Predator is the Official Cue of the event and Kamui are the Official Chalk and Tip.
The partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship continued on Monday as the 256-player field was trimmed to 64 while defending champion Jayson Shaw gave a masterclass in pool on the streaming feature table at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center, Las Vegas.
In one of the performances of the tournament so far, Shaw sent out an ominous warning to anybody set on taking his crown as he ran eight racks against Corey Deuel for an 11-1 win in which the Prince of Pool barely had an opening as fans around the world tuned in at facebook.com/USOpen9Ball.
Scotsman Shaw is one of 16 players now just a win away from a place in the single elimination stage of the tournament, which will be broadcast live on networks around the world including Sky Sports and DAZN from Wednesday.
Five players from Chinese Taipei are still on the winners’ side of the brackets, including brothers Ko-Pin Yi and Ko-Pin Chung while 2015 US Open winner Kevin Cheng remains standing on the losers’ side, where players now need to win four consecutive matches to qualify for the last 16.
American No.1 Shane Van Boening remains unbeaten and will take on Dennis Hatch for a place in the televised final stages of the event. Billy Thorpe is the third American player yet to taste defeat.
Wednesday’s decisive final day opens with a clash of two of the USA’s hottest young stars on the feature table, as Tyler Styer faces Justin Bergman on the losers’ side. By the end of tomorrow’s play the final 16 will be known and matches will move into the Diamond Arena on Thursday.
Play continues at 9am local time on Wednesday. The partypoker US Open is split into two stages with the full field playing double elimination down to the final 16 from Sunday, April 21 until Tuesday April 23. From Wednesday April 24 until Friday April 26 the final 16 players will play straight knockout in the Diamond Arena with global television coverage including Sky Sports and DAZN.
All matches at the partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship are race to 11, winner breaks, except the final which is race to 13. The draw and match schedule for the first stage of the tournament is available now at www.matchroompool.com.
Players are playing for their share of a $300,000 tournament purse. The winner will take home $50,000, the famous US Open green jacket and the newly-commissioned Barry Behrman trophy.
Tickets for the 43rd partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship are still available at www.matchroompool.com from as little as $10 with VIP packages also available for the final three days of the tournament.
The 43rd partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship broke off at Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas on Sunday as a 256-player field of the world’s elite pool players began their quest to land one of billiard’s biggest titles.
The reincarnation of one of pool’s oldest majors, now promoted by Matchroom Multi Sport, began at 9am with 33 tables breaking in unison. Among the first to move to the winners’ side of the tournament was reigning champion Jayson Shaw, who got his tournament off to the perfect start with an 11-0 dismantling of German Marcus Westen.
Later in the day Shaw defeated fellow Brit Tom Staveley while American No.1 Shane Van Boening is also still going on the winners’ side as is the tournament’s highest-ranked female player, Siming Chen of China.
But there were a wave of early casualties as seeded players including previous US Open Champions Mika Immonen and Kevin Cheng fell into the losers’ side of the tournament. World Pool Masters winner David Alcaide and Mosconi Cup winners Skyler Woodward and Tyler Styer also have just one life left in this double elimination format and must now win eight consecutive matches to make the last-16 stage of the event.
The tournament feature table, streamed live at Facebook.com/USOpen9Ball, ended with a classic between two American legends as Dennis Hatch and Earl Strickland battled out a hill-hill thriller before The Hatchetman delivered a decisive blow to knock ‘The Pearl’ over to the losers’ side of the brackets.
Play continues at 9am local time on Tuesday. The US Open is split into two stages with the full field playing double elimination down to the final 16 from Sunday, April 21 until Tuesday April 23. From Wednesday April 24 until Friday April 26 the final 16 players will play straight knockout in the Diamond Arena with global television coverage including Sky Sports and DAZN.
All matches at the partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship are race to 11, winner breaks, except the final which is race to 13. The draw and match schedule for the first stage of the tournament is available now at www.matchroompool.com.
Players are playing for their share of a $300,000 tournament purse. The winner will take home $50,000, the famous US Open green jacket and the newly-commissioned Barry Behrman trophy.
Tickets for the 43rd partypoker US Open 9-Ball Championship are still available at www.matchroompool.com from as little as $10 with VIP packages also available for the final three days of the tournament.
Taiwan’s Kevin Cheng captured the inaugural WPA Players Championship on Friday, storming back from the near dead to defeat the Philippines Carlo Biado, 12-11, in a thrilling final at Griffs Billiards in Las Vegas.
The victory capped a terrific week for the Taiwanese sharpshooter, who showed that not only is he one of pool’s hottest sharp shooters, but also that he is a resilient, never-say-die fighter that can grind it out with the best of them.
It was that trench warfare mentality that helped bring Cheng back from the dead, as he was down 8-5 in the race to 9 final and was sitting in his chair watching Biado clear for the title. It was only when the Filipino unexpectedly missed a 4-ball that Cheng felt a slight heartbeat. He proceeded to win the next four racks, and then slugged it out in a nervy 45 minute stretch with Biado in the win-by-two format, until the pair reached the limit of 11-11 all and played one rack for the title, which Cheng won.
The Taiwan-Philippines final seemed only fitting as the day began with two Taiwan-Philippine semi-finals. In the first semi, Cheng squared off with Johann Chua and quickly got out to a 4-1. But as he had done all week, Chua stormed back to tie the match at 4-4. The pair stayed even for the next few racks, until the Filipino made several mistakes that opened the door for Cheng. The Taiwanese then zeroed in on the finish line and won 9-6.
In the second semi-final Biado matched wits with the always daring Chang Yu Lung. Nothing much separated the pair for the first half of the match. But despite having several chances to take the lead, Chang seemed to run out of gas. That was all the always-focused Biado needed to build up a head of steam and win 9-6.
The race to 9, win-by-2 final was everything one would expect between two of the best not only of their respective countries, but in the entire world of professional pool. After splitting the first 8 racks, Biado upped his game and won the next two to lead 6-4. Cheng got one back, but then the Filipino showed off his amazing potting and cue ball skills to go up 7-5. Cheng looked to be on the back foot when he missed the 4-ball in the next frame, which allowed Biado to clear and move one away from the title.
And it certainly looked like it was all over in the next rack with the Filipino at the table and a fairly straight forward clear right in front of him. Until he missed the 4-ball in the side.
As expected, the entire match turned on that one miss, with Cheng suddenly playing loose and free, and Biado retreating into a shell and looking nervous. Indeed Cheng won the next five racks, including two break and runs, to go up 9-8.
But Biado isn’t the World #3 ranked player for nothing, and he stormed back to take the next two to lead 10-9 and move one away from victory again. The pool gods, though, conspired against the Filipino as he broke dry in the next frame and allowed Cheng to clear to tie at 10-10.
Cheng inched closer in the next frame after winning a safety battle. But in the next rack, the Taiwanese left a safe open, and Biado cleaned up the colors. Tied at 11-11, the match and the title went to a one rack decider.
Biado won the lag, and the pair had a brief fight over the 2-ball until Cheng was left with a very difficult positional play, which he made. He had several nervy and difficult shots left before the last three balls opened up. The title, and $10,000, was soon his.
“When I was down 8-5 and he is shooting at an open table, I already know that I’m going to lose,” a relieved and delighted Cheng said afterward. “Then when he missed that 4-ball, I can play without stress and I played really good.
“The last few racks were very difficult and that’s when I got nervous again. I think I got lucky, but I also hit some very good shots at the end to take the match and the tournament.
“Overall, I’m very happy with the way I played this week. It was a great tournament, with a great field, and this gives me a lot confidence heading in the US Open.”
The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events. It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom. For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com.
CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool Leagueand USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
The WPA Players Championship is made possible by the following sponsors:
Andy Billiard Cloth • Cyclop Balls • Diamond • Griff’s Billiards • HOW Tips • Predator • Master Billiard Chalk
Any discussion by pool fans about which countries produce the world’s very best players will invariably find the Philippines and Taiwan at the top of the list. And this week in Las Vegas, not surprisingly, those arguments came through loud and very clear.
After three days featuring the very best pool players from all corners of the globe, the 64 player field at the inaugural WPA Players Championship has been whittled down to four, with both race to 9 semi-finals on Friday at Griffs Billiards in Vegas featuring the Philippines vs. Taiwan.
In one semi-final the Philippines’ Carlo Biado, the 2017 World 9-ball Champion, will square off against Taiwan’s Chang Yu Lung. In the other semi-final, the Philippines Johann Chua will match wits against Taiwan’s Kevin Cheng, who captured the 2015 US Open.
All four players put in wonderful performances today, each winning two matches to advance to the semis. The Philippines Chua has been living on a high wire all week and has managed to survive and tell the tale. After storming back from 6-2 down in the round of 32 against two-time world champion Mika Immonen, Chua pulled another fast one in the round of 16 today in his match versus Greece’s Nick Malaj. Chua found himself down 6-3 in the race to 7, alternate break match but tied the score at 6 to force an overtime. In the win by two format Malaj lead 7-6, 8-7 and 9-8 before a stingy Chua finally caught up. Chua took the nervy sudden death rack to advance, 10-9.
Chua finally had a chance to catch his breath in his quarters match against Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang. The Filipino was never really challenged and won, 7-3.
Chua will now face Taiwan’s Kevin Chang, who has looked impervious this week. Chang first came back from a 4-1 deficit to the USA’s Shaun Wilkie to win 7-4. He then dueled with defending US Open champ Jayson Shaw in the quarters. The match was even through 5 before Cheng stepped on the gas and closed it out, 7-5.
In the round of 16, Biado, who is ranked world number 3, had to go into extra time to take down Taiwan veteran, Yang Ching Shun, 8-6. In the quarters Biado met up with the USA’s Shane Van Boening, who had, up to this point, looked like he had plans on lifting the trophy on Friday. The match was tight early, but Biado was just too focused and too sharp. The Filipino star made some nervy clearances on the way to a convincing 7-4 win.
Biado’s semis opponent will be Chang, who put in two rock solid efforts this afternoon. In the round of 16, the Taiwanese veteran had to go extra innings before outlasting the Philippines latest hot shot, James Aranas, 8-6. In the quarterfinals, Chang outpaced hall of famer Ralf Souquet, 7-5, to advance to the semis.
The first race to 9, alternate break semi final between Johann Chua and Kevin Chang will begin at 12 noon Vegas time. The second semi-final between Carlo Biado and Chang Yu Lung begins at 2pm. The race to 9, alternate break final will take place at 6pm.
The entire event is being streamed live by CSI media, a division of CueSports International (CSI). The production, complete with full-time commentary led by former World 8-Ball Champion, Karl Boyes, begins each day at noon pacific time. To watch live, visit www.playcsipool.com/watch-live.
The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events. It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom. For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com.
CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool Leagueand USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
The WPA Players Championship is made possible by the following sponsors:
Andy Billiard Cloth • Cyclop Balls • Diamond • Griff’s Billiards • HOW Tips • Predator • Master Billiard Chalk
The Philippines' Johann Chua pretty much knew his run in the WPA Players Championship was over. Playing in a round of 32 match against Hall of Famer Mika Immonen and down 6-2 in a race to 7 alternate break match, there was little chance for the talented Filipino to come back.
But the pool gods started to conspire against the great Finn, and Chua slowly clawed his way into contention. As that happened, Immonen clearly began to lose his composure, which only imbued the Filipino with confidence. Chua tied the match at 6, sending proceedings into overtime, where he won the next two to advance 8-6.
“I saw him getting frustrated when I started to come back and that gave me a lot of confidence,” a relieved Chua said afterward. “Once he started to miss and give up the table, I knew I was back in the match. I’m very happy to advance.”
As 16 pool stars moved on at Griffs Billiards in Vegas, and 16 others got the boot, the WPA Players Championship moved to the business end for the final two days. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be held on Thursday, with the semis and finals being contested on Friday.
The Philippine contingent continued to impress in the $65,000 event. 2017 WPA World 9-ball champion Carlo Biado dueled with the USA’s Skylar Woodward, with the pair of stars splitting the first 10 racks. Biado then took advantage of a lucky safe and advanced with a 7-5 win.
“I got lucky,” Biado said, echoing the favorite line of the always humble Filipino greats. But as he well knew in this case, he wasn’t just being polite.
Hot shooting 26 year old James Aranas and Raymond Faroun also won, giving Filipinos 25% of the spots in the final 16.
The USA’s Shaun Wilkie continued to impress with his second straight convincing victory today. Wilkie took down Japan’s Toru Kuribayashi 7-5 to grab a spot in the final 16. The only other American to take his place in the final 16 was Shane Van Boening, after a 7-5 win over Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk.
The Taiwanese contingent equaled that of their neighbors in east Asia as four Taiwan players advanced to the final 16. Kevin Cheng, Ko Ping Chung, Chang Yu Lung and veteran Yang Ching Shun all won their round of 32 matches.
Scotland’s Jayson Shaw put in another convincing performance, taking down the Philippines Jeff de Luna, 7-2. Albania’s Elkent Kaci went toe to toe with New Zealand’s resurgent Matt Edwards, before pulling away for a 7-5 win. Greece’s Nick Malaj and hall of famer Ralf Souquet also advanced.
Play in the WPA Players Championship continues on Thursday at 12 noon local time.
The format will be single elimination race to 7 (win by 2), with the semi-final and final being a race to 9 (win by 2).
The entire event is being streamed live by CSI media, a division of CueSports International (CSI). The production, complete with full-time commentary led by former World 8-Ball Champion, Karl Boyes, begins each day at noon pacific time. To watch live, visit www.playcsipool.com/watch-live.
The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events. It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom. For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com.
CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool Leagueand USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
The WPA Players Championship is made possible by the following sponsors:
Andy Billiard Cloth • Cyclop Balls • Diamond • Griff’s Billiards • HOW Tips • Predator • Master Billiard Chalk
Francisco Bustamante – Photo courtesy of Dave Thomson (Mediumpool.com)
Derby City Classic XXI, January 25 – February 2nd, 2019
LIVE from the Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino, Elizabeth IN.
DIAMOND DCC ONE POCKET CHAMPIONSHIP
RACE to 3. $12,000, $6,000, $3300.
410 entrants are now culled to ONE!
In the final moments of the Derby City Classic One-Pocket Championship, Francisco Bustamante, down zero to two to the courageous Corey Deuel, manifested true grit, and sustained stamina as his never-say-die attitude drove the last ball into his pocket.
The 55-year-old veteran, in his 8th day of the Derby City Classic’s brutal dawn to dawn schedule, now sits atop the leader board in his search for back-to-back All-Around Champion titles…and the additional $20,000 bonus money!
Corey Deuel had an extraordinary day. Not only did he defeat Shane Van Boening and Alex Pagulayan, with three players left he, luckily, drew the bye. That left a Pagulayan – Bustamante semifinal.
The day had begun with 7 men, mostly, of equal caliber in search of the title. Pagulayan, still undefeated, had two lives. Van Boening, Bustamante, Deuel, Gomez, Gorst, and Orcollo had one.
First, Alex gutted Gomez. Then, Corey equalized Alex obliterating the first of his lives.
Meanwhile, Orcollo got Gorst, only to run afoul of Francisco. That left 3.
In the, aforementioned, semifinal round draw, Corey scored the bye leaving Bustey to face, and ultimately eliminate, Alex.
In the finals, Bustamante’s performance was sublime, even exhilarating. At 2-zero, Corey’s crafty, creative, aggressive cue ball, finally, derailed and left Francisco an opening. Bustey ran a mesmerizing 8 and out.
At 2-1, it was Corey’s break. It was now Bustey’s turn to get creative. With a blistering bank that, intentionally, kissed off a ball into his pocket, Bustey had the audience in awe as he ran another 8 and out. 2-2.
Game 5, the decider: Bustey’s break. Deuel took a timeout.
Recomposed, he approached the table. His attempt at a safe ran a little too far leaving Francisco the finest of cuts into his pocket.
It wobbled back and forth before falling into his pocket. Fortune didn’t favor the brave. He had nothing.
He played safe…he thought. With the courage and foresight that only Corey would adopt in such a foray, he attacked. Out of nowhere, a ball fell in his hole.
He can’t believe it, with the spheres spread far and wide, he too, is left safe. He pocketed a ball to be repotted while sending whitey, safely, towards his opponent’s hole. It rolled high leaving Bustey a sliver of a shot. The ball fell.
His confidence now in full bore. Failure wasn’t an option. With unwavering focus and calm determination, his indomitable spirit rose to the occasion. All Deuel could do is wonder what could have been as, ball by ball, the title slipped away.
But wait, there’s hope. Needing one ball, Bustey’s bust into the cluster didn’t leave a direct shot to his pocket.
Formerly slumped, Corey now sat erect in his seat.
Francisco scanned his options. The remaining balls were openly available to his opponent’s pocket. One error here, and Deuel was more than capable of running out the rack…and stealing the title.
Bustey espied a bank, a long, slow trickle towards his corner and, if it didn’t fall, Corey would be left safe.
At a snail’s pace, the orb slowly rolled, and rolled, and rolled. Francisco, animate now, talking to it, “Come, come,” coaxing it along until, on its last revolution, it finally dropped.
The arena was a madhouse. Screams, and yells, and a’hollerin’ roar to the rafters. Deuel, devastated, yet graciously accepted Bustey’s high-five.
Thank you Accu-Stats. This one’s a keeper.
After the $12,000 check presentation, Bustey was immediately rushed to a 9-Ball match with Shawn Murphy. No rest for the victorious. That’s the Derby.
DIAMOND DCC 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
407 entrants; Another attendance record broken!
Race to 9. 3 balls, minus those pocketed, must make the kitchen on the break.
With his One-Pocket win, Bustamante leapt into the lead. Billy Thorpe, Omar Al Shaheen, Deuel, Orcollo, and Woodward are hot on the trail.
Earlier in the event, Francisco, had been beaten by Mika. To maintain his Master of the Table points, at all costs, Bustey must protect that life. One ball at a time, one ball at a time.
The-19-year old, Fedor Gorst had a 6-0 intimidating lead over Banks Champ Billy Thorpe. Billy adopting full combat mode, battled back to tie. But, to no avail. Fedor advanced.
Jung-Lin Chang ran into Neils Feijen in fine form, too fine a form. Then, the jousting Josh Roberts put the BIG Foot 10-Ball Champ out of his misery.
Bobby Hunter had an interesting encounter with Tony Chohan. Fresh from One Pocket, Tony hadn’t quite found his 9-Ball stroke and was missing makeable balls.
Bobby put a 3 pack on him. Tony, despondent, disinterested, unscrewed his shaft and muttering that he had better things to do, places to go, people to see, left the arena. Bobby moved on.
Mike Dechaine put Alex Pagulayan in the one loss division.
Poland’s best, Konrad Juszczyszyn, down 5-7, showed Shane he’s no slouch. When ahead 8-7, and breaking, Shane didn’t get out.
Konrad, manifesting the pattern skills that had won him the 2017 American Straight Pool Championship, was fazed as they fought for control of the cue-ball.
Shane, not quite as sharp as usual–it’s day 8 remember–gave Konrad opportunity. Maintaining the poise of a champion Konrad had SVB fedexed to the buyback booth.
You can be sure of one thing, Shane will get some sleep tonight. Like all true professional athletes, he is driven to win.
Much more to come.
View the remaining matches at accu-stats.com
THE DCC Friday Night BANKS RING GAME
The most boisterous Bank Pool Party on earth attracted Billy Thorpe, Skyler Woodward, Shane Van Boening, Jayson Shaw, Neal Jacobs and Mike Delawder in the winner-take-all funfest.
Warming up at 50 bucks a ball, not so surprisingly, Delawder then Jacobs were the soon to falter. Surprisingly, SVB was next to go bust.
Skyler strung enough to leave Shaw, ALL IN, with a lonely c-note. Sky bounced a few more, and bye, bye Jayson.
He and Billy had garnered $6k apiece. Skyler, still in revenge mode from their Banks encounter, with extraordinary skill, in one inning, ran out the balls ’til Thorpe ran out of cash. All Billy could do was smile.
Sky, on cloud 9, walked away with that wry grin, and the 12 large.
THE DIAMOND STRAIGHT POOL CHALLENGE
The final Draw:
Neils Feijen 125, Joshua Filler 56
Immonen 125, Schmidt 26
Melling vs. Van Boening
Orcollo vs. Corteza
The 6 remaining contenders are finding time between their 9-Ball schedule to finish the 14.1 tournament.
Accu-Stats thanks its Arena Sponsors: Diamond Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Cyclop Balls, Cuetec Cues, Lucasi Custom, MEZZ Cues, McDermott Cues, National Billiard Academy, and Samsara Cues.
