A Legend Looks To Carry On

August 9th, 2013 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Karen Corr, photo courtesy Tai Chengze/top147.com

Hall of Famer Karen Corr Continues Her Comeback With Two Wins on Day 1

(Shenyang, China)–To say that Karen Corr is a big name in the sport of women’s professional pool would be quite the massive understatement. In a career spanning 13 years in the US, the native of Northern Ireland has won just about everything there is to win in pool, including  15 Classic Tour titles, four BCA Open titles, three WPBA National Championships and three Tournament of Champions titles. In 2012 Corr was rewarded for her accomplishments with the greatest accolade of them all; she was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America(BCA) Hall of Fame.

Corr, however, arrived in Shenyang, China this week for the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship practically unnoticed. In 2011 she stepped away from the game to care for her dying mother, who passed away in July of last year. Late last year, however, Corr decided to come back to pool.  And clearly she’s got plenty of the legendary fight left in her.

In her first match of the tournament on Day 1 here in Shenyang, Corr found herself up against the formidable Jasmine Ouschan of Austria. Down 6-3 in a race to 7, Corr pounced on several horrid mistakes by Ouschan, and ended up taking a miraculous win, 7-6.

Later, in a winner’s side match for a slot in the final 32 knockout stage, Corr looked rock solid and handily defeated Germany’s Ina Kaplan, 7-4.

Afterward, Corr explained how this tournament just might be her last go around in pool.

“I need a good result or that’s it,” the 42 year old said. “I’m going to retire from pool.”

Corr said she traveled to Shenyang on her own dime. With the tight economy back home combined with her time away from the game, she has found it near impossible to find any backing whatsoever.  The lack of playing opportunities hasn’t helped either.

“I think I’m going to have to find a real job.”

A good result, according to Corr, means nothing short of winning the World Championship this week. While her lengthy sabbatical would seem to mean her chances of taking the trophy are quite slim, Corr has had more than a little success in this event in the past. Four times she’s finished runner up in the World 9-ball Championship, the last in 2009, when she lost 9-5 to 16 year old Liu Shasha, after leading 5-1.

And then, of course, there’s that old saying, something about playing loose when nobody, even yourself, expects you to do anything.

“I have no expectations,” Corr said, “which I guess is a good thing.”

One who did come into this event with plenty of expectations was Corr’s first opponent today, Ouschan, who shockingly went two and out and will be flying back to Austria tomorrow. Ouschan’s quick exit, and how it happened, was easily the biggest story of the day inside the warm and humid Richgate Shopping Center.

After blowing her match against Corr, Ouschan came up against China’s formidable Bai Ge on the losers side. Ouschan played catch-up throughout the match and at 6-4 down it looked to be curtains as she scratched on the break. But then Bai incredibly blew a massively easy 9-ball to hand the Austrian a lifeline. At 6-5, Bai again choked on a run out and the score was tied at 6 all. After Bai scratched in the final rack, Ouschan was running the colors when she inexplicably bobble a fairly straight in 7 ball in the jaws and lost the match.

Most of pool’s other big names rolled through to the final 32 today. Defending champion Kelly Fisher didn’t look her championship best, but it was good enough to win two straight and start fresh in the knockout stage Saturday. She said the conditions were difficult to get used to.

“I’m playing good but I’m also making silly mistakes,” Fisher said. “I’m getting used to the conditions. It’s very hot out there. I have to get more control of the cue. I stepped it up here and there. I’m not thinking of repeating. I can’t get a better result than last year. I just take each match as it comes.”

World number 2 Liu Shasha of China won two straight to qualify, as did fellow Chinese and world number 3 Chen Siming. World number 4 and 2010 World 9-ball Champion, and last year’s runner up, Fu Xiaofang lost her first match to fellow Chinese Zhou Doudou. Fu bounced back with a solid 7-2 win over the USA’s Jennifer Baretta.

Fu will play on Friday for a spot in the final 32 against Hall of Famer, and four time winner of this event, Allison Fisher. Fisher lost her second match of the day against Singapore’s Charlene Chai, 7- 3.

China’s superstar and “Queen of 9-ball,” Pan Xiaoting, kept the home fans delighted as she won two straight matches on the TV table to reach the round of 32.

Another notable who qualified with two straight wins was Taiwans’s Chieh-Yu Chou. Chieh, who just won gold at the World Games in Columbia, was a semi-finalist here last year and is the currently number one player in Taiwan and world number 8. Her game looks unflappable and fans can expect to see her go far again this year.

Another popular player looking solid is Korea’s Ga Young Kim. Kim, who won two straight today to qualify, recently won the ladies division at the Ultimate 10-ball tournament in the US.  After routing fellow Korean Park Eunji 7-0, Kim said she is better prepared to win this year. Last year during this same event  she was in the middle of training for her appearance on Korea’s Dancing With the Stars. She actually flew in her dance partner to Shenyang to train four hours of dancing between matches. Without such distractions this year, and a recent win under her belt, Kim has to be one of the strong favorites to lift the trophy on Monday.

“I’d love to have another title,” she said.

Play continues on Saturday with the last rounds on the losers side of the brackets. The round of 32 single elimination knockout will also be played tomorrow leaving 16 players left at the end of play Saturday. Four players will be left afterSunday. The semi-finals and finals will be played on Monday.

The winner of the 2103 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000 while the runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $150,000.

*The World Pool-Billiard Association(WPA)  will be on hand in Shenyang throughout the week bringing you all the drama from the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship. WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner will be reporting from the Richgate Shopping Center with daily articles containing insight and analysis, as well as photos. Ted will also be manning the WPA Facebook page and Twitter feed and responding to fans queries and comments. Fans can also follow all matches via the WPA live scoring platform. 

Please visit the WPA Facebook page for the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship here;http://www.facebook.com/pages/2013-WPA-Womens-World-9-ball-Championship/360470447416060?ref=hl

Follow the WPA on Twitter:  @poolwpa

Visit the official website of the WPA at www.wpapool.com

*The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball will be held in Shenyang, China from August 6-12, and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association(WPA). 64 women players from across the globe will compete for the biggest prize in Women’s Pool. The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship is a WPA ranking event.

RESULTS FROM DAY 1

Group A
Kelly Fisher(GBR) 7 -0 Wendy Cook Berylin(NZL)
Wei Tzu Chein(TPE) 7 – 3 Hou Shu Wah(CHN)
Wang Xiaotong(CHN) 7 – 5 Angeline Magdalena Ticaalu(INA)
Chichiro Kawahara(JPN) 7-  1 Amanda Rahayu(INA)

Group B
Lai Hui Shan(TPE) 7 – 0 Mirjana Grujici(VEN)
Nouchi Masam(    ) 7 – 5 Caroline Roos(SWE)
Iris Ranola(PHL) 7- 5 Meenal Thakur(IND)
Chou Chieh-Yu(TPE) 7 – 0 Wu Zhi Ting(TPE)

Group C
Kim Ga Young(KOR) 7 – 6 Li Jia(CHN)
Park Eunji(KOR) 7 – 5 Lyndall Hulley(AUS)
Chen Xue(CHN) 7 – 6 Chang Chiung-Wen(TPE)
Lin Yuan-Chun(TPE) 7 – 4 Bi Zhuqing(CHN)

Group D
Allison Fisher(GBR) 7 – 4 Choi Sullip
Charlene Chai(SIN) 7 – 2 Susanna Booyens(RSA)
Chan Ya Ting(TPE) 7 – 3 Jennifer Barretta(USA)
Zhou Doudou(CHN) 7 – 5 Fu Xiaofang(CHN)

Group E
Chen Siming(CHN) 7 – 1 Ana Gradisnik(SLO)
Sone Kyoko(JPN) 7 – 5 Jung Bo Ra(KOR)
Wu Jing(CHN) 7 – 2 Rebecca Tsang(HKG)
Jennifer Vietz(GER) 7 – 5 Cha Yu Ram(KOR)

Group F
Gao Meng(CHN) 7 – 5 Rubelin Amit(PHL)
Pan Xiaoting(CHN) 7 – 0 Martine Christiansen(NOR)
Huang Yi Ting(TPE) 7 – 4 Taylor Meyer(AUS)
Tsai Pei Chen(TPE ) 7 – 2 Natalia Seroshtan(RUS)

Group G
Tan Ho-Yun(TPE) 7 – 4 Akimi Kajatani(JPN)
He Hsin Ju(CHN) 7 – 4 Brittany Bryant(CAN)
Ina Kaplan(GER) 7 – 5 Bai Ge(CHN)
Karen Corr(IRL) 7 – 6 Jasmin Ouschan(AUT)

Group H
Han Yu(CHN) 7 – 2 Cheung Pui Man(HKG)
Anna Mazhirina(RUS) 7 – 6 Jiang Teng(CHN)
Ine Helvik(NOR) 7 – 6 Severine Titaux(FRA)
Liu Shasha(CHN)  7 – 1 Lin Hsiao Chi(TPE)

Day 1, Losers Bracket
Loser is out, winner gets 1 more chance to qualify on Saturday

Group A
Hou Shu Wah(CHN) 7 – 0 Wendy Cook Berylin(NZL)
Angeline Magdalena Ticaalu(INA) 7 – 5  Amanda Rahayu(INA)

Group B
Caroline Roos(SWE) 7 – 4 Mirjana Grujici(VEN) 
Wu Zhi Ting(TPE)7 – 4  Meenal Thakur(IND)

Group C
Li Jia(CHN) 7 – 3 Lyndall Hulley(AUS
Bi Zhuqing(CHN) 7 – 4 Chang Chiung-Wen(TPE

Group D
Fu Xiaofang(CHN) 7 – 2 Jennifer Barretta(USA)
Choi Sullip(   ) 7 – 1  Susanna Booyens(RSA)

Group E
Cha Yu Ram(KOR) 7 – 0 Rebecca Tsang(HKG)
Jung Bo Ra(KOR)  7 – 5 Ana Gradisnik(SLO)

Group F
Rubelin Amit(PHL)7 – 3 Martine Christiansen(NOR)
Natalia Seroshtan(RUS) 7 – 3 Taylor Meyer(AUS)

Group G
Bai Ge(CHN) 7 – 6 Jasmin Ouschan(AUT)
Akimi Kajatani(JPN) 7 – 6 Brittany Bryant(CAN)

Group H
Cheung Pui Man(HKG) 7 – 0 Jiang Teng(CHN)
Lin Hsiao Chi(TPE) 7 – 0 Severine Titaux(FRA)
 

Winners Bracket, 2nd round
Winner goes thru to final 32, Loser goes to losers side of the bracket for one more chance to qualify on Saturday

Group A
Kelly Fisher(GBR) 7 – 4 Wei Tzu Chein(TPE)
Chichiro Kawahara(JPN) 7 – 5 Wang Xiaotong(CHN)

Group B
Chou Chieh-Yu(TPE) 7 – 5 Iris Ranola(PHL)
Nouchi Masami(JPN) 7 – 2 Lai Hui Shan(TPE)

Group C
Kim Ga Young(KOR) 7 – 0 Park Eunji(KOR)
Lin Yuan-Chun(TPE) 7 – 2 Chen Xue(CHN)

Group D
Charlene Chai(SIN) 7 – 3 Allison Fisher(GBR)
Chan Ya Ting(TPE) 7 – 5 Zhou Doudou(CHN)

Group E
Chen Siming(CHN) 7 – 1 Sone Kyoko(JPN)
Wu Jing(CHN) 7 – 1 Jennifer Vietz(GER)

Group F
Pan Xiaoting(CHN) 7 – 5 Gao Meng(CHN)
Tsai Pei Chen(TPE ) 7 – 2 Huang Yi Ting(TPE)

Group G
He Hsin Ju(CHN) 7 – 5 Tan Ho-Yun(TPE) 
Karen Corr(IRL) 7 – 4 Ina Kaplan(GER)

Group H
Han Yu(CHN) 7 -4 Anna Mazhirina(RUS)
Liu Shasha(CHN) 7 -3  Ine Helvik(NOR)

The Pageantry of Women’s Pool

August 9th, 2013 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Fu Xiofang, Liu Shasha, Pan Xiaoting, Allison Fisher, Ga Young Kim

As the 2013 Women's World 9-Ball Championship Begins in Shenyang, China, the organizers give the ladies a send-off fit for Queens.

(Shenyang, China)–Anyone who has ever been to any kind of event in China knows the importance that the Chinese place on ceremony.  Everyone, especially the organizers, and other local dignitaries who didn’t even have anything to do with  putting the event together, are all given their moment to shine, usually with long winded speeches that nobody listens to.  Guests are made to feel that they are about to get the keys to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Often times food is involved, lots of it, as well as copious amounts of alcoholic drink. Teenage girls in elaborate get-ups dance to some loud and catchy song. Throngs of rabid photographers swarm the event recording it all.

And so it was at the opening ceremony  of the 2013 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship on Thursday night inside the ultra-hip Richgate Shopping Center complex here in Shenyang.

For some reason, the organizers didn’t throw out the  succulent spread of Chinese delicacies. But as usual, they spared no effort in providing plenty of pomp and pageantry.

As teams of youngsters scurried about preparing the arena for the event, orchestral music filled the atrium, as dozens of photographers and hundreds of fans and onlookers waited for the event to begin. At one end of the mall, towering over a Star pool table, a giant LED screen flashed information about the event’s title sponsor, a giant construction company named the Guoao Group.

The festivities began with some sort of press conference. I say “some sort of” because in China, the press doesn’t really ask proper questions.  Any questions are usually giant “softballs” designed to let the person answering enumerate all the positives of the event and the people involved. Nothing controversial will ever be brought up.

After several minutes the chairs were pushed aside and the entertainment commenced. The theme for this year’s Women’s World 9-ball Championship is “All Stars” and “Shine 9-ball,” and the two phrases are plastered on every poster throughout the mall. Suddenly an all-girl band  appeared on the floor. They carried instruments like the violin, guitar, flute, keyboard, all wrapped in brightly colored blue LED lights. They wore knee-high leather boots, wide-frilly skirts, and had microphones attached to their cheeks.

The loud catchy music commenced and they girls went into action, dancing to the music, pretending to play their instruments. Right from the start it was obvious they were just miming as several of the instruments were clearly broken.  Still, the effect was pretty cool.

When the polite applause died down, it was time to bring on the main event of the evening. The introduction of the players. In one of the more bizarre juxtapositions one could find anywhere on the planet, the theme of the classic American western movie, The Magnificent Seven, filled the hall as the lady emcee brought out the players. And what an entrance it was.

There’s an escalator that descends straight into the atrium and the organizers had each of the players descend down the escalator as they were being introduced.  First up was defending champion Kelly Fisher of Great Britain.  As she slowly descended, a phalanx of photographers clicked away furiously down at the bottom. Kelly, clearly awed and delighted at the attention, waived and smiled. She then walked through the gauntlet of pool paparazzi, and posed next to the pool table, as camera flashes filled the air. Next she walked over to a wall that had been set up with a giant tournament poster. She signed a styrofoam star, then stuck the star onto one of the blank stars of the poster.(All Stars..get it?).  She then turned and posed for another wall of photographers. Finally she took her seat in the audience.

The big stars each got their own introduction and it was fashion and glamor straight down the line. China’s Fu Xiaofang stunned in an all black dress. Her close friend Liu Shasha elicited a few ooh and ahhs with a sporty new hairstyle and a colourful outfit. Many of the European players were dressed in their finest, this their one and only opportunity to shine like nowhere on else on earth.

Some of the biggest responses were given to Korea’s Ga Young Kim. With her dramatic looks and sense of flair, Kim is a total natural at this sort of thing. She just oozed glamor in her white strapless dress which the Chinese clearly went gaga over as she milked the cameras for every last ounce of publicity.

Another popular player was Korea’s Yu Ram Cha.  Yu Ram clearly has the look that Chinese fans adore; Petite, demur, regal and cute all wrapped up into one. One could say she has the look of a, well, China doll. The pool paparazzi simply went bonkers when she descended that escalator.

The biggest applause of the evening was reserved for the legend, Pan Xiaoting. Pan fits the bill for the Chinese public in every sense of the word. Pretty, demure, polite and a great player to boot.  She was the original pioneer in Chinese pool. Pan, known nationwide here as "the Queen of 9-ball," was the first Chinese player to win a world 9-ball Championship(2007).  She also spent a fair amount of time playing in the US.

The introduction phase when on for thirty minutes. I must point out that for the Chinese players, this type of kick off to a tournament is clearly par for the course. Pool in this country is considered a proper sport, backed by the government with real money and training no different than the gruelling training that gymnasts and swimmers go through. And why not? Pool is after all, under the Olympic umbrella. 

But for the foreign players in the event, being greeted in this grand fashion was obviously a wide-eyed experience that they won’t soon forget.  Outside of China, and perhaps the Philippines, pool is a sport often looked down upon by the powers that be and society at large.  Pool players are generally not even allowed into pool halls until they are 18 years old. 

These foreign players will never, ever be greeted by adoring fans and rabid photographers.  No matter that much of the adoration had nothing to do with their ability to play the sport at the top level.  That this was more akin to a fashion show, and a pageant didn’t matter one darn bit.  

“That was really nice,” said Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan of the introduction. “We don’t get treated like that anywhere else except here in China.”

*The 2013 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship gets underway August 9 at the Richgate Shopping Center in historical Shenyang, China.  The players will be divided into 8 groups of 8 players. They will play a double elimination format in the group stage, race to seven, alternate break. The top four players from each group will progress to the final 32, where the format will become single elimination knockout, race to 9, alternate break. The final, to be played on Monday August 12, will be a race to 11.

The winner of the 2103 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000 while the runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $150,000.

The World Pool-Billiard Association(WPA)  will be on hand in Shenyang throughout the week bringing you all the drama from the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship. WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner will be reporting from the Richgate Shopping Center with daily articles containing insight and analysis, as well as photos. Ted will also be manning the WPA Facebook page and Twitter feed and responding to fans queries and comments. Fans can also follow all matches via the WPA live scoring platform. 

Please visit the WPA Facebook page for the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship here; http://www.facebook.com/pages/2013-WPA-Womens-World-9-ball-Championship/360470447416060?ref=hl

Follow the WPA on Twitter:  @poolwpa

Visit the official website of the WPA at www.wpapool.com

*The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball will be held in Shenyang, China from August 6-12, and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association(WPA). 64 women players from across the globe will compete for the biggest prize in Women’s Pool. The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship is a WPA ranking event.

Photo courtesy of Tai Chengze/top147.com

Group A
Kelly Fisher(GBR)
Wendy Cook Berylin(NZL)
Wei Tzu Chein(TPE)
Angeline Magdalena Ticaalu(INA)
Wang Xiaotong(CHN)
Amanda Rahayu(INA)
Chichiro Kawahara(JPN)

Group B
Lai Hui Shan(TPE)
Mirjana Grujici(VEN)
Nouchi Masam(
Caroline Roos(SWE)
Iris Ranola(PHL)
Meenal Thakur(IND)
Wu Zhi Ting(TPE)
Chou Chieh-Yu(TPE)

Group C
Kim Ga Young(KOR)
Li Jia(CHN)
Lyndall Hulley(AUS)
Park Eunji(KOR)
Chang Chiung-Wen(TPE)
Chen Xue(CHN)
Bi Zhuqing(CHN)
Lin Yuan-Chun(TPE)

Group D
Allison Fisher(GBR)
Choi Sullip
Charlene Chai(SIN)
Susanna Booyens(RSA)
Jennifer Barretta(USA)
Chan Ya Ting(TPE)
Zhou Doudou(CHN)
Fu Xiaofang(CHN)

Group E
Chen Siming(CHN)
Ana Gradisnik(SLO)
Jung Bo Ra(KOR)
Sone Kyoko(JPN)
Rebecca Tsang(HKG)
Wu Jing(CHN)
Jennifer Vietz(GER)
Cha Yu Ram(KOR)

Group F
Rubelin Amit(PHL)
Gao Meng(CHN)
Martine Christiansen(NOR)
Pan Xiaoting(CHN)
Huang Yi Ting(TPE)
Taylor Meyer(AUS)
Natalia Seroshtan(RUS)
Tsai Pei Chen(TPE)

Group G
Tan Ho-Yun(TPE)
Akimi Kajatani(JPN)
Brittany Bryant(CAN)
He Hsin Ju(CHN)
Ina Kaplan(GER)
Bai Ge(CHN)
Karen Corr(IRL)
Jasmin Ouschan(AUT)

Group H
Han Yu(CHN)
Cheung Pui Man(HKG)
Anna Mazhirina(RUS)
Jiang Teng(CHN)
Ine Helvik(NOR)
Severine Titaux(FRA)
Lin Hsiao Chi(TPE)
Liu Shasha(CHN) 

Yu Ram Cha wins Amway Cup

March 7th, 2010 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Yu Ram Cha