Pro9 - Europe's No.1 Pool Player Resource

Kappa 2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championships
Shenyang Jianzhu University Sport Center
Hunnan East Road
Hunnan New District
Shenyang
China
www.wpa-pool.com
www.my147.com (In Chinese)
Download: WW9BC Double Elimination Brackets - Small 35Kb .xls file (Final)
Download: WW9BC Single Elimination Brackets - Small 20Kb .xls file (Final)

16-22 November 2009

New World Champion - Liu Shasha from China is only 16 years old.
Photograph used with permission courtesy of Michael Neumann.
2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship

The pool world has a new World Champion and she is only 16 years old. Liu Shasha of China has defeated Karen Corr of Great Britain 9-5 to claim the title and set her career in motion in grand style.

"Read More..." for the details.

16 year old Liu Shasha from China.
When the last day of the Kappa 2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship in Shengyang, China began there were four undefeated players all seeking the same prize. The two semi-final matches could not have been closer. First, Karen Corr defeated Fu Xiofang of China 9-8 to earn her berth n the final set. Then Liu Shasha edged her fellow Chinese citizen Pan Xiaotang by the same 9-8 margin to get her ticket punched for the honor of playing Corr in the finals.

Fu Xiaofang - China.
Before the final match a playoff was held between Pan Xiaotang and Xiaofang to determine our third place finisher. Pan controlled this match throughout and took that spot with a very convincing 9-1 victory. Then a crowd of over 1,000 very excited fans took their seats to watch the final battle.

Runner-up, Karen Corr - Northern Ireland.
It appeared that Corr would walk away with the title. She was the master of the table early on and rarely gave Shasha a glimpse of daylight. At one point she led our race to nine games by the score of 5-1. Shasha was obviously nervous and off her game. But then, assuming that she had to be aggressive to have a chance at victory, she put her nerves down and began her march. She won the next game to make the score 5-2, then broke and ran five racks in a row to lead 7-5. The penultimate rack had a bit of back and forth but Shasha won that as well and then on the final break she made four balls on the snap and easily made the clearance to take her 6th break and run of the match and earn the gold!

Congratulations to our youthful champion and to all of the organizers who worked so hard to make this event a grand success. Every detail was handled with care and the event ran as smoothly as any ever witnessed.

The thousand-strong crowd watching the final in Shenyang.

Day 4 - Field Reduced to Final Four in China

Yu Ram Cha - Korea.
2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship

Two rounds were completed on Saturday at the Kappa 209 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship. In the first round the field was reduced from sixteen players to eight. This round found number one seed Chou Chieh-Yu (CHN) upset 9-4 by Zhou Doudou (CHN) and Allison Fisher (GBR) eliminated from the field 9-8 by Chen Xue (CHN). The top-bracket action also found Fu Xiafang (CHN) beating Han Fang (CHN) 9-8 and Karen Corr (GBR) rolling over Tsai Pei Chen (TPE) 9-3, making Ms. COrr the only western player to survive into the round of the great eight.

Gerda Hofstatter - Austria.

Liu Shin-Mei - Taipei.
The bottom bracket found crowd favorite Pan Xiaoting ((CHN) defeating qualifier Gao Meng (CHN) 9-4, Korean powerhouse Yu Ram Cha beating Gao Shu Pin (TPE) 9-3, Liu Shasha (CHN) getting by Chen Siming (CHN) 9-7 and former world champion Liu Shin-Mei ((TPE) progressing 9-5 over Gerda Hofstatter (AUT).

The round of the great eight began with five Chinese players still in the mix, an incredible feat for the representatives of the host nation. But Karen Corr kept western hopes alive as she defeated Zhou DouDou (9-3) to make the final four. She is joined in the elite group by Fu Xiofang, who easily escaped Chen Xue 9-2. The last two slots are filled by Pan Xiaoting with her victory over Yu Ram Cha (9-4) and Liu Shasha who steamrolled Liu Shin-Mei 9-1.

Sunday will find a single victor.

Day 3 - Asians Take Control in Kappa Women�s World 9-Ball Championship!

Yu Ram Cha - Korea.
2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship

The power of the Asian pool-playing contingent has surged to the forefront of the Kappa 2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship. Now in the single-elimination knockout stage, our field of 32 players has tonight been reduced to 16. Of these 16, 13 hail either from Taipei, China, or Korea. Indeed, only Karen Corr (GBR) seemed to be able to withstand the Asian onslaught when she defeated C Z H Charlene of Singapore 9-3.

For the most part, the victories tonight were not even close, with domination being the theme of the evening. Number one seed Chou Chieh-Yu (TPE) rolled over Liu Jia (CHN) 9-1 and Chen Xue (CHN) bested Liz Ford (USA) 9-4. Allison Fisher (GBR) lived up to her billing with the 9-0 destruction of Brittany Bryant (CAN). Pan Xiaoting (CHN) ruled Keiko Yukawa (JPN) 9-3, You Ram Cha (KOR) continued her strong year by beating Chang Su-Han (TPE) 9-4, Chen Siming (CHN) ran past Akimi Kajatani (JPN) 9-3, Liu Shasha (CHN) defeated Tamara Rademakers (NED) 9-4 and Gerda Hofstatter (AUT) ended the tournament for Johana Espinoza (VEN) 9-4.

The next round on Saturday will bring our field down to the Great Eight. It will be interesting to see how the dominating players of Friday when pared against one another. Will domination continue or will close play be the call of the day? We will bring you the news of these rounds as soon as they reach fruition.

Day Two of the Kappa 2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship

The Opening Ceremony and Photo Call.
2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship

The qualifying rounds are over and the main event has begun at the sports complex of the Shenyang Jianzhu University in Shenyang. The day was highlighted by the Grand Opening ceremony where local government and sports officials welcomed the players and fans to the event.

The venue here at the university is very well suited for the competition. The tables are all located well beneath the main seating area so that the fans have a great view of several tables at once. There is also a separate television arena and the event is being broadcast live throughout China.

We are, of course, still very early in the event but there have been some surprising exits made already. Among notables who have been knocked out of the tournament are Julie Kelly of the USA, Yukiko Oui of Japan, Pang Xueling of China, and Angel Paglia of the USA.

The Opening Ceremony Hostesses.

The Playing Arena in Shenyang, China.
The knockouts will come in earnest tomorrow as more of the one-loss rounds progress. This stage of the tournament is a double elimination group stage with eight players in each group. Of those eight only four of each group will survive to make it into the final stage which will be a single-elimination format of thirty-two players. Eight players have already made it through to the single-elimination stage. Karen Corr, Pan Xiaoting, Chen Xue, Liu Shasha, Chou Chieh-Yu, Sarah Rousey, Gao Shu-Pin and Jasmin Ouschan have completed their initial task.

Live internet streaming of the event is found at www.my147.com and the brackets may be found at www.wpa-pool.com. They are updated after each round so it is very easy to follow the progress of your favorite players.

Opening Day at the Kappa 2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship

The Press Conference and Player's Meeting started the day in China.
2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship

Our first day at the Kappa 2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championships began with a press conference. Local officials welcomed the players to the tournament. A briefing was given on the number of players (64) and the qualifying stages and an explanation of when the players meeting and draw would be held. Sponsors were recognized and thanked for their contribution to the event. We were also informed as to the massive participation of the Chinese media in this event with newspapers, magazines, television and radio all participating in the coverage.

In addition to the large staff responsible for carrying out the event, it was also announced that 40 volunteers were chosen to assist in these efforts. After the government officials made their welcomes the General Manager of our title sponsor, Kappa Sportswear, also made a welcoming address and spoke of how pleased they were to be associated with such a prestigious undertaking.

The Dignitaries Table at the Welcoming Banquet
WPA President Ian Anderson then expressed his gratitude to everyone involved in the event and his pleasure that the event has been presented in a first-class order. He specifically thanked everyone for the skill of the referees, the quality of the equipment and the beauty of the venue. He also spoke of how he looked forward to returning to Shengyeng next year.

Next was the player�s meeting. The head referee took the floor first and explained the format of the event. He explained that there would be 8 players seeded into the eight initial groups. These players, chosen by their WPA rank, will be joined by 7 other players in each group and the 8 groups will play a double-elimination format to get down to the final 32. Two losers and two winners from each group of eight will pass through to the final stage. These 32 players will then play a standard single-elimination tournament to determine our champion. All of the rules were explained in detail so that there could be no question as to how the event would be run.

The Welcoming Banquet.
Then it was off to the grand welcoming banquet. 250 players and honored guests were feted to a massive 20-course meal that left no appetite unsatisfied. Gymnasts entertained the crowd as they ate. It must be said, this was a magnificent opening to what portends to be an event that will be difficult for others to match.

Kappa 2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship
The Group Stage
Group 1 Karen Corr (GBR) Wu Jing (CHN) Melissa Rademakers (NED) Anil Emete (NTC) Liz Ford (USA) Tsai Pei Chen (TPE) Chicoro Kawahara (JPN) Pan Xiaoting (CHN)	Group 2 Brittany Bryant (CAN) Zhu Shuming (CHN) Chen Xue (CHN) Lin Yuan-Chun (TPE) Yukiko Oui (JPN) iu Shasha (CHN) Han Yu (CHN) Kim Ga Young (KOR)
Group 3 Chou Chieh-Yu (TPE) Miyuki Fuke (JPN) You Binsheng (CHN) Tamara Rademakers (NED) Sabrina Naverschnigg (AUT) Sarah Rousey (USA) Gao Meng (CHN) Pang Xueling (CHN)	Group 4 Hynu Ji Won (KOR) Gao Shu-Pin (TPE) Keiko Yukawa (JPN) Angeline M. Ticoabu (INA) Erin McManus (USA) Nicole Keeney (USA) Lyndall Hulley (AUS) Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
Group 5 Liu Shin-Mei (TPE) Fanny Lestari (INA) Naomi Williams (CAN) Susana Barrera (CHI) Julie Kelly (USA) Chen Siming (CHN) Zhou Doudou (CHN) Fu Xiaofang (CHN)	Group 6 Veronika Hubrtova (CZE) Ren Qiuyue (CHN) Ram Cha Yu (KOR) Kynthia Orfanidis (NED) Angel Paglia (USA) Han Fang (CHN) Chang Su-Han (TPE) Akimi Kajatani (JPN)
Group 7 Allison Fisher (GBR) Chai Zest Huey Charlene (SIN) Johana Espinoza (VEN) Jeanette V D Ejickel (NED) Gerda Hofstatter (AUT) Handan Karadag (TUR) Letitia Oelofse (RSA) Amanda Steyn (RSA)	Group 8 Esther Kwan Suet Yee (MAS) Liu Jia (CHN) Ine Helvik (NOR) Suhana Dewi binti Sabtu (MAS) Wang Yachen (CHN) Mirjana Grucijic (VEN) Tammy Cantoni (AUS) Kelly Fisher (GBR)

Kappa 2009 Women�s World 9-Ball Championship
Prize Money
Winner x 1	$30,000-00
Runner-Up x 1	$15,000-00
Third Place x 1	$10,000-00
Fourth Place x 1	$7,000-00
Quarter Finalists x 4	$5,000-00
Last 16 Stage x 8	$3,000-00
Last 32 Stage x 16	$2,000-00
Approx 20% will be withheld for tax purposes.

Check out the Pro9.co.uk Calendar for more tournament dates.

Comments