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The China Open
Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium
655 Yuanshen Road
Pudong New Area
Shanghai
China
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Thursday-Sunday 9-12 June 2011

$275,000 China Open set to kick off this week in Shanghai

Shanghai, one of the great cities of the world, and China�s bustling commercial hub, will play host to the world�s best men and women pool players as the China Open kicks off June 6-12.

In just its few short years of existence, the China Open has become one of the most prestigious championships in all of professional pool. This June, 68 men and 48 women will be coming from all corners of the globe to test their skills in an exciting 9-ball format and vie for one of the sport�s biggest prize funds; $162,800 for the men, and $112,800 for the women.

Fans can expect to see plenty of the sports current and rising stars. On the men�s side, the Philippines is sending a large contingent led by Hall of Famer and current World 9-ball Champion, Francisco �Django� Bustamante, and current World 8-ball champion Dennis Orcullo. Chinese-Taipei will be offering their usual powerhouse lineup, including recent Beijing Open winner Chang Jun Lin, and young star Ko Pin Yi. Host country China will be led by the likes of World 10-Ball runner up Fu Jan Bo, Lui Haitao, and Li He Wen. China can now boast one of the world�s best players with the addition of former double World Champion, Wu Jian Qing(formerly Wu Chia Ching) who has recently obtained his Chinese citizenship. Wu, though, will have to go through the tough qualifiers to make it into the tournament proper.

Representing Europe will be Finland�s Mika Immonen, the legendary Ralf Souquet of Germany, and his compatriot, Thorsten Hohmman, who won the Philippine Open in April. Expect lots of other stars from the continent to make the trip to Shanghai.

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The host country should get plenty of bang for their buck on the women�s side. 17 year old Simng Chen, a recent winner of the prestigious Philippine Open and the current number one ranked WPA women�s player, will be one of the favorites. Expect a strong showing too from former World 9-ball champion, and WPA number 7 Lui Sha Sha, and world number 3 Xiao-Fang Fu.

But the Chinese women will have their hands full with the likes of Korean greats Ga Young Kim(WPA ranked number 2) and recent Beijing Open winner Yu Ram Cha(WPA ranked number 8.) From Europe fans can catch World number three Jasmin Ouschan of Austria, Hall of Fame legend Allison Fisher of Great Britain, and the always tough Kelly Fisher, also of Great Britain. And, of course, ever a threat to win are the women from Chinese-Taipei, including the likes Yuan-Chun Lin and Chieh-Yu Chou.

The tournament will be run in two stages. Stage 1 will be the qualifiers and will be held at the Shanghai Qihuan Sports Club in the Pudong New Area business district from June 6-8. Each tournament will be a race to 9 for men and race to 7 for women, winner breaks. There will be three qualifiers and players can enter all three events. The best 2 men players and best 2 women players from each tournament will qualify for Stage 2.

The main competition will be run from June 9-12 and will be held at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium(655, Yuanshen Road, Pudong New Area). In the main event, the players will be divided into groups of eight with the double elimination format being used to determine the top four players coming from each group. 32 men and 16 women will qualify for the second part which is single elimination. All matches will be alternate break, men race to 11 and women race to 9.

Shanghai sits at the gateway to world famous Yangtze River and is roughly equidistant from two other great Chinese cities, Beijing and Hong Kong. This exciting and teeming metropolis promises to be the perfect host for the world�s best pool players. The city�s cosmopolitan and sophisticated character offers endless opportunities for touring, shopping and fun. All in all, it promises to be one glorious week of the very best in professional pool.

2010 Champions: Chinese Taipei's Zhang Yulong and Chen Siming, China.

::: THE INFO PACK :::

Venue

Stage 1: Shanghai Qihuan Sports Club(3rd floor, No.9 Building, 116 Kayuan No.2 Road, Pudong New Area)

Stage2: Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium(655, Yuanshen Road, Pudong New Area)

Competition Dates

Stage 1: June 6-8, 2011

Stage 2: June 9-12, 2011

Events

- Men�s singles 9-ball

- Women�s singles 9-ball

Official Equipment
- Beijing Star Billiard table
- American FURY cue
- Taiwan ANDY 988 cloth
- Aramith TV Ball
- Shanghai Holiday Inn Hotel

Registration Fee

USD 150/RMB 1000 for 3 matches of stage 1

STAGE 2: Players' meeting will be held in the Holiday Inn Hotel at 14:00 on 8th June and it is also the registration place for Stage 2 players. Attendance is mandatory. Any absentee may be removed from the tournament.

The WPA decides allocations for Stage 2 players
No registration fee for stage 2

Competition Rules

The tournament will be conducted in accordance with the official WPA 9-Ball rules.

The Tournament is run in 2 stages. Stage 1 (qualifiers)There are 3 tournaments in stage 1 and multiple registrations are allowed.

A limit of 128 players for men and 64 for women will apply.
Each tournament will be a race to 9 for men and race to 7 for women,winner breaks. The best 2 men players and best 2 women players fromeach tournament will qualify for Stage 2.

Stage 2 (main event)

All matches will be alternate break, men race to 11 and women race to 9.

Part 1 � Group Play
64 men players & 48 women players play in groups of 8, double elimination system. 32 men and 16 women will qualify for the second part of single elimination.

16 seeds will be placed into the draw (number 1 and number 8 spot in each group) for both the men and women, according to the latest WPA rankings at the time of the event. Other players will drawn at random.

Part 2 - Single Elimination
The unbeaten men and women from the group play will be seeded into the single elimination draw according to their performances in the group play.

Players who qualified from the loser�s side will be drawn at random against the seeded players.

Shot Clock
A 45 second shot clock will apply for all games, except for a hill-hill situation. Players may request an extension (45 seconds), but only one per rack. A warning will be given when there is only 10 seconds left, and the last five seconds will be on countdown.

Time Out Each player will be allowed one five-minute time out per match. This will be explained at the Players Meeting.

8 Points for Attention

    * All the participants are advised to observe Tournament�s rules and arrangements.
     Played in two parts.
    * Players should announce themselves at the check-in area ten minutes before their match starts. If the player is not present after the announcement of commencement of play made by the tournament director, their game shall be forfeited.
    * Any appeal against the referee in-charge should be lodged before both players make next break, otherwise the appeal will be invalid.
    * No smoking in the venue or during the match, or time-outs. Players are forbidden to carry mobile phones during the competition
    * Any form of gambling is strictly forbidden during the Tournament.
    * All the players should wear Tournament�s official clothing: Shirts with collar & sleeve. Men players should be dressed in dark color trousers& black leather shoes; women players should be dressed in dark color trousers & formal shoes.
    * Without permission, players are not allowed to take part in any commercial events in the name of the Tournament during the Tournament.
    * The commercial signs of tournament Sponsorship are made bythe Organizing Committee and players cannot participate in the tournament if they don�t wear it.
    * Each player can have 1 to 3 commercial or government signs and the specifications & contents should be filled in the entry form and approved by the Organizing Committee when you register.

2011 China Open tournament mascot - "Tang Tang".

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