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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

16 MORE ADVANCE TO THE CHINA OPEN KNOCKOUT STAGE AS THE SKIES OPEN UP OVER SHANGHAI

The thick, hazy skies finally opened up over Shanghai this afternoon, bringing with it torrential downpours and booming sounds of thunder and lightning. Inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium the unmistakable sounds of the summer monsoons would surely be interpreted differently on Judgment Day here at the third annual China Open 9-Ball tournament. For some, it was manna from heaven. For others, the inclement weather spelled certain doom and gloom.

16 more players from the men�s side were counting their rainy day blessings at the conclusion of the first two sessions on day 2 of the $275,000 event. They now join the eight players from day 1 with spots in the final 32 single elimination knockout stage which begins tomorrow.

One of the happiest players in the arena this afternoon was Britain�s Scott Higgins. Playing on the losers side of his group, Higgins drew the legend, Efren Reyes of the Philippines in a do or die match for both players. It was Higgins first time to play the Hall of Famer, and the barrel chested Brit used the pressure to his advantage, buckling down for a solid 9-3 win.

�I broke and ran four times and capitalized on some of his mistakes,� a clearly excited Higgins said afterwards. �You want to beat him because he�s a legend. But the most important thing is that I qualified for the last 32. I don�t think I�d ever want to play him for money, though.�

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After handily winning his first match yesterday afternoon, Reyes lost in the evening session to Japan's Yukio Akagariyama, and with his second loss today, is now out of the tournament.

Earlier in the day Higgins' mate and countryman Darren Appleton showed he is in fine form, defeating Vietnam�s Luong Chi Duong 9-6 for a spot in the final 32. Fellow Brit Karl Boyes wasn�t so fortunate, though, as he fell to China�s Wang Can 9-8. Wang now moves to the knockout stage while Boyes has to come back for the evening session for another crack.

The USA�s Shane Van Boening won two straight so far, and with his well played 9-6 victory over Kwok Chi Ho of Chinese Taipei, he moves into the final 32.

�I�ve never won a tournament in Asia,� Van Boening said. �I don�t know what the problem has been but I�d like to finally win one over here.�

In one of the most exciting matches from the first session Hsu Kailun of Chinese-Taipei came back against Ronnie Alcano and won 9-8 to claim a spot in the knockout stage. Alcano now has to return tonight to try again to advance. Hsu�s countryman Ko Pin Yi also advanced by the slimmest of margins with a 9-8 victory over China�s Wu Hao.

The day�s second session was devoted mostly to sudden death matches with players looking to advance from the loser�s side of their groups. The Philippines Antonio Lining played his usual calm and collected style and won 9-4 over Japan�s Lo Li Wen. Fu Jan Bo put the smile on the faces of the home town crowd as he knocked out Britain�s Daryl Peach with a 9-5 victory. The Netherlands� Neils Feijin moved through, beating former world champion Fong Pang Chao, 9-6. China�s national champion Liu Haitao moved through with a 9-6 win over the Philippines John Salazar.

Chinese-Taipei�s Zhang Yulong also claimed a spot in the final 32 with a 9-7 win over Ralf Souquet. Souquet�s first loss sets up a do or die marquee match in the evening session versus the Philippines' Francisco Bustamante. 'Busti' had earlier defeated Dang Jinhu of China 9-3. 8 more men will advance out of the men�s side this evening to complete the field of 32.

Most of the matches in the women�s event will be held in the two evening sessions. The women�s field will be cut from 48 to 16 after today�s play is completed.

THE 9-BALL BABY SHOW IN SHANGHAI

IMMONEN, ORCULLO AND SIX OTHERS THROUGH AS DAY 1 FINISHES AMIDST POMP AND PAGEANTRY AT THE CHINA OPEN

Mika Immonen sure is getting a good workout here in Shanghai.

Immonen, who two years ago commenced what would become one of the greatest winning streaks in the annals of pool, has advanced out of his group and into the knockout stage of 32 at the China Open with two grueling 9-8 victories as day one of the $275,000 event came to close at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium in suburban Shanghai.

In the morning session the Finn won a testy match against German Oliver Ortmann. Then Immonen came back later in the evening and slugged it out with recent Beijing Open champion Chang Jung Lin. The match got so heated that after Immonen sank the final 9-ball, Chang refused to shake his hand.

�He dogged that 9-ball in the previous rack, then he dogged the 5 in the last rack,� Immonen said of Chang. �I didn�t do anything to him. It wasn�t my fault. I guess he�s just caught up in the heat.�

Joining Immonen in the final 32 will be Great Britain�s Chris Melling. Melling, who made it to the quarter finals of the World 10-Ball championship in Manila in May, defeated Toh Lian Han of Singapore and John Salazar of the Philippines. Also through to the final 32 is World 10-ball semi-finalist Yukio Akagariyama, who defeated Efren Reyes 9-4. Other players who won two and have qualified for the final 32 are Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines, Corey Duel of the USA, Fu Chei Wei of Chinese Tapei, Ahmad Taufiq Bin Murni of Brunei, and Wang Ming of China.

The men�s field started with 64 players playing in 8 groups of 8 in a double elimination format, race to 9, alternate break. The final 32 players will begin the play on Friday and will play race to 11, winners break.

The day�s biggest surprise came from World 10-Ball champion Huidji See, who went two and out to quickly end his stay in Shanghai. See barely saw daylight as he lost to Vietnam�s Vu Trong Khai, 9-5, then Great Britain�s Scott Higgins, 9-6.

Easily the biggest profile match of the day was between Johnny Archer and Francisco Bustamante, both Hall of Famers. Archer routed the Filipino great 9-2.

�We were both making balls on the break,� Archer said. �But he missed a few shots, and I was shooting good. I�m happy.�

The women�s division, which comprises 48 players, race to 7, had a completely different feel than the men�s event. That�s because in China, the women pool players are light years more popular than the men players. Clearly cuteness and charm sell in China which was evidenced by the fact that throughout the first day, every single television match featured the women. And Asian women at that.

One of the more popular TV matches feature China�s very own World 9-ball champion Fu Xiao Fang vs Singapore�s Chai Zeet Huey. Spurred on by over 100 school children in the audience, Fu performed perfectly and won going away, 7-0. Korea�s glamorous Ga Young Kim drew an adoring crowd on the 2nd feature table, and won easily over Chan Ya Ting of Chinese Taipei, 7-3. Defending champion, and quickly rising Chinese superstar, 17 year old Chen Siming also won handily and will face Ireland�s Karen Corr on Thursday.

In a match of high profile veterans, Chinese Taipei�s storied veteran Liu Shin Mei took down Hall of Famer Allison Fisher, 7-3.

The day and evening sessions with 20 tables in action were sandwiched around a lavish opening ceremony with pomp and pageantry as one can only see in China. At one point several dozen tuxedo clad pool referees, along with each and every member of the China pool team, came on stage and sang a song extolling in heavily accented English the near God-like virtues of 9-ball pool, while a troupe of sexy young ladies, called �The 9-ball Baby Show� danced on the floor around the TV table.

�Oh My 9-ball� My Life� We love you all the time. Oh My 9-ball�Highlight�For the Best We try.�

Day two of the China Open continues Thursday afternoon and after the second day�s matches, the knockout field of 32 for the men and 16 for the women will be completed

LEGEND AND UPSTART HEAD IN TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS

The World's favourite player - Efren Reyes, Philippines
57 YEAR OLD REYES CRUISES WHILE WORLD CHAMP SEE STUMBLES ON DAY ONE

57 year old Efren �Bata� Reyes of the Philippines, perhaps the greatest player in the history of pool, showed he had plenty left to offer as he crushed Germany�s Thomas Engert, 9-2, on the first day of the $275,000 China Open in Shanghai.

At the same time, the Netherlands� Huidji See, the recent surprise winner of the World 10-Ball Championship in Manila this past May, handily lost his first match, 9-5 to Vietnam�s Vu Trong Khai. With the loss See quickly went from being the center of attention at yesterday�s press conference to the one loss side of his group. See is now in a do or die situation for his next match in the double elimination group stage of the tournament.

Reyes, the first Filipino to enter the Hall of Fame, felt no need to offer his famous phrase, �I get lucky,� after his convincing victory. Bata seemed to have the measure of the break on the Star table inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium in suburban Shanghai. He was never challenged by the talented German.

Dutchman See is quickly finding out that it�s not easy to stay in what pool players like to call the �Free wheeling Stroke.� And he�s also discovering that there�s not only some pretty strong talent in China, but in Asia as a whole.

The friendly See, who said yesterday he entered some local tournaments in Shanghai last week but failed to even qualify because of the boatloads of talent in the city, can perhaps take solace in the fact that he also lost his first match at the World 10-ball in Manila and went on to rampage through the field and capture the title. Still, even an optimist like See would admit it�s a fairly tall order to ask the pool Gods to bestow favor on you time and again.

Vu�s victory has given Vietnam a stellar day so far. Nguen Phuc Long was a surprise winner over the Philippines Jundel Mazon, 9-3. Perhaps more surprising for the Philippines was Lee Van Corteza losing to China�s Wang Can, 9-6.

On the TV table aired over Shanghai TV, Chinese Taipei�s Kuo Po-Cheng looked the goods as he crushed China�s Li He Wen, 9-3. On an outside table, American Shane Van Boening put in a strong performance, outlasting Chinese Taipei�s Nien Rong Chin. In one of the marquee matchups of day 1, Ko Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei drubbed German�s Thorsten Hohmann, 9-4.

The tournament has taken a break for a lavish opening ceremony with the entire contingent of billiard players from China singing songs and dignitaries, including the mayor of Shanghai, making speeches. The tournament continues with two evening sessions later tonight.

On the women�s side, the 48 player field saw less action on this first day, as 16 top seeded players had byes. China�s �Queen of 9-ball� Pan Xiaoting had to play her first round match and handily defeated Singapores Tan Bee Yen, 7-2 in match aired on local TV.

All the women players will be in action in the evening sessions.

The China Open continues through Sunday June 12. The men are competing for $162,800 , and while the women will fight for $112,800.

OPENING DAY

Korea's Ga Young Kim, China's Chen Siming, Pan Xiaotang, Fu Xiao Fang, & Lui Sha Sha
Looming showdown in Shanghai

An all-star cast of the finest men and women professional pool players from around the world has finally arrived and settled in here in muggy and hazy Shanghai, China. The formalities have been completed; the players meeting, the press conference, and a lavish banquet of fine dining Chinese food with over 300 people inside the five star Holiday Inn Pudong. And now the battle is set to begin.

Beginning Thursday afternoon, ( GMT +8 ), 64 men and 48 women will descend upon the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium (655, Yuanshen Road, Pudong New Area) to compete in the third annual China Open, for one of pool�s biggest prize funds; $162,800 for the men, and $112,800 for the women. They�re playing 9-ball, alternate break, and the action is expected to be fierce and intense.

It doesn�t take long in China to fully comprehend just how big the China Open has become, and what it will mean to anyone who wins it, especially if you are from China. The sport of pool is literally going gangbusters in China. In Shanghai alone, there are literally huge pool clubs on just about every corner, with an estimated 1800 clubs scattered throughout this sprawling metropolis of 17 million people. In the capital of Beijing, the estimate is that there are close to 2000 pool clubs. In the entire country, there are an estimated 2.5 million commercial pool tables available to play on at any time. Top players, especially the women, are known by the average person across this vast country. For this week�s China Open the television audience is expected to reach nearly 20 million people.

At today�s press conference inside the Holiday Inn, Chinese superstar Pan Xiaoting perhaps said it best. Pan, who is known throughout China as the �Queen of 9-ball,� described the pressure of playing in her homeland.

�I�ve played pool for 14 years,� Pan, the 2007 Amway Cup champion said. �And I never enjoy the pressure of playing in China. Everyone expects me to win. �

Pan can take solace in the fact that she won�t be the only great Chinese player to be expected to perform miracles. Joining her on the dais at today�s press conference was a few of her world class compatriots; the defending China Open champion Siming Chen, current women�s World 9-ball champion Fu Xiao Fang, and former World 9-ball champion Liu Sha Sha. Chen, who is arguably the finest talent to emerge out of a sea of great Chinese women players, made it clear, though, that the pressure is meaningless to her when she declared: �I just want to show the level of how I can play.�

Chen will have plenty of chances to play to her freakish skill level as the strong field on the women�s side promises a battle royal. Joining the mix are the likes of Korean stars Ga Young Kim and Yu Ram Cha, Chinese-Taipei�s top ten WPA ranked Chei Yu Chou and Yuan Chun Lin, Hall of Famer Allison Fisher of Great Britain, current World Ten Ball Champion Jasmin Ouschan of Austria, Ireland�s Karen Corr, Britain�s Kelly Fisher, and Japan�s Akimi Kajatani.

On the men�s side, defending champion Zhang Yulong of Chinese-Taipei will have all he can handle with an exceptional field on hand. The Philippines has sent a juggernaut with the likes of the legend Efren Reyes, Hall of Famer Francisco Bustamante, Dennis Orcullo, Lee Van Corteza and Antonio Lining. Chinese Taipei brings Chang Jun Lin, Ko Pin Yi and Kuo Puo Cheng among others. The American contingent includes Hall of Famer Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening. Europe will be led by World 10-Ball champion Huidji See of the Netherlands, Finland's Mika Immonen, Brits Darren Appleton, Karl Boyes and Daryl Peach, German stars Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmman, Dutchman Niels Feijin and many other stars from the Continent.

China will provide about a quarter of the 64 man field. Names like Fu Jan Bo and Li He Wen are familiar to fans outside of China. But if you listen to newly crowned World 10-Ball Huidji See, people will soon know about a few more players from China.

�I had a bit of a reality check though over the last few days,� See said at today�s press conference. �I got here a few days early and I tried qualifying for a few local tournaments here in Shanghai but I didn�t even qualify. That�s how good the talent is here in China.�

THE 2011 CHINA OPEN - SHANGHAI
PLAYER LIST - WOMEN
1. KIM GA YOUNG (KOR) 2. CHEN SIMING (CHN) 3. ALLISON FISHER (GBR) 4. JASMIN OUSCHAN (AUT) 5. XIAO-FANG FU (CHN) 6. KELLY FISHER (GBR) 7. LIU SHA SHA (CHN) 8. LIN YUAN CHUN (KOR) 9. CHOU CHIEH YU (TPE) 10. LIU SHIN MEI (TPE) 11. CHICHIRO KAWAHARA (JPN) 12. AKIMI KAJATANI (JPN) 13. CHA YU RAM (KOR) 14. LIM YUN MI (KOR) 15. CHAI ZEET HUEY CHARLENE (SIN) 16. TAN BEE YEN (SIN) 17. SUNITI DAMANI (IND) 18. RUBELIN AMIT (PHI) 19. IRIS RANOLA (PHI) 20. THUY VI DUONG (VIE) 21. CHEUNG PUIMAN (HKG) 22. JULIE KELLY (USA) 23. AMY CHEN (USA) 24. JUNKO MITSUOKA (JPN)	25. EBE KAORI (JPN) 26. KAREN CORR (IRL) 27. ANASTASIA NECHEAVA (RUS) 28. JUNKO TSUCHIYA (JPN) 29. CHANG SHUHAN (TPE) 30. TSAI PEI CHEN (TPE) 31. WU JING (CHN) 32. HAN FANG (CHN) 33. GAO MENG (CHN) 34. LI JIA (CHN) 35. LYNDALL HULLEY (AUS) 36. PAN XIAOTING (CHN) 37. HAN YU (CHN) 38. CHEN XUE (CHN) 39. BI ZHUQING (CHN) 40. ZHOU DOUDOU (CHN) 41. QUALIFIER 1 42. QUALIFIER 2 43. QUALIFIER 3 44. QUALIFIER 4 45. QUALIFIER 5 46. QUALIFIER 6 47. QUALIFIER 7 48. QUALIFIER 8

Daz, Scott, Chris and Karl practicing at the Regal Pool Hall.

Niels at the airport with Huidji and his girlfriend.

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