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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

PERFECT 9-BALL, SUPREME CONFIDENCE BRING THE BRIT AND CHINESE-TAIPEI UPSTART TO THE BRINK OF GLORY IN CHINA OPEN

Two relative unknowns on the 9-ball circuit. Two players playing lights out pool. One sure to be entertaining final.

Britain�s Chris Melling and Chinese Taipei�s Hsu Kai Lan both played perfect 9-ball pool Sunday morning in Shanghai as they each emphatically cruised into the finals of the 3rd annual China Open in Shanghai to be played later today.

In the first semi-final Melling defeated the Netherland�s Niels Feijen 11-7. In the second semi-final Hsu surprised everyone with an amazing 11-2 drubbing of former double world champion Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines.

Melling picked up the express train where he got off yesterday after taking down the Philippines Lee Van Corteza and then German�s Thorsten Hohmann. The 32 year old Brit and former two time world champion in English 8-ball is on fire right now, playing with supreme confidence and the belief that he can�t lose.

He needed that rock solid mind set too as Feijen came to win as well. The two Europeans broke and ran three out of the first four racks in the alternate break format. But no matter what Feijen threw at Melling, there was always an answer coming back. And quickly at that, as one mistake against the fast playing Brit these days means opponents pay a hefty price.

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The pair split the first 8 racks and then Melling stepped on the gas, capitalizing on every single error by the Dutchman. In rack 9, Feijen made two difficult full table pots, then made a small mistake and from there the big Brit never looked back. Melling pounced on one Feijen mistake in the next rack for a two game lead. In the subsequent rack, the fast playing Melling played a great safety, which forced Feijen in to leaving an open shot, and Melling cleared again for a three game lead.

The same thing happed in rack 12. An error by Feijen and, just like that, Melling was up 8-4 lead. Feijen didn�t lie down, though, and stopped the bleeding with two successive racks to pull within two. Just as all champions do, however, they turn up the heat when the pressure is coming from all sides and the finish line is in sight.

Melling would simply not be denied. He broke and ran to move up 9-6. Feijen did the same in the 16th rack, then Melling countered with another break and run to move to the hill. In the final frame, Feijen left the two ball open, and Melling potted a 3-9 combo for the 11-7 win and a well earned spot in the finals.

�I played perfect that match,� Melling said as he walked off the TV table. �If I�m on I can beat anyone. Somebody is going to have to play very well to beat me. I never made one mistake.�

�I played pretty good,� Feijen said. �He just outshot me. He never missed a shot. Chris was the better man today.�

Melling, who�s only been playing professional 9-ball for two years, is clearly going to be very difficult to beat as he is oozing confidence on and off the table.

�I love the atmosphere of the TV table,� he said. �I love playing under pressure.�

Going into the second semi-final, most people figured that Hsu Kun Lai would eventually run out of gas, especially since this complete unknown entity out of pool powerhouse Chinese Taipei had never been in this kind of big time situation before. And now here he was on the TV table, and playing a double world champion in Alcano. Instead the exact opposite happened. The 22 year old Hsu looked like the confident veteran and Alcano looked like he had never been in a big time tournament match.

Hsu won the lag and came storming out, breaking and running to grab the early lead. In the next rack Alcano left the one ball open and Hsu ran out. Hsu broke and cleared in rack three. In the next rack Alcano missed an easy 9-ball. Then Hsu broke and ran again. In matter of minutes the upstart had a 5-0 lead.

Alcano ran the next rack but he was never able to get into the match as Hsu continued to play perfect 9-ball, doing everything right and making his opponent pay for the smallest of mistakes. Hsu cruised into the finals with a resounding 11-2 win.

�I�m just enjoying playing,� Hsu, a college student who has only won one pro tournament on the Taiwan circuit, said afterward. �It feels like I�m just practicing in the pool hall.�

Melling too has been playing care free as well. And with both talented finalists clearly in freewheeling mode, the race to 11 championship later this afternoon in Shanghai has the makings of a highly entertaining battle.

DAY FOUR - CHINA OPEN - MEN'S FINAL FOUR COMPLETE WITH RED HOT CAST

MELLING, ALCANO, FEIJEN AND HSU ALL ON FIRE HEADING INTO SUNDAY'S CHINA OPEN SEMI-FINALS.

Great Britain�s Chris Melling proved that his current number 2 ranking on the brutally tough Euro Tour is no fluke, as he put in a series of stellar performances on Saturday and stormed into Sunday�s semi-finals in the China Open 9-ball tournament in Shanghai.

It was a long and grueling road to hoe inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium for the men as the field was reduced from 32 to four with race to 11, alternate break matches. Joining the red hot Brit in the first semi-final will be the Netherland�s Niels Feijen. The other semi-final will feature former double World Champion Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines against upstart Chinese-Taipei newcomer Hsu Kai Lun.

Melling has seen his stock rising over the last year and a half and he clearly has the pedigree to create some noise on the worldwide circuit. The 32 year old from Keighley in West Yorkshire is a former two time world champion in English 8 ball, and has a fair amount of professional snooker experience as well. Since turning to American pool, he�s dropped the other disciplines and poured his heart and soul into learning 9-ball.

�I�ve been practicing a lot,� Melling said. �And I�ve been playing good for the last 18 months.� Indeed he won the Portugal Open on the Euro in November, 2010, and then captured a GB9-ball event on the English tour. He recently made it to the quarter finals of the World 10-Ball in Manila.

Melling says he loves to play under pressure and this was quite evident Saturday in Shanghai. After drubbing Hong Kong�s Kenny Kwok in the round of the 32, Melling came up against one of the finest players in the world, the Philippines Lee Van Corteza. The Brit was up 10-7, only to have to withstand a furious comeback by Corteza, who tied the match at 10. Faced with a near impossible do or die, full table shot to win the match�with the cue ball in the corner jaws and the 9-ball way down on the spot, Melling sucked up the pressure and potted the winner.

�I said to myself, just go back to basics,� Melling said of the shot. �Stand still. Don�t move. Just fire that arm. I play really good under pressure. I just love it.�

Feijen, though, is another player who relishes pressure and has been gaining momentum in the last few days. The Dutchman dominated all three of his opponents Saturday.

Alcano seems to have captured some of the smooth shooting magic he displayed regularly back in 2006, when he won the World 9-ball and World 8-ball championships in one year. After escaping with an 11-10 win in his first match against Brunei�s surprise Murni, Ahmad Taufiq Binh, the Filipino turned it up a few notches and beat German great Ralf Souquet, 11-7, then took down streaking Japanese player Yukio Akakriyama, 11-9.

Alcano�s opponent in Sunday�s semi-final will be a player nobody outside of Chinese-Taipei had heard of before this week. Now in one day Hsu's made a name for himself with three straight wins over very tough opponents, including a back and forth affair with China�s Lui Haitao.

Sunday�s first semi-final will begin at 9:30 AM ( GMT +8 ) local time with the second one to follow immediately afterwards. The men�s final of the China Open 9-ball will be contested right after the women�s final.

DAY THREE - CHINA OPEN - CHEN STUNS OUSCHAN WITH COMEBACK

17 YEAR OLD STEALS SEMIS, SETS UP ALL CHINESE FINAL WITH FU IN CHINA

17 year old Chinese pool star and defending champion Chen Siming lived up to all the accolades and adoration when she stunned Austria�s Jasmin Ouschan in the semi-finals of the China Open 9-ball late Saturday night in Shanghai, storming back from an 8-3 deficit to win their semi-final match 9-8 and move into Sunday�s final.

Chen�s improbable comeback means that Sunday�s race to 9 final will be an all Chinese affair. In the first semi-final earlier in the evening on the TV table inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium, current World 9-ball champion Fu Xiaofang put in a solid performance and outlasted Korea�s Lim Yun Mi 9-7.

The matchup between Chen and Ouschan had promised to be an explosive clash between east and west as both players had been playing extremely strong pool over the last few days. Ouschan especially seemed to have built up momentum and confidence after losing her first match of the tournament, then winning five straight.

The pair split the first six racks in their final four showdown, then Ouschan showed her class. Playing excellent safeties, and keeping the game simple, the Austrian star grabbed the next five racks to move within one of a finals berth. Chen won the next two racks, but any comeback seemed improbable. Then, up 8-5, the wheels fell off of the Ouschan Express.

After Chen broke dry, Ouschan had a clear path to the finish line, until she ran out of position on the six ball. She played a poor safety that allowed Chen to clear. Chen then won a safety battle in the next rack, and made some incredibly gutsy shots to move within one, as Ouschan began to lose her composure.

Ouschan played another poor safety in the following game, allowing Chen to clear from the 3 ball and to tie the match. The final rack became another tense safety battle, until the unflappable Chen found an opening and coolly potted six straight balls to win the match at close to midnight.

The final match between the two best women players in China will be aired over China Central Television(CCTV) and the viewing audience is expected to be in the tens of millions.

DAY THREE - CHINA OPEN - TAKING AIM AT A REPEAT

CHEN SIMING EYES ANOTHER TITLE, BUT FACES RED HOT JASMIN OUSCHAN IN CHINA OPEN SEMI-FINALS.

Going about her business with steely fortitude and dead-eyed accuracy, China�s 17 year old sensation Chen Siming took dead aim at defending her title today, as she handily won her two matches in the China Open 9-Ball tournament in Shanghai, and moved into the semi-finals.

Chen will now face red hot Jasmin Ouschan of Austria later tonight at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium in suburban Shanghai, in what promises to be a fabulous matchup of two greats in the women�s professional game.

In the other semi-final to be played simultaneously, China�s current World 9-ball Champion Fu Xiao Fang will take on Korea�s Lim Yun Mi.

Chen had little trouble in her two alternate break matches so far today. The youngster never waivers, and plays with a beautiful rhythm that simply speaks voluminous talent. Chen first disposed of fellow Chinese Li Jia, 9-3, then handily beat teammate Chen Xe, 9-5.

Since losing her first match of this year�s China Open, Ouschan has continually turned up the gas. She looked positively unstoppable today in her two matches, first crushing China�s Yu Han, 9-3, then outclassing Chinese Taipei�s Cholu Chieh Yu, 9-6.

Ouschan�s convincing victory over for Amway Cup champion Chou was highly impressive as the Taiwanese had just come off a rousing win over Korea�s Yu Ram Cha in a match aired on Shanghai TV. The 25 year old Chou is one of Chinese-Taipeis rising talents, so Ouschan�s dominating victory cannot be understated.

Whoever wins between Chen and Ouschan is clearly going to have to bring their A-game for Sunday�s final. Fu also looked unbeatable today as she first buried China�s Re Qiuyue, 9-2, then easily beat former world champion Liu Shin Mei of Chinese Taipei, 9-5.

Lim didn�t have an easy draw today, either, but performed magnificently as well. Lim first took down former World 9-ball champion Liu Sha Sha, 9-4 on the TV table. Lim then beat Karen Corr of Ireland, a win that was magnified by the fact that Corr had looked solid all week.

The ladies are competing for a total of $112,800 in prize money.

DAY THREE - CHINA OPEN - FORTUNE SMILES ON THE BRAVE

FORTUNE SMILES ON THE BRAVE. MENS' FIELD DOWN TO 16 IN CHINA OPEN

Shock upsets and plenty of tense drama filled the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium in suburban Shanghai as the men�s field of 32 was reduced to 16 during the first two sessions of play in the 2011 China Open 9-ball championship

Two of the biggest names to find themselves knocked out were Mika Immonen and Dennis Orcullo. Immonen was locked in a tight struggle with Singaporean upstart Chang Kan Wang throughout his race to 11 match. But one poor miss on an elementary 6 ball in the thirteenth rack was all the opening Chang needed. Chang, backed by some lucky snookers off of missed pots, carried the match to the finish line, winning going away, 11-8.

Afterwards Immonen, who doesn�t take losing easily, was beside himself with frustration.

�I shouldn�t lose to a guy that,� Immonen said, clearly irritated. �I kind of lost my composure when I blew that six ball. This is not good.�

The same fate befell World 8-ball champion Orcullo of the Philippines. Orcullo had been up 9-6 on China�s Liu Wei but suddenly found himself repeatedly snookered by chance off of misses by Liu. The 30 year old Beijing resident, who's biggest win to date was an IPT qualifying win over Ronnie Alcano, stormed back, held his nerve and won the match went hill�hill 11-10.

Perhaps the finest performance of the day was put in by the Philippines� Lee Van Corteza, who easily defeated US Open champion Darren Appleton of Great Britain, 11-4. Corteza repeatedly sank at least one ball on the break and found himself with makeable run outs, while Appleton couldn�t get anything going on the break in the alternate break format. Everything Corteza touched turned to gold, a fact that Appleton was only too happy to acknowledge afterwards.

�That�s probably the best anyone�s ever played against me,� Appleton said. �He played perfect.�

Other fine performances in the first session were put in by Chinese Taipei�s Ko Pin Yi, Great Britain�s Chris Melling, and China�s Fu Jan Bo. Ko easily took out Filipino veteran Antonio Lining 11-5. Melling, who is currently ranked 2nd on the Euro Tour and has seen his stock rising in recent months, buried Hong Kong�s Kenny Kwok, 11-5. Fu looked in fine form, cruising by American Corey Duel, 11-6.

The second session saw some incredible matches and dramatic finishes. Chinese Taipei�s Chang Jung Lin was two balls from claiming an 11-10 victory over Japanese rising star Yukio Akakariyama when he inexplicably missed a straight in shot on the seven ball. This was second straight day Chang dogged an important shot in crunch time but this time it was a do or die match. Akakariyama couldn�t believe his luck and jumped out of his chair to clear the table for the victory.

Moments earlier on the adjoining table, Ralf Souquet and Shane Van Boeing went toe to toe with Souquet squeaking by 11-10. In another thriller, Ronnie Alcano rebuffed a spirited effort by Brunei�s Murni, Ahmad Taufiq Binh, 11-10.

Other winners moving on to the round of 16 were Neils Feijen, Lui Haitao, Thorsten Hohmann, Kuo Po Cheng, Wang Can, Hsu Kai Lun, and Fu Chei Wei.

The remaining 16 men will be back for the evening session. The field will be reduced to four players tonight. All matches are race to 11, alternate break.

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE GROUPS
GROUP A 1. Dennis Orcollo (PHI) 2. Chao FongPang (TPE) 3. Chan Keng Kwang (SIN) 4. Mark Gray (GBR) 5. Kenichi Uchigaki (JPN) 6. Corey Deuel (USA) 7. Dai Yong (CHN) 8. Niels Feijen (NED)	GROUP B 1. Antonio Lining (PHI) 2. Fu Zhewei (TPE) 3. Daryl Peach (GBR) 4. Jalal Youseff (VEN) 5. Ahmad Taufiq Bin Murni (BRU) 6. Cerri Worts (NZL) 7. Lo Liwen (JPN) 8. Fu Jianbo (CHN)
GROUP C 1. Chang JungLin (TPE) 2. Liu Haitao (CHN) 3. Oliver Ortmann (GER) 4. Mika Immonen (FIN) 5. John Salazar (PHI) 6. David Rothall (AUS) 7. Toh LianHan (SIN) 8. Chris Melling (GBR)	GROUP D 1. Huidji See (NED) 2. Vu Trong Khai (VIE) 3. Scott Higgins (GBR) 4. Wang Ming (CHN) 5. Thomas Engert (GER) 6. Efren Reyes (PHI) 7. Ke Bingzhong (TPE) 8. Yukio Akakariyama (JPN)
GROUP E 1. Kuo Po-Cheng (TPE) 2. Li Hewen (CHN) 3. Jundel Mazon (PHI) 4. Nguen Phuc Long (VIE) 5. Hanni Al Howri (UAE) 6. Kwok ChiHo (HKG) 7. Nien RongChin (TPE) 8. Shane Van Boening (USA)	GROUP F 1. Lee Van Corteza (PHI) 2. Wang Can (CHN) 3. Alok Kumar (IND) 4. Karl Boyes (GBR) 5. Wu Hao (CHN) 6. Zhu Xihe (CHN) 7. Ko Pin Yi (TPE) 8. Thorsten Hohmann (GER)
GROUP G 1. Ronnie Alcano (PHI) 2. Siauw Wieto (INA) 3. Hsu Kailun (TPE) 4. Charlie Williams (USA) 5. Luong ChiDung (VIE) 6. Han HaoXiang (CHN) 7. Lee Gun Jae (KOR) 8. Darren Appleton (GBR)	GROUP H 1. Francisco Bustamante (PHI) 2. Johnny Archer (USA) 3. Huang Yong (KOR) 4. Dang Jinhu (CHN) 5. Zhang Yulong (TPE) 6. Liu Wei (CHN) 7. Ralf Souquet (GER) 8. Jason Klatt (CAN)

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE PLAYERS
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

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE LAST 32
Dennis Orcollo (PHI)	10 : 11	(CHI) Liu Wei
Keng Kwang Chan (SIN)	11 : 8	(FIN) Mika Immonen
Zhang Yulong (TPE)	6 : 11	(TPE) Kuo Po Cheng
Niels Feijen (NED)	11 : 7	(KOR) Huang Yong
Darren Appleton (GBR)	3 : 11	(PHI) Lee Van Corteza
Chi Ho Kwok (HKG)	3 : 11	(GBR) Chris Melling
Ko Pin Yi (TPE)	11 : 5	(PHI) Antonio Lining
Thorsten Hohmann (GER)	11 : 7	(VIE) Nguen Phuc Long
Ahmad Taufiq Bin Murni (BRU)	10 : 11	(PHI) Ronnie Alcano
Ralf Souquet (GER)	11 : 10	(USA) Shane Van Boening
Corey Deuel (USA)	6 : 11	(CHN) Fu Jianbo
Chang Jung Lin (TPE)	10 : 11	(JPN) Yukio Akakariyama
Hsu Kai Liun (TPE)	11 : 8	(GBR) Scott Higgins
Vu Trong Khai (VIE)	9 : 11	(TPE) Fu Che Wei
Wang Can (CHN)	11 : 6	(VIE) Luong Chi Dung
Liu Haitao (CHN)	11 : 4	(CHN) Wang Ming

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE LAST 16
Wei Liu	11 : 7	Keng Kwang Chan
Po-Cheng Po	9 : 11	Niels Feijen
Lee Van Corteza	10 : 11	Chris Melling
Ko Pin-Yi	9 : 11	Thorsten Hohmann
Ronnie Alcano	11 : 7	Ralf Souquet
Fu Jianbo	5 : 11	Yukio Akakariyama
Kai Lun Hsu	11 : 10	Fu Che Wei
Can Wang	5 : 11	Liu Haitao

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE QUARTER FINALS
Wei Lui	3 : 11	Niels Feijen
Chris Melling	11 : 9	Thorsten Hohmann
Ronnie Alcano	11 : 9	Yukio Akakariyama
Kai Lun Hsu	11 : 9	Haitao Liu

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE SEMI FINALS
Niels Feijen	7 : 11	Chris Melling
Ronnie Alcano	2 : 11	Kai Lun Hsu

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE FINAL
Chris Melling	11 : 3	Kai Lun Hsu

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE LAST 16
Fu Xiao-Fang	9 : 2	Ren Qiuyue
Liu Shin-Mei	9 : 7	Gao Meng
Liu Sha Sha	4 : 9	Lim Yun-Mi
Kelly Fisher	3 : 9	Karen Corr
Yu Ram Cha	3 : 9	Chou Chieh-Yu
Jasmin Ouschan	9 : 3	Yu Han
Li Jia	2 : 9	Chen Siming
Kajatani Akimi	6 : 9	Chen Xue

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE QUARTER FINALS
Fu Xiao-Fang	9 : 5	Liu Shin-Mei
Lim Yun-Mi	9 : 3	Karen Corr
Chou Chieh-Yu	6 : 9	Jasmin Ouschan
Chen Siming	9 : 5	Chen Xue

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE SEMI FINALS
Fu Xiao-Fang	9 : 0	Lim Yun-Mi
Jasmin Ouschan	8 : 9	Chen Siming

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE FINAL
Fu Xiao-Fang	9 : 3	Chen Siming

THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE PRIZE FUND
1st	US $ 40,000-00
2nd	US $ 20,000-00
3rd - 4th	US $ 10,000-00
5th - 8th	US $ 5,500-00
9th - 16th	US $ 2,400-00
17th - 32nd	US $ 1,200-00
33rd - 64th	US $ 700-00
THE 2011 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE PRIZE FUND
1st	US $ 30,000-00
2nd	US $ 15,000-00
3rd - 4th	US $ 7,500-00
5th - 8th	US $ 4,000-00
9th - 16th	US $ 1,800-00
17th - 32nd	US $ 900-00
33rd - 48th	US $ 500-00

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