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The China Open
Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium
655 Yuanshen Road
Pudong New Area
Shanghai
China
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Video: Live stream

Thursday-Sunday 13-16 September 2012

Photo courtesy of �Narissa Wang/my147.com.

HONG KONG'S KWOK STUNS WORLD NUMBER 1 APPLETON
After a very busy day 1 at the 2012 China Open , it�s delightfully clear that the coming three days will bring us plenty of nail biting drama, and edge of your seat matches.

In the evening session alone inside the very chilly Shanghai Pundong Yuanshen Stadium, seven out of the 24 matches on the men�s side went to a one rack decider. That�s nearly 30% of the matches that headed for the cliff. You don�t have to own a sports book to know that the odds of something dramatic happening on the way to the title on Sunday are pretty darn good.

Perhaps the biggest upset tonight was Hong Kong�s Kenny Kwok coming from behind to take down the current World 9-ball Champion and World number 1, Darren Appleton, 9-8. Kwok was behind 8-6 before tying up the match, then he broke and ran for the surprise victory. The Hong Kong native advanced to the final 32, while Appleton will get one more chance on the losers� side on Friday.

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Kwok revealed afterward that he�s been playing hurt for the last two years with a shoulder injury. He�s tried physical therapists, traditional Chinese medicine, all to no avail. Only when he gave up therapy did he get about 80% of his strength back. But tonight he was 100% mentally tough.

�In the last two years I haven�t played well at all,� Kwok said. �But today I had one of the best days in a long time. I was calm. I figured I had nothing to lose.�

Against defending champion Chris Melling, China�s Liu Wei also played like he had nothing lose and outlasted the Englishman for a 9-7 win to advance to the knockout stage. The 31 year old from Beijing, ranked 11th in China, is one of these superb local players that plays in obscurity but has wheelbarrows full of ability. Afterward the humble Liu said he was just happy to be playing the defending champion. But in the hallway away from the prying eyes of the media, he was giddy with laughter among his close friends. Winning big matches tends to do that to people.

Melling ended the day fairly roughed up as his draw of two tough Chinese players was about tough as one could ever get. Fellow Englishman Karl Boyes was also feeling a bit bruised as he also lost a hair raiser when he admittedly dogged a four ball in the deciding rack and lost 9-8 to American Oscar Dominguez. Dominguez�s victory saved face for the four-man American contingent, as he was the only one to win on day 1.

Not all matches in the men�s tournament were cliff hangers. After the lavish opening ceremony featuring singers and ballet dancers, Germany�s Thorsten Hohmann came back for the evening session and cruised past Qatar�s Waleed Majeed to qualify. World 8-ball champion Champion Chang Jung Lin also made it into the final 32 with an easy win over Vietnam�s Nguyen Anh Tuan. In first round matches the Philippines Lee Vann Corteza and Taiwan�s Fu Che Wei looked impressive in their wins.

On the women�s side all the big names appeared headed for some tasty weekend showdowns starting in the single elimination round of 16. Kelly Fisher, defending champ Fu Xiaofang, Chen Siming, Pan Xiaoting, Liu Shasha, Jasmin Ouschan, Allison Fisher, Ga Young Kim and Yu Ram Cha all made it through. The final 16, which begins on Saturday is when the ladies event is guaranteed to pick up some serious steam.

The 2012 China Open runs for four days beginning Thursday, September 13 through Sunday September 16, at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium in Shanghai and is a major ranking event of the WPA.

The men�s event has 64 players playing in eight groups of 8, double elimination, alternate break with four players progressing from each group to the final 32, which is then a straight knockout. The men�s event offers $176, 600 in prize money with $40,000 going to the winner.

The women start with 48 players divided into eight groups of six players, with the top two progressing to the final 16, which is then single elimination. The total prize fund for the women is $125,600 with $30,000 going to the eventual champion.

*Note: The WPA has been experiencing technical difficulties with its live scoring platform. Until we fix these issues please visit the sites of our Chinese partners for complete updated information and live scoring.

MELLING AVERTS FIRST ROUND FLOP

Photo courtesy of �Tai Chengzhe/Top147.com.

DEFENDING CHAMP PULLS GREAT ESCAPE ON CHINA'S DAI YONG
IN DAY 1 ACTION AT THE CHINA OPEN
The 2012 China Open got underway on a rainy Thursday afternoon here in Shanghai, and it didn�t take very long for the fireworks to start going off inside the Shanghai Pundong Yuanshen Stadium.

Defending Champion Chris Melling from England was first up on the TV table and immediately found himself in a dogfight with tough Chinese player Dai Yong. The 33 year old Englishman couldn�t get a shot off the break while Yong had all the rolls and led throughout the race to 9 match. Dang was one away from a monumental upset at 8-6 but couldn�t close the deal on Melling. Then at 8-8, Dang had to give up the table with only four balls remaining. Melling pulled a great escape when he nailed a hair raising full table bank on the 7 ball, then a full table pot on the 9 for a 9-8 win at the wire.

�Everything went his way,� Melling said afterwards. �I couldn�t get a shot on the break and I had to play silly shots on every rack. I guess I was lucky to win but I also feel that I deserve it. But you need luck to win in pool.�

The 64 players in the men�s field are divided into eight groups of 8, playing double elimination. Four players from each group will advance to the final 32 single elimination stage.

There were several other tight matches in the early sessions of the men�s event. In a battle of two former China Open champions, Germany�s Thorsten Hohmann came from behind and barely beat Taiwan�s Chang Yu Lung, 9-8. China�s Liu Haitao also won a sudden death match, beating Chinese Taipei�s Chao Yung Hwa, 9-8.

World number one and current World 9-ball champion Darren Appleton had a walk in the park as he cruised past South Africa�s outclassed David Van Den Berg, 9-0. In another whitewash which will surely raise some eyebrows, Qatar�s Waleed Majeed blanked the USA�s Corey Duel, 9-0.

Conditions on the Star tables were giving some players fits, as the new cloth and cold air inside the arena made for super slick ball movement and bouncy rails. The use of the Magic Rack template almost guarantees that at least one ball is made on the break. The result is that getting an open shot off the break is often the decider in a rack, if you can get the speed of the table.

The USA�s Mike Dechaine found himself shaking his head after getting clobbered in the second session. It was the talented American�s first time to play in Asia and he had about as tough opponent as one could ask for in Chinese-Taipei�s Ko Pin Yi. The match wasn�t even close as a jet-lagged Dechaine couldn�t adjust to the tables, and he lost 9-2.

�This is totally different from how we play in America,� Dechaine said afterwards. �I couldn�t get the feel of the table.� Overall it�s been a miserable opening day so far for the USA, as Hunter Lombardo also lost.

The second session the afternoon had several exciting matches as Germany�s Oliver Ortmann scraped by Taiwan�s talented Lo Li Wen, 9-8. In a major upset, Sweden�s Adreas Gerwen beat the Philippines Dennis Orcollo, 9-8. In an intriguing battle of two talented Filipinos, Alex Pagulayan, playing for Canada, beat Carlo Biado, 9-7.

One of China�s pre tournament favorites, Li Hewen, went down to defeat, falling to countryman, Wang Ming, 9-6. Yang Ching Shun, the veteran from Taiwan, handily took down the Netherland�s Nick van den Berg, 9-3.

There were several matches on the ladies side but most of the big names had byes in the first round. In a TV table amtch, pool legend Allison Fisher beat veteran Taiwanese Liu Xinmei 7-3. Japan�s Akimi Kajitani won 7-6 over China�s Ren Qiuyue, while Japan�s Chichiro Kawahara beat China�s Zhou Doudou, 7-2.

The tournament continues on day 1 with an evening session preceded by the opening ceremony.

The 2012 China Open runs for four days beginning Thursday, September 13 through Sunday September 16, at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium in Shanghai and is a major ranking event of the WPA.

The men�s event has 64 players playing in eight groups of 8, double elimination, alternate break with four players progressing from each group to the final 32, which is then a straight knockout. The men�s event offers $176, 600 in prize money with $40,000 going to the winner.

The women start with 48 players divided into eight groups of six players, with the top two progressing to the final 16, which is then single elimination. The total prize fund for the women is $125,600 with $30,000 going to the eventual champion.

POOL'S BEST READY FOR SHOWDOWN IN SHANGHAI

4TH ANNUAL CHINA OPEN KICKS OFF THURSDAY WITH ALL-STAR CAST
Shanghai is a city where people come to make their dreams, to reinvent themselves, to put pedal to the floor and seek out unimagined success.

And thus it�s surely fitting that here in this teeming, ultra-cosmopolitan metropolis, which serves as the bustling, commercial hub of the world�s most populous nation, that a stage has been set for the world�s finest men and women pool players to do battle in what promises to be one of the year�s most exciting tournaments.

Now in its fourth year, the China Open, which kicks off Thursday September 13 at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium, has quickly established itself as one of the premier events in the professional pool calendar. The tournament, which is a major ranking event of the World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA), features both a men�s and women�s tournament. The men�s event offers $176,600 in prize money with $40,000 going to the winner. The women�s tournament, which is played at the same time, has $125,600 on offer with $30,000 going to the eventual champion.

But it�s not just the prize fund and the ranking points that bring out the best in the finest players in the world. The anything-goes lure and fascination with this city seems to lend itself to greatness, to making the cream rise to the top. You�ve got to perform at an extremely high level to find success here. To know that just look at Chris Melling�s master class last year, when the Englishman steamrolled his way to the men�s title with a virtuoso performance.

At Tueday�s press conference to kick off the event, the anticipation amongst the players was palpable. Austria�s Jasmine Oushcan, who�s played in each and every China Open, seemed to express the enthusiasm perfectly.

�I'm really looking forward to the tournament,� Ouschan said. �I always had a good result here in Shanghai. I love the hotel, I love the venue, I love the food. We went to Shanghai downtown last night, we had a lot of shopping and nice food. I love it here. The atmosphere were great, the fans were great, so I really can't wait to start play.�

Fan�s should certainly feel that same way as on both the men�s and women�s side, the fields are some of the strongest in memory. For the men�s tournament, Great Britain is bringing its usual big time line up with defending champ Melling, World number 1 and current World 9-ball champion Darren Appleton, 2007 World Champion Daryl Peach, Karl Boyes and Mark Gray.

Europe has sent its usual list of heavyweights including German legend and hall of famer Ralf Souquet, Thorsten Hohmann, and Oliver Ortmann. The Netherlands is represented by Nick van den Berg and 2011 World Ten Ball Champion Huidji See.

Fans on the lookout for new talent should pay close attention to two rising players out of Europe. Nick Ekonomopoulos of Greece has come out of nowhere to become one of Europe�s top players this year and has put himself in-line for a Mosconi Cup spot. Then there�s Albania�s Nikolaso Malaj, who�s fearless style makes him a threat in any match.

The USA is well represented this time around with leading player Mike Dechaine on hand. Other Americans in the field include veteran Corey Duel, Oscar Dominguez and Hunter Lombardo.

As usual Chinese-Taipei brings in a world class list with anyone of them capable of capturing the title; World 8-ball champion Chang Jung-lin, Ko Pin Yi, Fu Che Wei, Lo Li Wen, Chang Yu Lung and veteran Yang Chin Shun, who won a qualifier to get in the field.

The Philippines has a smaller contingent than usual but it�s no less potent, with Dennis Orcollo, Carlo Biado, and Lee Vann Corteza. Alex Pagulayan is also here but will be representing Canada.

China, of course, has the goods especially with the fearless Li He Wen, who has steadily established his credentials as one of the top five players worldwide. Li will be joined by Fu Jianbo, Liu Haitao, and several newcomers to the burgeoning scene here.

On the women's side, the host country should get plenty of bang for their buck. Defending champion and world number 1 Fu Xiaofang is back, as is 18 year old and world number 2 Siming Chen, along with two former World 9-ball champs, Lui Sha Sha and Bi Zhu Qing. The legend and superstar Pan Xiaoting will also be playing, which should insure plenty of large crowds whenever she plays.

But the Chinese women will have their hands full with the likes of recent World 10-ball winner Korean greats Ga Young Kim of Korea and her country mate Yu Ram Cha. From Europe fans can catch World 9-ball Champion Kelly Fisher and Hall of Fame legend Allison Fisher of Great Britain. And, of course, ever a threat to win are the women from Chinese-Taipei, including the likes Yuan-Chun Lin, Chieh-Yu Chou and Penny Chen.

Going by the list of names just presented, there should be no doubt that the China Open will offer up a memorable shootout, and two champions who can rightfully claim greatness amongst the best in pool. Just what fans should expect from one of pool�s premier events in one of great cities of the world.

The WPA will be providing full coverage of the 2012 China Open, including live scoring of all matches on the WPA website, www.wpapool.com, daily articles, and updates on our Twitter page, @poolwpa.

The World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA) is the governing body of the sport of pocket billiards.The 2012 China Open is being sponsored by Star Tables, Andy Cloth, Fury, Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong.

THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE GROUPS
GROUP A 1. Darren Appleton （GBR） 2. David Van Den Berg （NED） 3. Jusman Jimmy （INA） 4. Kwok Chi Ho （HKG） 5. Waleed MajEed （IRQ） 6. Corey Deuel （USA） 7. Chang Yu-Lung （TPE) 8. Thorsten Hohmann（GER）	GROUP B 1. Chang Jung-Lin （TPE） 2. So Shaw （IRI） 3. Nguyen Anh Tuan （VIE） 4. Daryl Peach （GBR） 5. Sharlik Aslam Sayed （SIN） 6. Lu Hui-Chan （TPE） 7. Chao Yung-Hwa （TPE） 8. Liu Haitao （CHN）
GROUP C 1. Chris Melling （GBR） 2. Dai Yong （CHN） 3. Liu Wei （CHN） 4. Mark Gray （GBR） 5. Wang Can （CHN） 6. Hunter Lombardo （USA） 7. John Morra （CAN） 8. Ralf Souquet （GER）	GROUP D 1. Akagariyama Yukio （JPN） 2. Chu Bingjie （CHN） 3. Nick Malai （ALB) 4. Lee Wan Su （KOR） 5. Lo Li-Wen （TPE） 6. Oliver Ortmann （GER） 7. Francisco Diaz-Pizarro （ESP） 8. Fu Jianbo （CHN）
GROUP E 1. Ko Pin-Yi （TPE） 2. Mike Dechaine （USA） 3. Nick Ekonomopoulos （GRE） 4. Hsu Kai-Lun （TPE） 5. Dang Jinhu （CHN） 6. Alok Kumar （IND） 7. Alex Pagulayan （CAN） 8. Carlo Biado （PHI）	GROUP F 1. Li Hewen （CHN） 2. Wang Ming （CHN） 3. Vaic Zbynek （RSA） 4. Jason Klatt （CAN） 5. Yang Ching-Shun （TPE） 6. Nick Van Den Berg（NED） 7. Andreas Gerwen （SWE） 8. Dennis Orcollo （PHI）
GROUP G 1. Lee Van Corteza （PHI） 2. Marcus Chamat （SWE） 3. Albin Ouschan（AUT） 4. Oi Naoyuki （JPN） 5. Liu Zheng-Chieh （TPE） 6. Chen Ying-Chieh （TPE） 7. Do Hoang Quan （VIE） 8. Fu Che-Wei （TPE）	GROUP H 1. Huidji See （NED） 2. Zhou Long （CHN） 3. Aloysius Yapp （SIN） 4. Abdulatif Al Fawal （QAT） 5. Zhu Xihe （CHN） 6. Han Haoxiang （CHN） 7. Oscar Dominguez （USA） 8. Karl Boyes （GBR）

THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE PLAYERS
1. Fu Xiaofang （CHN） 2. Rubelin Amit （PHI） 3. Wu Tzi-Ting (TPE） 4. Gao Meng （CHN） 5. Nicola Rossouw （RSA） 6. Wei Tzu-Chien （TPE） 7. Tsai Pei-Chen （TPE） 8. Liu Yuchen （CHN） 9. Jung Bo Ra （KOR） 10. Bai Ge （CHN） 11. Huyen Thi Hgoc （VIE） 12. Cha Yu Ram （KOR） 13. Liu Shasha （CHN） 14. Wang Xiaotong （CHN） 15. Li Jia （CHN） 16. Wu Jing （CHN） 17. Yukawa Keiko （JPN） 18. Chen Xue （CHN） 19. Kim Ga Young （KOR） 20. Tsuchiya Junko （JPN） 21. Chan Ya-Ting （TPE） 22. Duong Thuy Vi （VIE） 23. Bi Zhuqing （CHN） 24. Park Eun Ji （KOR）	25. Kelly Fisher （GBR） 26. Jing Jia （CHN） 27. Luo Qiuhong （CHN） 28. Cong Jing （CHN） 29. Han Fang （CHN） 30. Lin Yuan-Chun （TPE） 31. Chou Chieh-Yu （TPE） 32. Ren Qiuyue （CHN） 33. Akimi Kajitani （JPN） 34. Liu Shin-Mei （TPE） 35. Allison Fisher （GBR） 36. Lai Hui-Shan （TPE） 37. Jasmin Ouschan （AUT） 38. Chichiro Kawahara （JPN） 39. Zhou Doudou （CHN） 40. He Xin-Ru （TPE） 41. Zheng Xiaochun （CHN） 42. Han Yu （CHN） 43. Chen Siming （CHN） 44. Iris Ranola （PHI） 45. Jiang Teng （CHN） 46. Chai Zeet Huey （SIN） 47. Caroline Roos （SWE） 48. Pan Xiaoting （CHN）

THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE LAST 32
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THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE LAST 16
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THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE QUARTER FINALS
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THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE SEMI FINALS
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THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - MEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE FINAL
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THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE LAST 16
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THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE QUARTER FINALS
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THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE SEMI FINALS
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THE 2012 CHINA 9 BALL OPEN - WOMEN
SHANGHAI - CHINA
THE FINAL
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THE 2012 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 2012 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

RELATED ARTICLES AT WWW.PRO9.CO.UK

2012
CHINA OPEN - DAY 1 - MELLING AVERTS FIRST ROUND FLOP
CHINA OPEN - 'I'M READY FOR THE BATTLE'

2011
CHINA OPEN - MELLING BY A MILE!
CHINA OPEN - MELLING AND HSU MOTOR THROUGH TO THE FINAL
CHINA OPEN - MANNA FROM HEAVEN
CHINA OPEN - $275,000 EVENT TO KICK OFF THIS WEEK IN SHANGHAI

2010
CHINA OPEN - THE FINAL DAY

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