World Trade Center
Philippine National Bank Complex
Manila Bay Area
Metro Manila
Philippines
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25-30 November 2009
Europe Fields 52 Players
Leading the stellar cast in the only world men’s championship this year are reigning world 10-ball champion Darren Appleton of Great Britain, current world No.1 Ralf Souquet of Germany, and newly-crowned US Open champion and leading 2009 money-winner Mika Immonen of Finland. But they will have plenty of challengers from every point of the globe.
Pool powerhouse countries like Great Britain, Germany, the United States, Chinese-Taipei and host Philippines are fielding the most number of players in the competition, which carries the year’s biggest prize fund of $262,000.
Great Britain
Great Britain will strive to keep the world title with 10 players. Besides Appleton, the members of the British contingent are: 2007 world 9-ball champion Daryl Peach, Imran Majid, Scott Higgins, Craig Osborne, Karl Boyes, Jonni Fulcher, Ricardo Jones, Phil Burford and Chris Melling.
Germany
Souquet, 2008 world 8-ball champion and World Games gold medalist, leads the nine-man German contingent. The other players are: former world champions Thorsten Hohmann and Oliver Ortmann, Thomas Engert, Marko Vogel, Christoph Reintjes, Ralf Mund, Klaus Zobrekis and Benjamin Heimmerer.
"Read More..." for the details.
A total of 118 players from over 40 countries earning spots and confirming their attendance with only remaining 10 spots will be contested by over 130 players in the WTBC qualifiers that are scheduled on Nov. 19-23 at the famous Star Billiards Center in Quezon City.
Unlike last year, the 2nd WTBC will be an all-male affair and will miss the likes of Jasmin Ouschan of Austria, who made waves last year by playing well against the men. Starting this year, female players now have their own world 10-ball championship.
Finland
Immonen will be joined by Markus Java in representing Finland. He is currently ranked third in the world.
Netherlands
Niels Feijen of the Netherlands, rated fourth in the world, will be joined by compatriots Nick Van Den Berg and Huidji See.
Philipppines
World Billiards Masters Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo, Ronato “Volcano” Alcano, Marlon “Marvelous” Manalo, Lee Vann “The Slayer” Corteza and Warren “Warrior” Kiamco will lead the Philippine team when the biggest pool competition this year gets going on Nov.25-30 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
The Bislig, Surigao del Sur native Orcollo, topped the Predator International 10-Ball Championship last May at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Calamba lanky cue artists Alcano, on the other hand won the 2009 World Galveston Classic 8-Ball competition in Texas last September, the Mandaluyong ace Manalo, meanwhile rules the 2009 Blaze 9-Ball tour in West Hempstead, New York, after beating twice 2001 World Pool Champion Mika “The Iceman” Immonen of Finland in the finals.
The Davao City native Corteza won the 2009 Derby City Classic 10-ball challenge at the Horseshoe Casino & Hotel Elizabeth, Indiannapolis last January while Kiamco, the pride of Pasil, Cebu settled a strong runner-up place in the 2009 World Galveston Classic 10-Ball competition in Texas last September and a third place finish in the 2009 All Japan 9-Ball Championship at the Hotel New Archaic Hall in Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo, Japan, on Sunday.Other Filipino pool wizards who secured spots in the 128 players main draw that includes 2008 WTBC 4th placer Demosthenes “Plong-Plong” Pulpul, 2006 Doha Asian Games 9-ball gold medalist Antonio “Ga-Ga” Gabica, 2007 Manny Pacquiao International 9-Ball Champion Jeffrey “The Bull” De Luna, 2008 WPA World Junior finalist Jerico Banares and Allan Cuartero.
“It’s going to be the toughest tournament of the year,” said Yen Makabenta, chairman of Raya Sports, the organizer of the WTBC. “All the top players are competing, every major pool powerhouse in the world has a contingent, and all national and regional champions will be here.”
United States
The US contingent of nine players is bannered by former US Open and Predator 10-ball champion Shane Van Boening, former world champion Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Stevie Moore, Charlie Bryant, Shaun Wilkie, Charlie Williams, Shawn Putnam and Oscar Dominguez.
Taipei
Chinese-Taipei, a major powerhouse in Asia, is represented by nine formidable players: former two-time world 9-Ball champion Fong Pang Chao, money-game king Ching-Shun Yang, two-time world junior champion Pin-Yi Ko, Yu-Lung Chang, Po-Cheng Kuo, Tsung-Hua Cheng, Hui-chan Lu, Che-Wei Fu, and Hung-Hsiang Wang.
Japan
Five Japanese players are entered in the main draw – Hayato Hijikata, Yukio Akakariyama, Toru Kuribayashi, Naoyuki Ooi and Satoshi Kawabata.
Korea
Korea has four players in Young Hwa Jeong, Woong Dae Kim, Chul Mook Choi and Seung Woo Ryu.
China
China is represented by three international campaigners: Jian-Bo Fu, He-wen Li, and Hai-tao Liu.
And more...
The other players who have secured spots in the main draw of the WTBC are:
Louis Condo and Ben Nunan (Australia), Mario He and Martin Kempter (Austria), Serge Das (Belgium), MB Alias (Brunei), Alain Martel, Raymond Cruz, Erik Hjorleifson, Adam Smith and Tyler Edey (Canada), Li Hewen, Fu Jianbo and Liu Haitao (China), Phil Stojanovic (Croatia), Roman Hybler (Czech Republic), Kasper Kristoffersen and Bahram Lofty (Denmark), Stephan Cohen and Vincent Facquet (France), Andreas Loukiadakis (Greece), Kenny Kwok (Hong Kong), I Alwi Alwi, Widi Harsoyo and Ricky Yang (Indonesia), Farhad Shahverdi (Iran), Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore (Italy), Ibrahim Bin Amir and Lee Poh Soon (Malaysia), Ignacio Chavez (Mexico), Vegar Kristiansen (Norway), Mateusz Sniegocki, Thomasz Kaplan, Mariusz Skoneczny and Radoslaw Babica (Poland), Basher Hussain, Abdulatef Fawal and Rashid Al Mari (Qatar), Konstantin Stepanov and Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia), Sandor Tot (Serbia), Tey Choon Kiat and Toh Lian Han (Singapore), Matjaz Erculj (Slovenia), Jason Theron and Alphonse Hoge (South Africa), David Alcaide and Rafael Guzman (Spain), Marcus Chamat (Sweden), Dimitri Jungo (Switzerland), Mehmet Cankurt and Ramazan Dincer (Turkey), Frailin Guanica and Jalal Youse (Venezuela) and Nguyen Anh Tuan (Vietnam).
Slovenia, Greece and Norway and Slovenia are joining the world championship for the first time.
MARLON BERNARDINO.
2009 WORLD TEN BALL CHAMPIONSHIP | |
*NEW* TOTAL PRIZE FUND: $262,000 | |
Winner x 1 | $60,000-00 |
Runner-Up x 1 | $30,000-00 |
Semi-Finalists x 2 | $15,000-00 |
Quarter-Finalists x 4 | $7,500-00 |
Last 16 Stage x 8 | $4,000-00 |
Last 32 Stage x 16 | $2,500-00 |
Last 64 Stage x 32 | $1,000-00 |
Sanction Fees: WPA –5% : BSCP –2.5% | |