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2011 Philippine Open Pool Championships - Day 4

A Pro9 - Europe's No.1 Pool Player Resource Article

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Date: Sunday, April 10 2011 @ 15:32:20 UTC
Topic: 10 Ball



2011 Philippine Open Pool Championships
Megatrade Hall 3
SM Megamall
Mandaluyong City
Metro Manila
Philippines
www.wpa-pool.com - Live scoring.
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www.sm-megamall.com
www.starbilliards.com.ph - Ustream
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www.fromsportcom.com Live Streaming Video (Best quality when available).

6-11 April 2011


Antonio Lining - Philippines
Photography © Frederico Makabenta - used by Pro9 with express permission.

Day Four: Final Four Cast Complete: Souquet, Liu, Hohmann, Lining

It’s now down to the final four. The new champion in the Philippine Open Pool Championships will be known today,  Monday, April 11, at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. As early as Sunday afternoon, Ricky Yang of Indonesia, the defending champion, bowed out of the tournament after suffering his second setback. He lost to up-and-coming Filipino player Carlo Biado, 1-9, as early as the round-of-16. The 27-year old Biado continued to push his luck as far as he could and he did that with a stunning 9-7 win over his compatriot, newly-crowned World 8-Ball champion Dennis Orcullo.

His luck ended in a do-or-die battle against former world champion Thorsten Hohmann of Germany, who won in a thrilling 9-8 encounter. The German player, who is seeking his first championship on Philippine soil, joined his bosom buddy and countryman Ralf Souquet and Liu Haitao of China, two players who barged into the Final Four unscathed going to the final day.

The last berth for the semifinals was disputed by veteran Filipino Antonio Lining and Darren Appleton of Great Britain. Lining prevailed in the tightly contested match,   9-6. “It’s nice to be in the semifinals. It’s always fun for me competing in the Philippines and until now, I have yet to win a title here,” said Hohmann. “I made several mistakes, including the missed shot at the No. 10 ball, which could have given me a chance to finish off the match earlier. But he made mistakes, too, and we had an interesting finish by making several safety exchanges.” Lining is the last Filipino standing.

His win over Appleton, a former World Ten Ball champion, was aided by luck coupled with the Briton’s erratic game, which came at a perfect time. “Luck played a big part in my victory,  as well as  the bad game he played,” said Lining.  The four players take center stage on Monday beginning at 12 noon with Lining taking on Souquet and Liu going up against Hohmann.

"Read More..." for further details by Raya Sports Staff.


Siming Chen - China
Photography © Frederico Makabenta - used by Pro9 with express permission.

Chen vs Fisher for women’s championship



Siming Chen of China and Kelly Fisher of Great Britain arranged a titular showdown for the women's championship. Chen survived former Amway World champion Lin Yuan Chun of Chinese Taipei, 9-6, while Fisher defeated former World Women's 9-Ball champion Li Sha Sha of China by the same score. Fisher broke free from a 6-6 standoff by taking the next three racks and spoiling a possible all-Chinese finale. Chen came back from a 3-5 deficit before turning back Lin, a crack competitor who once played against some of the best male players in the inaugural World Ten Ball Championship in Manila in 2008.




Ralf Souquet - Germany
Photography © Frederico Makabenta - used by Pro9 with express permission.

Day Four: Souquet, Liu advance to Final Four

The first two seats in the Final Four of the Philippine Open Pool Championships are now already reserved for Ralf Souquet of Germany and Liu Haitao of China. The two asserted their dominance Sunday by pulling off two more wins to stay unscathed in this WPA-sanctioned tournament. They are the only undefeated players in the tournament.

Souquet, a double world champion and former world No.1 player, outlasted Darren Appleton in a hill-hill encounter, 9-8, in their round-of-16 match. The German ace formalized his entry in the semifinal round after subduing compatriot and bosom buddy Thorsten Hohmann, 9-2, in their quarterfinal showdown. Liu, on the other hand, squeaked past Filipino Antonio Lining in a 9-8 decision.

But the biggest news of the day happened a few minutes before night time when the up-and-coming Carlo Biado ousted newly-crowned World 8-Ball champion Dennis Orcullo, 9-7. “Less ang pressure sa akin ngayon and medyo masama rin ang laro ni Dennis,” said Biado. ("The pressure is less on me, and Dennis is a little off today.)

One of those mistakes proved to be crucial. A miscalculated position play on the 5-ball forced Orcullo to take a difficult shot, which he missed. Biado pounced on the opportunity and wrapped up the match. He added the country’s No.1 bet in the international pool circuit to his growing list of victims.

If there’s one player who’s definitely in a zone, it’s Souquet. He has won five straight games, including two in convincing fashion over top-rated opponents. His performance in two of the last three games appeared to be an indication the veteran cue artist is determined to win his first-ever crown on Philippine soil. “I’ve been in the finals of a major pool tournament three times and didn’t win any of those. I’ve been knocking on the door for a championship, but I wasn’t successful. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance this time,” said Souquet.

Asked whether winning over Hohmann was easy, Souquet thought otherwise. “From the score, it looks like I had an easy win, but it’s never been easy as we had several exchanges of safety shots and I was just able to take advantage on Thorsten’s three missed shots,” said Souquet. The former World 8-Ball and 9-Ball champion has yet to fully recover from shoulder and back injuries he suffered while going on tour for the past several months. At least for the next three games, Souquet was able to get his mind off them.

“As long as I can stay focused, I think I’ll have a good shot winning this tournament,” added Souquet. “I’m still feeling it (injuries) just a little bit, but I’m trying to get my mind off it. But to win, you need to have luck as well. It plays a big factor in winning a championship.”

Unlike Souquet, who breezed past his opponent, Liu had to carve out a win the hard way. The Chinese cue artist fought back from the verge of elimination to turn back Lining. Down 6-8, Liu had to pounce on one of the few mistakes made by Lining. The 47-year-old Filipino missed the No. 5 at the corner in the 15th rack. Liu was able to capitalize and cleaned up the remaining balls to stay within striking distance, 7-8. Liu then ran out the next two racks in completing a come-from-behind win and dealing Lining his first setback in five matches. The Filipino player was relegated to the loser’s bracket.


Liu Haitao - China
Photography © Frederico Makabenta - used by Pro9 with express permission.





Ralf Souquet - Germany / Dennis Orcullo - Philippines
Photography © Frederico Makabenta - used by Pro9 with express permission.

Day Three: A Battle of Titans - Souquet Trounces Orcullo

The rivalry between Ralf Souquet of Germany and Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines was rekindled on the third day of the Philippine Open Pool Championships with fans and pool experts anticipating a battle royal between two of the best players in the sport.

It turned out to be an all-Souquet show. Facing the player who defeated him in the 2009 Predator Ten Ball Championship in Las Vegas, the German ace kept Orcullo sitting on his stool for most of the match and hammered out a surprisingly easy 9-2 win on Saturday night at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

Souquet’s domination of the match wasn’t foreseen, especially when the former World 8-Ball and 9-Ball champion made known in public that he was feeling uncomfortable as he was coming off shoulder and back injuries. “There are these games when you feel like you have some sort of a momentum. I ran out four or five straight racks and my thinking from there was to keep Orcullo on his seat,” said Souquet.

So on this day, neither injury nor Orcullo’s presence could stop Souquet, who was able to break the game wide open starting in the sixth rack, as he recorded five straight runouts. Asked if he had special preparation for the match, the former double-world champion had a simple explanation. “Every time you play Orcullo, you have to bring your A-grade game," said Souquet. “There’s no special preparation for this match. I just played my best tonight."

Souquet’s victory sent him to the last 16 of this World Pool-Billiard Association tournament that offers $30,000 to the champion. The loss sent Orcullo to the loser’s bracket. He will face the surprisingly formidable Al Yousuf of Kuwait, who will seek to add the reigning World 8-Ball champion to his growing list of Filipino victims. He has beaten former world 9-ball champion Ronnie Alcano and Jerico Banares, the conqueror of Mika Immonen in this tournament. Souquet will next face an equally dangerous player in former World Ten Ball champion Darren Appleton of Great Britain in their last 16 match in the winner’s bracket.

Filipino players Lee Van Corteza and Antonio Lining also kept themselves in the winner’s side after completing contrasting victories over their rivals. Corteza won over a crack Taiwanese opponent, Chang Jun Lin, 9-6, while Lining scuttled countryman Jundel Mazon, 9-4. It was the first loss of Mazon, a player who earned a spot in the Stage 2 of this event via the qualifying tournament.

Lining and Corteza, however, find themselves in a head-on collision for a quarterfinal seat when they square off Sunday. Mazon was relegated to the loser’s bracket where he plays Chang. Other players in the last 16 of this event are Liu Haitao of China, Takhti Zarekani of Iran, Marcus Chamat of Sweden and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany, who are all in the winner’s side. Orcullo and Mazon head the cast in the loser’s side of the last 16 and they will be joined by Hwang Yong of Korea, Fu Che-Wei of Chinese Taipei, Jason Klatt of Canada, Ricky Yang of Indonesia, and Carlo Biado of the Philippines.


Ralf Souquet - Germany / Dennis Orcullo - Philippines
Photography © Frederico Makabenta - used by Pro9 with express permission.





Ga Young Kim - Korea
Photography © Frederico Makabenta - used by Pro9 with express permission.

Day Three: World champs, top players get door in Philippine Open

Down to its last two days, the Philippine Open Pool Championships is turning out to be one of the most unpredictable, surprising opens and most competitive tournaments ever staged. As the tournament approaches its penultimate day this Sunday (April 10}, there is still no clear front-runner. Matches are not being decided according to seedings, rankings and reputation.  World champions have fallen by the wayside. And players coming from the qualifiers look just as formidable as the ranking players.

At the end of the day, reigning World Ten Ball champion Mika Immonen of Finland, double world champion Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines, world’s No.1 woman player Ga Young Kim of Korea, and reigning World Women’s 9-Ball champion Fu Xiao-Fang of China had all been shown the exit door, while those who looked invincible in the first two days of the tournament suffered stinging setbacks. 

Only 16 men are still left standing, and only 12 remain in the women's division, as the battles continue to heat up this Sunday. 

Immonen, the reigning world 10-ball champion, ran into a wall called Jerico Banares. He fell by the score of 7-9, in a thrilling afternoon match. Breaks did not go Immonen’s way. Until the 16th rack, the player known as The Iceman continued to struggle. Worst, he scratched the cue ball that could have given him a chance to force a hill-hill showdown. Banares wasted no time as he ran out the remaining balls to post the win and oust the man who only two years ago conquered Manila to become the world 10-ball champion.  “I got lucky in the breaks. He had good breaks as well, but he could not get a clear shot at the balls,” said Banares, a former national junior champion of the Philippines.

But Banares’ luck ran out just a few hours later when he lost to Abdulah Al Yousuf of Kuwait, 6-9. Al Yousuf was also responsible for eliminating Alcano, 9-4. The Filipino champion who once owned the World 9-Ball and World 8-Ball championships, has complained about the mandatory timeout rule. Under the new rule, players can only take a five-minute break during the halfway mark of the match. 

Al Yousuf went off to a blazing start. He raced to a 5-0 lead and was poised to put the game away when Alcano made the match more exciting, winning the next three racks. The Kuwaiti bet bounced back and grabbed the next rack for a 6-3 lead before both players were given a short break. But Al Yousuf, who showed his breaking prowess, got three of the next four racks. 

In the 12th rack, Alcano got the better of the safety exchanges. His ploy worked well when he managed to get a clear shot on ball No.1 and eventually cleaned up the table.  But a scratch off the break in the next rack ended Alcano’s hopes of a rally, and Al Yousuf calmly disposed of the remaining balls one by one, to take the match and move on in the tournament.. “Allan (Cuartero) has been helpful in giving information on how Filipino players play," said Al Yousuf. “Also, this campaign is dedicated to my ailing father, who has a serious heart condition,” said Yousuf.
 
 In the women's division, Ga-Young Kim and Xiao-Fang Fu also got the boot earlier than expected.  Kim was close to wrapping up the match until Lin Yuan Chun of Chinese Taipei made a last-minute spirited charge and came away with a come-from-behind win. Lin, a former Amway World Women’s Champion, refused to quit. Playing with her back against the wall, Lin rallied from 6-8 down before edging Kim in a hill-hill encounter. Her triumph had the makings of a classic encounter. 

Forced to exchange safety shots with Kim, Lin was able to pocket a spectacular bank shot on the No. 9 in the corner. She nailed the final ball and managed to come to within one, 7-8. In the next rack, Lin kept her composure. She ran out the balls and looked destined to complete a remarkable come-from-behind win. In the 17th and final rack, there was no stopping the Taiwanese lass from booting out Kim while keeping her own hopes alive in the tournament. 

Fu, the Chinese pool sensation, and European Tour veteran Kelly Fisher also played in a hill-hill encounter.  With both of them playing in a do-or-die situation, neither player refused to give an inch, but Fisher, a former US Open champion, came out victorious in the end.  


Ronnie Alcano - Philippines
Photography © Frederico Makabenta - used by Pro9 with express permission.



2011 PHILIPPINE OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Robbie Foldvari - Australia
2 Ahmad Taufiq Binh Murni - Brunei
3 Md Alias Bin Hj Raschid - Brunei
4 Jason Klatt - Canada
5 John Morra - Canada
6 Liu Haitao - China
7 Wu Hao - China
8 Mika Immonen - Finland
9 Vincent Facquet - France
10 Ralf Souquet - Germany
11 Darren Appleton - Great Britain
12 Bobby Lee - Hong Kong
13 Kenny Kwok - Hong Kong
14 Rafath Habib - India
15 Sundeep Gulati - India
16 Ricky Yang - Indonesia
17 Rudy Susanto - Indonesia
18 Siauw Wieto - Indonesia
19 Takhti Zarekani - Iran
20 Lo Li-Wen - Japan
21 Oi Naoyuki - Japan
22 Shinya Inoue - Japan
23 Hwang Yong - Korea
24 Lee Gun Jae - Korea
25 Abdullah Al Yousuf - Kuwait
26 Amir Ibrahim - Malaysia
27 Antonio Lining - Philippines
28 Carlo Biado - Philippines
29 Demosthenes Pulpul - Philippines
30 Dennis Orcullo - Philippines
31 Jech Limen - Philippines
32 Jeffrey De Luna - Philippines
33 Jerico Bañares - Philippines
34 Lee Van Corteza - Philippines
35 Marlon Manalo - Philippines
36 Oliver Medenilla - Philippines
37 Ramil Gallego - Philippines
38 Raymund Faraon - Philippines
39 Ronnie Alcano - Philippines
40 Venancio Tanio - Philippines
41 Bashar Hussain - Qatar
42 Mohanna Obaidly - Qatar
43 Konstantin Stepanov - Russia
44 Ruslan Chinakhov - Russia
45 Chan Keng Kwang - Singapore
46 Desmond GohChinTeck - Singapore
47 Chamaka Atapattu - Sri Lanka
48 Marcus Chamat - Sweden
49 Chang Jung Lin - Taipei
50 Ko Ping Chun - Taipei
51 Kuo Po-Cheng - Taipei
52 Mohamed Hosani - UAE
53 Shane Van Boening - USA
54 Nguyen Phuc Long - Vietnam
55 Chang Yu Lung - Taipei (Q)
56 Fu Che Wei - Taipei (Q)
57 Jundel Mazon - Philippines(Q)
58 Roberto Gomez - Philippines (Q)
59 Renemar David - Philippines (Q)
60 Mohamad Zulfikri - Indonesia (Q)
61 Allan Quartero - Philippines (Q)
62 Yoni Rachmanto - Indonesia (Q)
63 Tomoo Takano - Japan (Q)
64 Roland Dela Cruz - Philippines (Q)


2011 PHILIPPINE OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1ST ( £30,000-00 x 1 )
$30,000-00
2ND ( $15,000-00 x 1 )
$15,000-00
3RD ~ 4TH ( $5,000-00 x 2 )
$10,000-00
5TH ~ 6TH ( $3,000-00 x 2 )
$6,000-00
7TH ~ 8TH ( $2,500-00 x 2 )
$5,000-00
9TH ~ 12TH ( $2,000-00 x 4 )
$8,000-00
13TH ~ 16TH ( $1,800-00 x 4 )
$7,200-00
17TH ~ 24TH ( $1,200-00 x 8 )
$9,600-00
25TH ~ 32TH ( $800-00 x 8 )
$6,400-00
TOTAL PRIZE FUND: $97,200




2011 PHILIPPINE OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1ST ( £20,000-00 x 1 )
$20,000-00
2ND ( $10,000-00 x 1 )
$10,000-00
3RD ~ 4TH ( $5,000-00 x 2 )
$10,000-00
5TH ~ 6TH ( $3,500-00 x 2 )
$7,000-00
7TH ~ 8TH ( $2,500-00 x 2 )
$5,000-00
9TH ~ 12TH ( $2,000-00 x 4 )
$8,000-00
13TH ~ 16TH ( $1,500-00 x 4 )
$6,000-00
17TH ~ 24TH ( $750-00 x 8 )
$6,000-00
25TH ~ 32TH ( $500-00 x 8 )
$4,000-00
TOTAL PRIZE FUND: $76,000




2011 PHILIPPINE OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Jasmin Ouschan - Austria
2 Naomi Williams - Canada
3 Veronique Menard - Canada
4 Xiao-Fang Fu - China
5 Siming Chen - China
6 Liu Sha-Sha - China
7 Han Yu - China
8 Marika Poikkiokki - Finland
9 Ine Jentschura - Germany
10 Allison Fisher - Great Britain
11 Kelly Fisher - Great Britain
12 Aradhana Naik - India
13 Suniti Damani - India
14 Angeline Ticoalu - Indonesia
15 Li Jia - Japan
16 Keiko Yukawa - Japan
17 Junko Tsuchiya - Japan
18 Kim Ga Young - Korea
19 Yu Ram Cha - Korea
20 Hyun Ji Won - Korea
21 Lim Yun Mi - Korea
22 Line Kjorsvik - Norway
23 Gillian Go - Philippines
24 Geona Gregorio - Philippines
25 Reggie Ann Biagcong - Philippines
26 Helena Benjamin - Sweden
27 Chou Chieh-Yu - Taipei
28 Monica Webb - USA
29 Lin Yuan Chun - Taipei (Q)
30 Wu Jing - China (Q)
31 Tsai Pei Chen - Taipei (Q)
32 Duong Thuy Vi - Vietnam (Q)









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