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9-12 August 2013
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CHINA'S HAN YU ROMPS TO THE 2013 WOMEN'S WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A 9-1 WIN OVER CHINESE-TAIPEI'S LIN YUAN CHUN
BY TED LERNER
WPA PRESS OFFICER
It’s true that hard work and perseverance do pay off.
Han Yu, who joined China’s national billiard team five years ago when she was just 16 years old, finally fulfilled the dream that she and her coaches knew would someday come. And what a way to do it. In front of several hundred people watching inside the Richgate Shopping Center in Shenyang, and an estimated audience of nearly 100 million people watching on China’s state television, Han completely outclassed Taiwan’s Lin Yuan Chun, 9-1, and won the 2013 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship.
Han’s victory means that Chinese players have won four out of the last five Women’s World 9-ball Championships. The win also cemented the fact that, but for a few exceptions, the epicentre of women’s 9-ball pool is well ensconced in China.
For the last few years, the talented Han has noticeably taken a bit of a back seat to the more high profile players on China’s national team, such as Liu Shasha, Fu Xiaofang, and Chen Siming. But that all ended today with a scorching performance against Lin. Han now sits atop the pool world. And with her talent and noticeable confidence, she can only be expected to achieve even more.
Interestingly Han very nearly didn’t even qualify for the knockout round of 32. She had to win a 9-8 squeaker just to get a spot in the round of 32. Once through, however, she was barely challenged, as she displayed a panache and bravery that couldn’t be touched.
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All photography courtesy of ©Tai Chengzhe / www.top147.com used with permission.
Han started the day with a workman-like 9-6 victory over Taiwan’s Tan Ho Yun. Lin, who won this event back in 2008 but hadn’t done much since then, played brilliantly to reach the final. Her 9-6 win over the fancied Liu Shasha in the semi’s was impressive, as she battled Liu toe to toe and sprinted to the finish line in the championship racks.
The 28 year old Lin, however, began the race to 9, alternate break final straight on both back feet. Two mistakes in the first two racks quickly put her in an early hole. She got one back to move to 2-1, but a scratch in the fifth rack put her down 4-1. Lin fouled again in rack 6 and Han cleared to go up 5-1. In rack 7, Han sank the 9-ball on the break. Before you could say “World Championship finals,” Han was up 6-1 and waltzing towards the title.
Sometime in the subsequent rack, a tournament official came over and informed the referee that the golden break of Han was actually an illegal break, meaning that three balls hadn’t passed the head string. But since the referee hadn’t called it, and nor did Lin, the golden break stood. No matter, though. Han pulled off a brilliant run out and now led 7-1. Han broke and ran the next rack to move to the hill. Then she pounced on a miss by Lin in the 10th rack and stood up and cleared the table for the world championship.
As she packed up her cue case, the low key Han suddenly found herself surrounded by mobs of fans wanting her autograph and photo. She seemed almost nonchalant about what she had just accomplished, only until her mother came into the scene. After a very long embrace, Han broke down in tears.
Afterwards, while explaining how it all happened, Han displayed the same quiet fortitude that she had on the table. No boasting, no wild celebrations, no getting too impressed with one’s achievements. Even the way she said she deals with pressure seemed downright clinical.
“This was my best match of the week,” the new World 9-ball Champion said through an interpreter. “I just felt really good out there. My mental game, my technical game, it all came together. I wasn’t nervous. There’s really no point in getting scared. I just tell myself that I have to play my game. If I can play my game, then I can do it.”
She made a point to thank her parents, especially her father, for nurturing her dream of becoming a champion pool player.
“When I was younger my father liked to play pool and he encouraged me to play. My mother just wanted me to study and she didn’t want me to play pool. But I wanted to play pool because it’s a popular international game. My father won out (laughs). I always wanted to win a world championship and from the beginning I always wished that my dream would come true. Now it has. I’m happy.
As she faced a scrum of media Lin was clearly disappointed in the final result. After winning the world title in 2008 she hadn’t accomplished much in pool and she thought that her play this week was the sure ticket back to the top. As usual in Chinese culture, however, graciousness won out over disappointment.
“It was just bad luck,” she said. “I wasn’t nervous. Maybe it wasn’t my day. I missed some chances and she played really well. All I can say is congratulations to Han Yu. She played better and she deserved to win today.”
For winning the World 9-ball Championship, Han Yu receives $40,000, while Lin took home $20,000.
All photography courtesy of ©Tai Chengzhe / www.top147.com used with permission.
A SHOOTOUT'S IN THE OFFING AS THE WOMEN'S WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP GETS DOWN TO THE FINAL 16
BY TED LERNER
WPA PRESS OFFICER
After a day of ups and downs as only 9-ball pool can offer up, the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship has been whittled down to 16 players. And a quick glance at the line-up ready to do battle over the next two days tells you clearly that this is going to be one fun ride to the biggest prize in women’s pool.
Fascinating facts about this year’s final 16 include; the appearance of four out of the last five world 9-ball champions, two BCA Hall of Famers, a four time winner of this event, a four time runner up, the current World 10-ball champion, and seven out of the top ten women players in the world. There are also a few young upstarts, tested veterans, and a few prodigies who are certainly due to win the biggest event in women’s pool. And, to ensure good storylines for the fans around the world, a total of six countries are represented.
The fact that the final 16 is so stacked with talent means that Day 2 inside the Richgate Shopping Center provided few massive upsets. But there was still plenty of edge of your seat drama to be had.
Easily the biggest story of the day belonged to Great Britain’s Allison Fisher. The “Duchess of Doom” began Saturday’s play fighting for survival on the losers side of her group in a marquee match against 2010 World 9-ball Champion Fu Xiaofang that could easily have been a big time final.
In a short race to 7, Fisher was up 4-2. Fu, last year’s runner up to Kelly Fisher, tied it at 5-5, then moved to within one of qualifying at 6-5. Fisher, a four time winner of the Women’s World 9-ball, then tied it at 6. In the final rack, Fisher had two balls remaining when she missed the 8-ball in the corner. But before she could head to her seat and begin the postmortems, the 8 ball careened off the rail and into the side pocket. Even better, the cue ball landed with shape on the 9. Fisher advanced to the final 32 knockout round, while Fu looked like she’d been struck by lightning.
Later in the knockout round of 32, Fisher found herself up 8-3 against Taiwan’s Chan Ya Ting in a race to 9. Chan stormed back to tie it at 8 and had the final break shot. But Fisher prevailed yet again, to move into Sunday’s Final 16.
“I’m proud of myself for keeping it together,” a delighted Fisher said afterwards. “Everything went my way at first. I had control of the match. But then she didn’t miss a ball and I got a bit tentative. You have to be committed in this game. It’s always a battle with yourself. I do feel like I have an angel looking over me today.”
Even without the vaunted Fu in the field, the lineup of Team China appears to be very formidable. 20 year old Chen Siming, who many feel is the most naturally gifted pool player in a veritable Chinese sea of talent, looked very good on the TV table today, as she taught a lesson to 13 year old—yes you read that right-- Chinese player Jiang Teng, 9-4. Teng is one of these amazing talents that seem to pop up regularly in China and is definitely one to keep an eye on in the coming years. She wields a beautiful stroke and dazzles with her shot making ability and cue ball control.
Chen, on the other hand, was only recently where Jiang is now; a child prodigy with awe inspiring talent. Chen, however, has put in her time, suffered stinging defeats and won several big events. She hasn’t yet won a world title but nobody would be surprised if this is her year.
Liu ShashaChina’s Liu Shasha is another heavy favourite here. The 20 year old Liu won the China Open in May and that win propelled her belief in her game to sky high levels.
“I think maybe I got a bit lucky to win the China Open,” Liu said through an interpreter after defeating fellow Chinse Bai Ge, 9-7. “But after I became the China Open champion, I’d say my confidence is really high right now.” Liu acknowledged that playing in front of tens of millions of her countrymen and women provides serious pressure, but it also helps motivate her to play better.
“I want to win the championship so we can keep the title in China,” she said. “Yes there’s a lot of pressure on Chinese players, but there’s also a lot of motivation playing in front of your own people. Actually there’s more pressure on me because when you win a tournament, people expect you to win all the time.”
Liu will face the 2011 World 9-ball Champion, fellow Chinese, Bi Zhuqing in the final 16. At about 4’10” and decidedly boyish looking, Bi is the polar antithesis of the striking Liu in terms of marketability in China. But Bi can flat out play the game and this match should be a cracker.
Defending champion Kelly Fisher of Great Britain finally caught a gear today, looking solid in beating Russia’s Anna Mazhirina, 9-4. Hall of Famer Karen Corr of Ireland continued her fine run in her comeback to pool, defeating the Philippines’ Iris Ranola, 9-6. Corr, who has been runner-up in the world championship four times, says she will retire if she doesn’t win this week. She’s clearly living on the edge as she goes up against Chen Siming in the round of 16.
Korea’s Ga Young Kim also seems to be in a grove, as she proved with a solid 9-3 win over China’s Gao Meng. Should Kim go all the way, it would prove a massive hit with the Chinese fans. The dashing and fashionable Kim, who speaks fluent Mandarin, is adored by Chinese fans, who besiege her for photos and autographs everywhere she goes.
Taiwan brings four solid players into the final 16, including 2008 World 9-ball champion Lin Yuan Chun. As one of the world’s great pool playing countries, Taiwan always can be counted on to offer up new talent and this year is no exception.
Wei Tzu Chein is part of the new generation of pool talent coming out of the island nation. The 23 year old from Taipei studies business management at university and plays pool every chance she gets. She won a local qualifier in Taipei to gain a spot in the World Championship. She came out of the losers bracket today and met up with Taiwan’s number one woman player Chou Chieh-Yu, who just returned from Columbia with a gold medal in the World Games. The bright lights certainly didn’t faze Wei, however, as she played superb in a 9-7 win to advance.
Pool is very much a mind sport and Wei explained she is using her brain to keep herself together.
“I have no stress,” Wei said afterwards. “In Taiwan she(Chou) is more famous than me. So if I win it’s ok. If I lose, it’s ok. This is my best result in a world championship so it’s all new to me. I’m just enjoying it.
“Before the match I got a piece of paper and wrote down all the bad thoughts that I have, and also all the good thoughts. I took the paper with the bad things and ripped them up and threw it in the garbage. The good list I kept with me in my bag. I even looked at it when I went to the bathroom during a break.”
The round of 16 begins at 10am Sunday. The quarterfinals commence at 1pm local time and will be played separately on the TV table. The semi-finals and finals will be played Monday.
The winner of the 2103 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000 while the runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $150,000.
All photography courtesy of ©Tai Chengzhe / www.top147.com used with permission.
HALL OF FAMER KAREN CORR MAKES A COMEBACK TO POOL WITH TWO WINS ON DAY 1 OF THE WOMEN'S WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
BY TED LERNER
WPA PRESS OFFICER
To say that Karen Corr is a big name in the sport of women’s professional pool would be quite the massive understatement. In a career spanning 13 years in the US, the native of Northern Ireland has won just about everything there is to win in pool, including 15 Classic Tour titles, four BCA Open titles, three WPBA National Championships and three Tournament of Champions titles. In 2012 Corr was rewarded for her accomplishments with the greatest accolade of them all; she was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America(BCA) Hall of Fame.
Corr, however, arrived in Shenyang, China this week for the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship practically unnoticed. In 2011 she stepped away from the game to care for her dying mother, who passed away in July of last year. Late last year, however, Corr decided to come back to pool. And clearly she’s got plenty of the legendary fight left in her.
In her first match of the tournament on Day 1 here in Shenyang, Corr found herself up against the formidable Jasmine Ouschan of Austria. Down 6-3 in a race to 7, Corr pounced on several horrid mistakes by Ouschan, and ended up taking a miraculous win, 7-6.
Later, in a winner’s side match for a slot in the final 32 knockout stage, Corr looked rock solid and handily defeated Germany’s Ina Kaplan, 7-4.
Afterward, Corr explained how this tournament just might be her last go around in pool.
“I need a good result or that’s it,” the 42 year old said. “I’m going to retire from pool.”
Corr said she traveled to Shenyang on her own dime. With the tight economy back home combined with her time away from the game, she has found it near impossible to find any backing whatsoever. The lack of playing opportunities hasn’t helped either.
“I think I’m going to have to find a real job.”
A good result, according to Corr, means nothing short of winning the World Championship this week. While her lengthy sabbatical would seem to mean her chances of taking the trophy are quite slim, Corr has had more than a little success in this event in the past. Four times she’s finished runner up in the World 9-ball Championship, the last in 2009, when she lost 9-5 to 16 year old Liu Shasha, after leading 5-1.
And then, of course, there’s that old saying, something about playing loose when nobody, even yourself, expects you to do anything.
“I have no expectations,” Corr said, “which I guess is a good thing.”
Jasmin OuschanOne who did come into this event with plenty of expectations was Corr’s first opponent today, Ouschan, who shockingly went two and out and will be flying back to Austria tomorrow. Ouschan’s quick exit, and how it happened, was easily the biggest story of the day inside the warm and humid Richgate Shopping Center.
After blowing her match against Corr, Ouschan came up against China’s formidable Bai Ge on the losers side. Ouschan played catch-up throughout the match and at 6-4 down it looked to be curtains as she scratched on the break. But then Bai incredibly blew a massively easy 9-ball to hand the Austrian a lifeline. At 6-5, Bai again choked on a run out and the score was tied at 6 all. After Bai scratched in the final rack, Ouschan was running the colors when she inexplicably bobble a fairly straight in 7 ball in the jaws and lost the match.
Most of pool’s other big names rolled through to the final 32 today. Defending champion Kelly Fisher didn’t look her championship best, but it was good enough to win two straight and start fresh in the knockout stage Saturday. She said the conditions were difficult to get used to.
“I’m playing good but I’m also making silly mistakes,” Fisher said. “I’m getting used to the conditions. It’s very hot out there. I have to get more control of the cue. I stepped it up here and there. I’m not thinking of repeating. I can’t get a better result than last year. I just take each match as it comes.”
World number 2 Liu Shasha of China won two straight to qualify, as did fellow Chinese and world number 3 Chen Siming. World number 4 and 2010 World 9-ball Champion, and last year’s runner up, Fu Xiaofang lost her first match to fellow Chinese Zhou Doudou. Fu bounced back with a solid 7-2 win over the USA’s Jennifer Baretta.
Fu will play on Friday for a spot in the final 32 against Hall of Famer, and four time winner of this event, Allison Fisher. Fisher lost her second match of the day against Singapore’s Charlene Chai, 7- 3.
China’s superstar and “Queen of 9-ball,” Pan Xiaoting, kept the home fans delighted as she won two straight matches on the TV table to reach the round of 32.
Another notable who qualified with two straight wins was Taiwans’s Chieh-Yu Chou. Chieh, who just won gold at the World Games in Columbia, was a semi-finalist here last year and is the currently number one player in Taiwan and world number 8. Her game looks unflappable and fans can expect to see her go far again this year.
Another popular player looking solid is Korea’s Ga Young Kim. Kim, who won two straight today to qualify, recently won the ladies division at the Ultimate 10-ball tournament in the US. After routing fellow Korean Park Eunji 7-0, Kim said she is better prepared to win this year. Last year during this same event she was in the middle of training for her appearance on Korea’s Dancing With the Stars. She actually flew in her dance partner to Shenyang to train four hours of dancing between matches. Without such distractions this year, and a recent win under her belt, Kim has to be one of the strong favorites to lift the trophy on Monday.
“I’d love to have another title,” she said.
Pan Xiaoting entertains her fansPlay continues on Saturday with the last rounds on the losers side of the brackets. The round of 32 single elimination knockout will also be played tomorrow leaving 16 players left at the end of play Saturday. Four players will be left after Sunday. The semi-finals and finals will be played on Monday.
The winner of the 2103 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000 while the runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $150,000.
Vegar Kristiansen (NOR)
AS THE 2013 WOMEN'S WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS IN SHENYANG, CHINA, ORGANIZERS GIVE THE LADIES A SEND OFF FIT FOR QUEENS.
Anyone who has ever been to any kind of event in China knows the importance that the Chinese place on ceremony. Everyone, especially the organizers, and other local dignitaries who didn’t even have anything to do with putting the event together, are all given their moment to shine, usually with long winded speeches that nobody listens to. Guests are made to feel that they are about to get the keys to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Often times food is involved, lots of it, as well as copious amounts of alcoholic drink. Teenage girls in elaborate get-ups dance to some loud and catchy song. Throngs of rabid photographers swarm the event recording it all.
And so it was at the opening ceremony of the 2013 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship on Thursday night inside the ultra-hip Richgate Shopping Center complex here in Shenyang.
For some reason, the organizers didn’t throw out the succulent spread of Chinese delicacies. But as usual, they spared no effort in providing plenty of pomp and pageantry.
As teams of youngsters scurried about preparing the arena for the event, orchestral music filled the atrium, as dozens of photographers and hundreds of fans and onlookers waited for the event to begin. At one end of the mall, towering over a Star pool table, a giant LED screen flashed information about the event’s title sponsor, a giant construction company named the Guoao Group.
The festivities began with some sort of press conference. I say “some sort of” because in China, the press doesn’t really ask proper questions. Any questions are usually giant “softballs” designed to let the person answering enumerate all the positives of the event and the people involved. Nothing controversial will ever be brought up.
After several minutes the chairs were pushed aside and the entertainment commenced. The theme for this year’s Women’s World 9-ball Championship is “All Stars” and “Shine 9-ball,” and the two phrases are plastered on every poster throughout the mall. Suddenly an all-girl band appeared on the floor. They carried instruments like the violin, guitar, flute, keyboard, all wrapped in brightly colored blue LED lights. They wore knee-high leather boots, wide-frilly skirts, and had microphones attached to their cheeks.
The loud catchy music commenced and they girls went into action, dancing to the music, pretending to play their instruments. Right from the start it was obvious they were just miming as several of the instruments were clearly broken. Still, the effect was pretty cool.
When the polite applause died down, it was time to bring on the main event of the evening. The introduction of the players. In one of the more bizarre juxtapositions one could find anywhere on the planet, the theme of the classic American western movie, The Magnificent Seven, filled the hall as the lady emcee brought out the players. And what an entrance it was.
There’s an escalator that descends straight into the atrium and the organizers had each of the players descend down the escalator as they were being introduced. First up was defending champion Kelly Fisher of Great Britain. As she slowly descended, a phalanx of photographers clicked away furiously down at the bottom. Kelly, clearly awed and delighted at the attention, waived and smiled. She then walked through the gauntlet of pool paparazzi, and posed next to the pool table, as camera flashes filled the air. Next she walked over to a wall that had been set up with a giant tournament poster. She signed a styrofoam star, then stuck the star onto one of the blank stars of the poster.(All Stars..get it?). She then turned and posed for another wall of photographers. Finally she took her seat in the audience.
The big stars each got their own introduction and it was fashion and glamor straight down the line. China’s Fu Xiaofang stunned in an all black dress. Her close friend Liu Shasha elicited a few ooh and ahhs with a sporty new hairstyle and a colourful outfit. Many of the European players were dressed in their finest, this their one and only opportunity to shine like nowhere on else on earth.
Some of the biggest responses were given to Korea’s Ga Young Kim. With her dramatic looks and sense of flair, Kim is a total natural at this sort of thing. She just oozed glamor in her white strapless dress which the Chinese clearly went gaga over as she milked the cameras for every last ounce of publicity.
Another popular player was Korea’s Yu Ram Cha. Yu Ram clearly has the look that Chinese fans adore; Petite, demur, regal and cute all wrapped up into one. One could say she has the look of a, well, China doll. The pool paparazzi simply went bonkers when she descended that escalator.
Pan XiaotingThe biggest applause of the evening was reserved for the legend, Pan Xiaoting. Pan fits the bill for the Chinese public in every sense of the word. Pretty, demure, polite and a great player to boot. She was the original pioneer in Chinese pool. Pan, known nationwide here as "the Queen of 9-ball," was the first Chinese player to win a world 9-ball Championship(2007). She also spent a fair amount of time playing in the US.
The introduction phase when on for thirty minutes. I must point out that for the Chinese players, this type of kick off to a tournament is clearly par for the course. Pool in this country is considered a proper sport, backed by the government with real money and training no different than the gruelling training that gymnasts and swimmers go through. And why not? Pool is after all, under the Olympic umbrella.
But for the foreign players in the event, being greeted in this grand fashion was obviously a wide-eyed experience that they won’t soon forget. Outside of China, and perhaps the Philippines, pool is a sport often looked down upon by the powers that be and society at large. Pool players are generally not even allowed into pool halls until they are 18 years old.
These foreign players will never, ever be greeted by adoring fans and rabid photographers. No matter that much of the adoration had nothing to do with their ability to play the sport at the top level. That this was more akin to a fashion show, and a pageant didn’t matter one darn bit.
“That was really nice,” said Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan of the introduction. “We don’t get treated like that anywhere else except here in China.”
The winner of the 2103 WPA Women’s World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000 while the runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $150,000.
The World Pool-Billiard Association(WPA) will be on hand in Shenyang throughout the week bringing you all the drama from the 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship. WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner will be reporting from the Richgate Shopping Center with daily articles containing insight and analysis, as well as photos. Ted will also be manning the WPA Facebook page and Twitter feed and responding to fans queries and comments. Fans can also follow all matches via the WPA live scoring platform.
*The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball will be held in Shenyang, China from August 6-12, and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association(WPA). 64 women players from across the globe will compete for the biggest prize in Women’s Pool. The 2013 Women’s World 9-ball Championship is a WPA ranking event..
::: WOMEN'S 9 BALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - THE STATISTICS :::
2013 WOMEN'S WORLD 9 BALL CHAMPIONSHIP |
SHENYANG - CHINA |
THE LAST 16 |
Lin Yuan-Chun beat Kim Ga Young Tsai Pei-Chen beat Kajitani Akimi Liu Shasha beat Bi Zhuqing Tan Ho-Yun beat Kelly Fisher Wei Tzu-Chien beat Kawahara Chihiro Han Yu beat Chen Xue Allison Fisher beat Wu Jing |
2013 WOMEN'S WORLD 9 BALL CHAMPIONSHIP |
SHENYANG - CHINA |
THE QUARTER-FINALS |
Liu Shasha beat Tsai Pei-Chen Tan Ho-Yun beat Wei Tzu-Chien Han Yu beat Allisoon Fisher |
2013 WOMEN'S WORLD 9 BALL CHAMPIONSHIP |
SHENYANG - CHINA |
THE SEMI-FINALS |
Han Yu beat Tan Ho-Yun |
2013 WOMEN'S WORLD 9 BALL CHAMPIONSHIP |
SHENYANG - CHINA |
THE FINAL |
2013 WOMEN'S WORLD 9 BALL CHAMPIONSHIP | ||
SHENYANG - CHINA | ||
THE PRIZE FUND | ||
| Winner: | US$40,000 x 1 | |
| Runner Up: | US$20,000 x 1 | |
| Third Place: | US$10,000 x 1 | |
| Fourth Place: | US$8,000 x 1 | |
| Quarter-Finalists: | US$5,000 x 4 | |
| Last 16: | US$3,000 x 8 | |
| Last 32: | US$1,500 x 16 | |
| Last 33-48: | US$750 x 16 | |
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