Tongzhou Luhe High School
Tongzhou District
Beijing
China
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28 July - 2 August 2014
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Ina Kaplan proves to be the perfect team player as she helps seal Germany's hard fought win against Austria on Day 2 at the 2014 World Pool Team Championship in Beijing
Ina Kaplan doesn’t have the big time experience, the world titles, nor the time logged in under the pressurized glare of the TV spotlights that some of the greats of the women’s game have. But the 27 year old from Siegen, Germany can, when she’s on her game, certainly hold her own on the pool table against any opponent. Her Euro tour win in late 2013 and her runner up finish in this year’s European Championships attest to some solid cueing talent.
Playing for Team Germany this week in the 2014 World Pool Team Championship here in Beijing alongside greats Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann, and fellow teammate Sebastian Staab, Kaplan would best be described as a role player. You don’t count on her to regularly whip the likes of Fu Xiaofang, Liu Shasha, Allison Fisher, Han Yu or Ga Young Kim. You need Kaplan to come through for the team where and when she can. And that’s exactly what she did on Day 2 today for Germany.
For their first match in the group stages of this year’s World Team Championship, Germany found themselves against one of the event’s toughest squads, Austria. Group C is pool’s equivalent of the “Group of Death,” with Germany, Austria and Great Britain all fighting to advance to the knockout stage. A win early on was vital for both team’s chances.
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In the women’s 9-ball singles match, Kaplan got thrashed by Jasmin Ouschan, 8-1. But then, with Germany leading in the overall match 3-2, it was up to Kaplan and her partner Sebastian Staab to seal the deal in the very last match, 10-ball mixed scotch doubles against Ouschan and Jurgen Jenisy. A win would give Germany three points and a big boost in their quest to advance to the knockout stage. A loss in this match and the overall score would be tied with each team getting only 1 point.
Kaplan rose to the occasion when it counted, and the pair swept Austria 7-2 to give the German’s the overall win, three points, and a massive confidence boost moving forward. Afterwards, a delighted Souquet spoke about what Kaplan brings to the German squad, but, at the same time, with a format that brings together three men and one woman as a team, he was also realistic.
“Some of these other teams have very strong women,” Souquet said. “Ina’s chances against players like Fu Xiafang, Han Yu, Allison Fisher, Ga Young Kim, are small but if she plays well she can be competitive. These women have so much more experience in big tournaments, under pressure, they’ve won world championships. She’s a good player and she’s really good in doubles. I just tell her to have fun and enjoy playing for Germany.
“We’re not heavy favorites. We’re about in the middle. But I feel good about our chances, especially after today. Austria is team that can win. That was our first match of the tournament so that’s never easy. We’re not underdogs but we’re not heavy favorites.”
Germany was, however, extremely pumped after Kaplan and Saab notched the win and they went on to shutout a hapless South Africa 6 -0 to make their place in the final 16 a near certainty.
Austria would come back in the second session on Tuesday and have to do serious battle yet again, this time wrestling with one of the tournament favorites in Great Britain which boasts Daryl Peach, Karl Boyes, Chis Melling and Allison Fisher. Things got even more testy for the Austrians as they found themselves down 3-1 with two matches to play. They managed to win both and got a well-deserved tie and a point to keep their hopes of qualifying alive.
Day 2 at the Tongzhou Luhe High School in Beijing saw 16 matches take place at the World Pool Team Championship as the pretenders started to get weeded out of contention for a coveted spot in the final 16 single elimination which begins on Thursday. There were no surprises in either session but several teams certainly impressed.
The Philippines, with heavyweights Dennis Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit, continued their winning ways, staving off a feisty Team USA to claim a 4-2 overall win. It was the Philippines second win of the event and they will surely make it to the round of 16.
Sweden won its second straight match with a 5-1 thrashing of a very talented up and coming Mongolian squad. Sweden made it to the quarterfinals here two years ago and certainly has the talent to upset a favorite in the knockout stage.
Both China squads won yet again but they have yet to be tested as they each have had perhaps the easiest draws in the entire tournament. China 1, with Li He Wen, Wu Jiaqing, Chu Bing Chia, Han Yu and Chen Siming thumped Croatia 5-1. China 2 featuring Liu Haitao, Dang Ching Hu, Wang Can, Fu Xiaofang and Liu Shasha beat Vietnam 5-1. Both China teams will definitely be seeing action in the Final 16.
Chinese-Taipei, the defending champion, also won handily again, downing Russia 5-1. Japan, a runner up to Chinese-Taipei two years, won it's second straight match.
Wednesday is Judgement Day here in Beijing, as the field will be whittled down from 25 teams to 16, who will then compete in a single elimination knockout which begins Thursday. The two semi-finals will be played on Friday, while the Finals will take place on Saturday beginning at 2PM ( GMT +8 ).
The knockout stage will give fans their first chance to see the exciting shootout, a feature which is unique to the World Pool Team Championship. If both squads end their six-match set tied at three, the winning team will be decided by a shootout. Players will have to try and pot full table cut shots into either corner pocket, with the first team to reach six points and get a two point margin—i.e. 6-4, 7-5—declared the winner.
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BEIJING - CHINA | ||||
RESULTS - DAY 2 GROUP STAGES - SESSION 1 | ||||
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RESULTS - DAY 2 GROUP STAGES - SESSION 2 | ||||
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Wednesday July 30
Session1, 1:00PM ( GMT +8 )
New Zealand vs. Korea
Malaysia vs. Indonesia
China 1 vs. Hong Kong
Sweden vs. Croatia
USA vs. Bulgaria
Austria vs. South Africa
Vietnam vs. Singapore
Philippines vs. Poland
Session 2 6:30PM ( GMT +8 )
Russia vs. New Zealand
India vs. Malaysia
Great Britain vs. Germany
China 2 vs. Australia
Chinese-Taipei vs. Korea
Japan vs. Indonesia
China 1 vs. Sweden
Croatia vs. Mongolia
FAVOURITES ROMP TO EASY WINS ON OPENING DAY
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Teams stick to the predictable script as the 2014 World Pool Team Championship gets underway in Beijing
Day 1 at the 2014 World Pool Team Championship at the Tongzhou Luhe High School in Beijing may have been short, with only one session played, but the results were indicative of just how the remainder of the group stages will most likely proceed over the next few days.
16 out of the 25 teams saw action today, including both Chinese squads, and all the favorites won by landslides or comfortable margins.
What this shows is that the multi-discipline format of the event makes surprises about as difficult to come by as a school playground here in Beijing full of blonde Chinese students. The World Pool Team Championship is not an ordinary 9-ball event, where an upstart can get red hot and catch a big favorite by surprise. Yes, it can happen here. But that surprise would be just one match out of a total of six matches played between the two countries in one contest. (one 8 ball men’s doubles, one 8-ball men’s singles, one 9-ball women’s singles, one 9-ball men’s singles, one 10-ball mixed scotch doubles, one 10-ball men’s singles.) Any pool players knows what happens when you play long sets, or multiple sets against an opponent. The age old phrase, “the crème always rises to the top,” comes to mind.
The cream of professional pool didn’t have to even rise anywhere today as it began the evening’s action already at the top and stayed firmly there throughout. Defending champions Chinese- Taipei, with its powerhouse line up of stars Chang Jun Lin, Ko Pin Yi, Hsu Kai Lun, Fu Che Wei, Chou Cheih Yu demolished an overmatched New Zealand squad 6 -0. The Taiwanese played in the same smooth and calm manner throughout this event in 2012 and were practically untouchable then. Any team lined up against this juggernaut better be prepared.
Several hundred people turned out to cheer on their hometown heroes and they didn’t leave disappointed. China 1, with Li He Wen, Wu Jiaqing, Chu Bing Chia, Han Yu, and Chen Siming manhandled Mongolia 6 -0. China 2—stacked with Liu Haitao, Dang Ching Hu, Wang Can, Fu Xiaofang, and Liu Shasha had no issues with Singapore, winning handily 5-1.
The Philippines is surely going to qualify for the final 16 and contend for the title. Dennis Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit had a few early issues with a fired up Bulgarian squad. But the Pinoy stars buckled down for a 5-1 win.
In other matches, Great Britain defeated South Africa 6-0, Sweden outlasted Hong Kong 4-2, while Japan, which always seems to have the most fun in these types of events, easily beat Malaysia 5 -1.
The best and most even match of the evening took place between the USA and Poland. The USA was up 2-1 when the USA’s Jennifer Baretta, playing 9-ball singles, missed a long 8-ball at hill-hill. Poland’s Katazyna Weslowska cleared the table for the win and tie it for Poland. The win gave Poland a shot of confidence and they went on to win both their 10-ball matches for a 4-2 win.
The 2014 World Pool Team Championship continues on Tuesday with all teams seeing action over two sessions. The 25 teams, each featuring at least three men players and one woman player, have been divided into 6 groups playing round robin. 16 teams will qualify for the single elimination stage which begins on Thursday, July 31.
The winning team will receive $80,000. The runner up team will take home $40,000. The total prize fund is $300,000.
WPA WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP | ||||
BEIJING - CHINA | ||||
RESULTS - DAY 1 GROUP STAGES | ||||
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Session 1, 1PM ( GMT + 8 )
Germany vs. Austria
Australia vs. Vietnam
Korea vs. Russia
Indonesia vs. India
Sweden vs. Mongolia
Hong Kong vs. Croatia
Philippines vs. USA
Bulgaria vs. Poland
Session 2, 6:30PM
Great Britain vs. Austria
China 2 vs. Vietnam
Chinese-Taipei vs. Russia
Japan vs. India
China 1 vs. Croatia
Mongolia vs. Hong Kong
South Africa vs. Germany
Singapore vs. Australia
WORLD TEAM PREEMINENCE ON TAP IN CHINA
25 teams from 24 nations ready to do battle for the 2014 World Pool Team Championship in Beijing
Professional pool holds much of its interest for fans around the globe from the very fact that it is a solitary pursuit in a dead-ball game. With plenty of time to think about that difficult shot just sitting there, nobody to pass the cue to or to offer advice, and with often everything riding on the smallest turn of the balls, the drama and pressure can be downright scary for players. Which translates, of course, to plenty of edge of your seat excitement for fans.
All of pool’s best traits will surely be on offer this coming week in China’s sultry capital, Beijing, but there’s an added twist sure to pile on even more pressure and drama; rather than playing for themselves, over 100 top pros from around the world will be playing for the pride of their nations.
The 2014 Liando U Valley World Pool Team Championship will kick off on Monday evening at the Tongzhou Luhe High School, in the Tongzhou district of China’s capital, with 25 pool teams from 24 nations(two teams from China). Each team consists of a minimum of three male players and one woman player all doing battle in various pool disciplines over five days; 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball.
This is the third time the World Pool Team Championship has been held. In 2010 in Hanover, Germany, when the tournament consisted of only male players, Great Britain defeated the Philippines in a thriller. Two years ago, the World Pool Team Championship debuted in the Tongzhou district of Beijing. While the hometown fans expected one of the two stacked Chinese teams to take the crown, it was the foursome from Taiwan that outclassed the field. Taiwan shutout Japan in the final to take the title.
Besides national pride, the teams will be competing for a fair amount of prize money. The winning team will receive $80,000. The runner up team will take home $40,000. The total prize fund is $300,000.
The format of the tournament can be a bit daunting to grasp so it’s important to be informed early, in order to understand what is going on.
First, the teams will be divided up into 6 groups of four playing round robin.(One group having 5 teams.) In each match between two countries, the two teams play each other in a set of six matches, all alternate break; two races in 8 ball, two in 9-ball and two in 10-ball. One 8-ball match is men’s scotch doubles, race to 6. The other 8-ball match is a men’s singles, race to 6. In 9-ball, the teams compete in a women’s singles, race to 8, and a men’s singles race to 8. In 10-ball, the teams play one mixed doubles match(scotch doubles), race to 7, and one men’s singles match race to 7. The female player must play in the 10-ball mixed doubles match, and a 9-ball match. No player is permitted to play more than two matches per session.
The team that wins the set gets 3 points, while the losing team gets nil. If the two teams split their six matches and end up tied at 3-3, then each team gets 1 point. The top 2 teams with the highest total points in each group qualify for the single elimination stage. In addition to the top two teams in each group, the best 4 teams ranking third place in each group will also advance. A total of 16 teams will advance to the knockout stage.
This is where things will get very interesting. If a match ends up 3-3 in the knockout stage, the winner will be decided by a shootout. In a shootout the 8 ball is placed in the middle of the table down near the short rail, level with the first diamond, while the cue ball is placed way down at the head string. The three men and one woman on each team take turns trying to pot the 8-ball in either far corner. All players play in sequence and the team to score six hits first with a margin of two or more(6-4, 7-5, etc.) wins the match and advances to the next round.
Team Taiwan won the last World Pool Team Championship in 2012
This is what happened in 2010 in the final between Great Britain and the Philippines. The two teams went to a shootout to determine the champion and proceeded to engage in an electrifying display of potting under pressure. Great Britain won the shootout and the championship, 27-25.
Hometown fans here in Beijing will surely turn out in force for their two squads and nothing short of a spot in the winner’s circle is expected. And why not as a look at both China sides presents any foe with a formidable opponent straight down the list.
China 1 could be the best team ever assembled in this event. Li He Wen is no stranger to success in team pool as he has twice won the scotch doubles World Cup of Pool. He’ll be joined by two time former world champion, Wu Jiaqing, young rising star Chu Bing Chia, China’s number one female player and current world 9-ball champion, Han Yu, and the always tough Chen Siming.
China 2 is also loaded with Liu Haitao, Dang Ching Hu, Wang Can, as well as women stars Fu Xiaofang and Liu Shasha. One interesting caveat for China 2 will be team chemistry. Fu and Liu used to be inseparable friends but have recently had a falling out.
Team pool, of course, is more than just a bunch of great talent. Success as a team requires certain intangibles, such as friendship and familiarity with each other. And this is where Team Taiwan(Chinese-Taipei) seems to have the edge as favorites. The Taipei fearsome foursome of Chang Jun Lin, Ko Pin Yi, Fu Che Wei and female player Chieh Yu Chou, which combined to win the World Team Championship in 2012, is back together this year. And this year they’ve added the very talented Hsu Kai Lun to their roster.
In 2012 Taiwan was barely touched the entire week, and they showed the pool world how great individual talents can come together and perform as a well-oiled machine with all parts working in harmony.
Said Ko Pin Yi after the final two years ago:
“I think the reason we played so well all week is because we are all good friends,” Ko said through an interpreter afterward. “Each one of us knows exactly how the other plays on the table, how they shoot. Pool is usually a game you play alone and there’s a lot of pressure in singles. But here you have your teammates to pick you up, to give you advice and courage.”
The Philippines is surely a heavy favorite to win or at least go far. Dennis Orcollo and Lee Vann Corteza are the current World Cup of Pool defending champions so they certainly know the pressures of team pool. They are joined by the always strong Carlo Biado and two time Women’s World 10-ball champ Rubilen Amit.
Great Britain will be missing both Darren Appleton and Kelly Fisher (Appleton had a prior commitment and Fisher is recovery from heart surgery), but they still have the goods to take the title. Former 9-ball world champion Daryl Peach is joined by former 8-ball champion Karl Boyes, Chris Melling and Hall of Famer Allison Fisher.
Germany is looking solid with Thorsten Hohmann, Ralf Souquet, Sebastian Staab, and Ina Kaplan. With the likes of World 9-ball champion runner up Albin Ouschan and his sister Jasmine Ouschan pairing up, Austria could see a medal. Korea and Japan could definitely challenge for a place on the victory stand.
One big thing for fans to look for is the quality of the female player on each team. As proven two years ago here, those teams with high level female players performed exceptionally well.
The WPA is on hand in Beijing to bring fans around the world full updated coverage of the 2014 World Pool Team Championship. * The World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA) is the governing body of the sport of pocket billiards.
WPA WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP |
BEIJING - CHINA |
GROUP A |
| PHILIPPINES Dennis Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado, Rubilen Amit POLANDKarol Skowerski, Tomasz Kaplan, Mateusz Sniegocki, Katazyna Weslowska USA Oscar Dominguez, Hunter Lombardo, Corey Deuel, Jennifer Barretta BULGARIA Stanimir Dimitrov, Radostin Dimov, Lyudmil Georgiev, Kristina Zlateva |
GROUP B |
| CHINA 1 Li He Wen, Wu Jiaqing, Chu Bign Chia, Han Yu, Chen Siming SWEDEN Anreas Gerven, Marcus Chamat, Tomas Larsson, Caroline Roos HONG KONG Kwok Chi Ho, Eric Lee, Lo Ho Sum, Robbie James Capito, Lee Tricia Gar Yun CROATIA Josip Susnjara, Ivica Putnik, Marko Lisnic, Antonijevic Zrinka MONGOLIA L. Delgerdalai, D. Damdinjamts, A. Yeruult, , A. Delgerkhuu, Z. Zoljargal |
GROUP C |
| GREAT BRITAIN Daryl Peach, Karl Boyes, Chris Melling, Allison Fisher GERMANY Thorsten Hohmann, Ralf Souquet, Sebastian Staab, Ina Kaplan AUSTRIA Albin Ouschan, Tong He Yi, Jurgen Jenisy, Thomas Knittel, Jasmin Ouschan, Sandra Baumgartner SOUTH AFRICA Rajandran Nair, Charles R. Kuppusamy, Kumersen Reddy, Thilomi Govender |
GROUP D |
| CHINA 2 Liu Haitao, Dang Ching Hu, Wang Can, Fu Xiaofang, Liu Shasha AUSTRALIA Robby Foldvari, David Rothall, Michael Cassiola, Lyndall Hulley VIETNAM Trung Le Quang, Tuan Nguyen Anh, Quan Do Hoang, Le Doan Thi Ngoc SINGAPORE Chan Keng Kwang, Aloyisus Yapp, Koh Seng Ann Aaron, Charlene Chai Zeet Huey, Toh Lian Han, Hoe Shu Wahr |
GROUP E |
| CHINESE TAIPEI Chang Jun Lin, Ko Pin Yi, Hsu Kai Lun, Fu Che Wei, Chou Cheih Yu KOREA Ryu Seung Woo, Jeong Young Hwa, Ha Min Ug, Kim Ga Young RUSSIA Konstantin Stepanov, Ruslan Chinakhov, Andrey Seroshtan, Ann Mazhirina NEW ZEALAND Matthew Edwards, Phillip Nickpera, Johnathan M. Pakieto, Molradee K. Yanan |
GROUP F |
| JAPAN Naoyuki Oi, Sasaaki Tanaka, Hayato Hijikata, Chichiro Kawahara INDONESIA Bewi Simanjuntak M. Bewi, Rudy Susanto, Muhammad Fadly, Silvana INDIA Sumit Talwar, Sundeep Gulati, Lalrina Tenthlei, Suniti Damani MALAYSIA Ibrahim Bin Amir, Tan Kah Thiam, Jason Ng Keat Siang, Suhana Dewi Sabtu, Klaudia Djajalie |
6:30 PM ( GMT +8 )
China 2 vs. Singapore
China 1 vs. Mongolia
Philippines vs. Bulgaria
Great Britain vs. South Africa
Sweden vs. Hong Kong
Chinese Taipei vs. New Zealand
Japan vs Malaysia
Poland vs. USA