Griff's Las Vegas
3650 South Decatur Blvd.
?Las Vegas
Nevada
USA
www.griffslv.com
www.playcsipool.com - full event details
www.ctsondemand.com - full brackets
www.wpa-pool.com
12 - 19 April 2019
Taiwan’s Kevin Cheng
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Kevin Cheng Captures The WPA Players Championship In A Sudden Death Thriller Over Carlo Biado
By Ted Lerner
WPA Media Officer
All photography courtesy of ©JP Parmentier
Taiwan’s Kevin Cheng captured the inaugural WPA Players Championship on Friday, storming back from the near dead to defeat the Philippines Carlo Biado, 12-11, in a thrilling final at Griffs Billiards in Las Vegas.
The victory capped a terrific week for the Taiwanese sharpshooter, who showed that not only is he one of pool’s hottest sharp shooters, but also that he is a resilient, never-say-die fighter that can grind it out with the best of them.
It was that trench warfare mentality that helped bring Cheng back from the dead, as he was down 8-5 in the race to 9 final and was sitting in his chair watching Biado clear for the title. It was only when the Filipino unexpectedly missed a 4-ball that Cheng felt a slight heartbeat. He proceeded to win the next four racks, and then slugged it out in a nervy 45 minute stretch with Biado in the win-by-two format, until the pair reached the limit of 11-11 all and played one rack for the title, which Cheng won.
The Taiwan-Philippines final seemed only fitting as the day began with two Taiwan-Philippine semi-finals. In the first semi, Cheng squared off with Johann Chua and quickly got out to a 4-1. But as he had done all week, Chua stormed back to tie the match at 4-4. The pair stayed even for the next few racks, until the Filipino made several mistakes that opened the door for Cheng. The Taiwanese then zeroed in on the finish line and won 9-6.
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In the second semi-final Biado matched wits with the always daring Chang Yu Lung. Nothing much separated the pair for the first half of the match. But despite having several chances to take the lead, Chang seemed to run out of gas. That was all the always-focused Biado needed to build up a head of steam and win 9-6.
The race to 9, win-by-2 final was everything one would expect between two of the best not only of their respective countries, but in the entire world of professional pool. After splitting the first 8 racks, Biado upped his game and won the next two to lead 6-4. Cheng got one back, but then the Filipino showed off his amazing potting and cue ball skills to go up 7-5. Cheng looked to be on the back foot when he missed the 4-ball in the next frame, which allowed Biado to clear and move one away from the title.
And it certainly looked like it was all over in the next rack with the Filipino at the table and a fairly straight forward clear right in front of him. Until he missed the 4-ball in the side.
As expected, the entire match turned on that one miss, with Cheng suddenly playing loose and free, and Biado retreating into a shell and looking nervous. Indeed Cheng won the next five racks, including two break and runs, to go up 9-8.
Carlo Biado (Philippines) and Kevin Cheng (Taiwan)
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But Biado isn’t the World #3 ranked player for nothing, and he stormed back to take the next two to lead 10-9 and move one away from victory again. The pool gods, though, conspired against the Filipino as he broke dry in the next frame and allowed Cheng to clear to tie at 10-10.
Cheng inched closer in the next frame after winning a safety battle. But in the next rack, the Taiwanese left a safe open, and Biado cleaned up the colors. Tied at 11-11, the match and the title went to a one rack decider.
Biado won the lag, and the pair had a brief fight over the 2-ball until Cheng was left with a very difficult positional play, which he made. He had several nervy and difficult shots left before the last three balls opened up. The title, and $10,000, was soon his.
“When I was down 8-5 and he is shooting at an open table, I already know that I’m going to lose,” a relieved and delighted Cheng said afterward. “Then when he missed that 4-ball, I can play without stress and I played really good.
“The last few racks were very difficult and that’s when I got nervous again. I think I got lucky, but I also hit some very good shots at the end to take the match and the tournament.
“Overall, I’m very happy with the way I played this week. It was a great tournament, with a great field, and this gives me a lot confidence heading in the US Open.”
Taiwan’s Chang Yu Lung
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The WPA Players Championship Is Down To Two Philippines vs. Taiwan Semi-Finals
By Ted Lerner
WPA Media Officer
Photo of Yu Lung Chang by JP Parmentier
Any discussion by pool fans about which countries produce the world’s very best players will invariably find the Philippines and Taiwan at the top of the list. And this week in Las Vegas, not surprisingly, those arguments came through loud and very clear.
After three days featuring the very best pool players from all corners of the globe, the 64 player field at the inaugural WPA Players Championship has been whittled down to four, with both race to 9 semi-finals on Friday at Griffs Billiards in Vegas featuring the Philippines vs. Taiwan.
In one semi-final the Philippines’ Carlo Biado, the 2017 World 9-ball Champion, will square off against Taiwan’s Chang Yu Lung. In the other semi-final, the Philippines Johann Chua will match wits against Taiwan’s Kevin Cheng, who captured the 2015 US Open.
All four players put in wonderful performances today, each winning two matches to advance to the semis. The Philippines Chua has been living on a high wire all week and has managed to survive and tell the tale. After storming back from 6-2 down in the round of 32 against two-time world champion Mika Immonen, Chua pulled another fast one in the round of 16 today in his match versus Greece’s Nick Malaj. Chua found himself down 6-3 in the race to 7, alternate break match but tied the score at 6 to force an overtime. In the win by two format Malaj lead 7-6, 8-7 and 9-8 before a stingy Chua finally caught up. Chua took the nervy sudden death rack to advance, 10-9.
Chua finally had a chance to catch his breath in his quarters match against Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang. The Filipino was never really challenged and won, 7-3.
Chua will now face Taiwan’s Kevin Chang, who has looked impervious this week. Chang first came back from a 4-1 deficit to the USA’s Shaun Wilkie to win 7-4. He then dueled with defending US Open champ Jayson Shaw in the quarters. The match was even through 5 before Cheng stepped on the gas and closed it out, 7-5.
In the round of 16, Biado, who is ranked world number 3, had to go into extra time to take down Taiwan veteran, Yang Ching Shun, 8-6. In the quarters Biado met up with the USA’s Shane Van Boening, who had, up to this point, looked like he had plans on lifting the trophy on Friday. The match was tight early, but Biado was just too focused and too sharp. The Filipino star made some nervy clearances on the way to a convincing 7-4 win.
Biado’s semis opponent will be Chang, who put in two rock solid efforts this afternoon. In the round of 16, the Taiwanese veteran had to go extra innings before outlasting the Philippines latest hot shot, James Aranas, 8-6. In the quarterfinals, Chang outpaced hall of famer Ralf Souquet, 7-5, to advance to the semis.
The first race to 9, alternate break semi final between Johann Chua and Kevin Chang will begin at 12 noon Vegas time. The second semi-final between Carlo Biado and Chang Yu Lung begins at 2pm. The race to 9, alternate break final will take place at 6pm.
The Philippines' Carlo Biado
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Final 16 Set In Vegas For The WPA Players Championship
By Ted Lerner
WPA Media Officer
Photo By JP Parmentier
The Philippines' Johann Chua pretty much knew his run in the WPA Players Championship was over. Playing in a round of 32 match against Hall of Famer Mika Immonen and down 6-2 in a race to 7 alternate break match, there was little chance for the talented Filipino to come back.
But the pool gods started to conspire against the great Finn, and Chua slowly clawed his way into contention. As that happened, Immonen clearly began to lose his composure, which only imbued the Filipino with confidence. Chua tied the match at 6, sending proceedings into overtime, where he won the next two to advance 8-6.
“I saw him getting frustrated when I started to come back and that gave me a lot of confidence,” a relieved Chua said afterward. “Once he started to miss and give up the table, I knew I was back in the match. I’m very happy to advance.”
As 16 pool stars moved on at Griffs Billiards in Vegas, and 16 others got the boot, the WPA Players Championship moved to the business end for the final two days. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be held on Thursday, with the semis and finals being contested on Friday.
The Philippine contingent continued to impress in the $65,000 event. 2017 WPA World 9-ball champion Carlo Biado dueled with the USA’s Skylar Woodward, with the pair of stars splitting the first 10 racks. Biado then took advantage of a lucky safe and advanced with a 7-5 win.
“I got lucky,” Biado said, echoing the favorite line of the always humble Filipino greats. But as he well knew in this case, he wasn’t just being polite.
Hot shooting 26 year old James Aranas and Raymond Faroun also won, giving Filipinos 25% of the spots in the final 16.
The USA’s Shaun Wilkie continued to impress with his second straight convincing victory today. Wilkie took down Japan’s Toru Kuribayashi 7-5 to grab a spot in the final 16. The only other American to take his place in the final 16 was Shane Van Boening, after a 7-5 win over Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk.
The Taiwanese contingent equaled that of their neighbors in east Asia as four Taiwan players advanced to the final 16. Kevin Cheng, Ko Ping Chung, Chang Yu Lung and veteran Yang Ching Shun all won their round of 32 matches.
Scotland’s Jayson Shaw put in another convincing performance, taking down the Philippines Jeff de Luna, 7-2. Albania’s Elkent Kaci went toe to toe with New Zealand’s resurgent Matt Edwards, before pulling away for a 7-5 win. Greece’s Nick Malaj and hall of famer Ralf Souquet also advanced.
Play in the WPA Players Championship continues on Thursday at 12 noon local time.
The format will be single elimination race to 7 (win by 2), with the semi-final and final being a race to 9 (win by 2).
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The United Kingdom's Darren Appleton
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32 Advance, 32 Out As Day 1 Of The Wpa Players Championship Is Complete
By Ted Lerner
WPA Media Officer
Photo By JP Parmentier
The first ever WPA Players Championship got underway at Griffs Billiards in Las Vegas on Tuesday, and the quality of the match ups on offer out of the box certainly didn’t disappoint. That’s because the 64 player field is one of the highest quality gatherings of pool’s current and rising stars.
The format of the event is designed to offer plenty of excitement as well. Matches through the quarterfinals are all race to 7, alternate break. In addition, the tournament is single elimination. Thus, every shot matters and one mistake early one can spell curtains even for pool’s biggest names.
This is exactly what befell world number two Alexander Kazakis in his opening round match against Japan’s Toru Kuribayashi. The Japanese veteran took advantage of several early errors by the Greek star and led throughout, eventually winning 7-2.
Two time world champion and two time US Open 9-ball champion Darren Appleton opened up proceedings with a tasty showdown against three time world champion Thorsten Hohmann. Appleton, who’s had to take significant time away from the game in the last two years because of several family issues, looked like a renewed man today, and took down the German great, 7-5.
Defending US Open champion Jayson Shaw came to Vegas looking fit and ready to defend his title next week across town at the Mandalay Bay. Shaw cruised to an opening round win over Gerson Martinez, 7-3.
It was a good day from the Ko family from Taiwan. Two time world champion Ko Pin Yi and his younger brother Ko Ping Chung both won their matches. Compatriot Chang Jung Lin had high hopes coming into this event, but fell to Russia’s Maksim Dudanets of Russia, 7-3. Veterans Yang Ching Shun and Chang Yu Leung both notched victories today.
USA great Shane Van Boening led the American contingent and advanced with a 7-5 win over Kai Lun Hsu of Taiwan. Skylar Woodward advanced with a handy 7-2 win over Qatar’s Bashar Hussain. Shawn Wilkie had to bear down against fellow American Billy Thorpe, and hung on to win 7-5. Corey Duel faced off with Mosconi foe Niels Feijen of the Netherlands and emerged victorious, 7-2.
It was a solid start for the always stingy team Philippines. World number 3 Carlo Biado led the charge with an easy win over Ruben Bautista Escaler, 7-3. 2017 WPA World 9-ball champion joins James Aranas, Johann Chua, Raymond Faroun and Jeffrey De Luna in the final 32. Jeffrey Ignacio proved the lone loser for the Philippines today, losing to two time world champion, Mika Immonen, 7-5.
Other winners today include Albania’s Klenti Kaci, the Netherlands Marc Bijsterbosch, England’s Chris Melling, Germany’s Ralf Souquet and Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk.
In perhaps the most exciting match of the day, Japan’s Nayouki Oi went to the limit with young Russian Fedor Gorst. The match went into extra innings as neither player could get the two rack advantage needed to win. Oi took the sudden death rack to advance with a 10-9 win.
Play in the WPA Players Championship continues on Wednesday at 12 noon local time.
The format will be single elimination race to 7 (win by 2), with the semi-final and final being a race to 9 (win by 2).
WPA Players Championship Payouts
1 – $10,000 2 – $7,000 3/4 – $5,000 ea. 5/8 – $3,000 ea. 9/16 – $1,500 ea. 17/32 – $400 ea.
Consolation Tournament Payouts
1 – $1,500 2 – $1,000 3/4 – $500 ea. 5/8 – $250 ea. 9/16 – $150 ea.
ONLINE BRACKETS
The online tournament brackets can be found at www.CTSonDemand.com.
WATCH LIVE
The entire event is being streamed live by CSI media, a division of CueSports International (CSI). The production, complete with full-time commentary led by former World 8-Ball Champion, Karl Boyes, begins each day at noon pacific time. To watch live, visit www.playcsipool.com/watch-live.
The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events. It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom. For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com.
CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool Leagueand USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
The WPA Players Championship is made possible by the following sponsors:
Andy Billiard Cloth • Cyclop Balls • Diamond • Griff’s Billiards • HOW Tips • Predator • Master Billiard Chalk
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