#bashar hussain

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FILLER FALLS IN DRAMATIC UPSET, WHILE VAN BOENING ALSO CRASHES OUT

FILLER FALLS IN DRAMATIC UPSET, WHILE VAN BOENING ALSO CRASHES OUT

Finland’s Casper Matikainen takes down the defending champion in wild day in Doha as 32 players set for a sprint to the World 9-ball crown.

By Ted Lerner WPA Media Officer Photos Credit WPA

(Doha, Qatar)–Finland’s Casper Matikainen came into his round of 64 match at the World 9-ball Championship today versus the defending champion and world number 1 Joshua Filler feeling relaxed and ready for battle. He figured the German great would bring his usual fire, but he also knew that Filler might also take his eye off the proverbial ball. After all, the 23 year old Finn wasn’t exactly the most feared name in a field of absolute monsters.

So even when the self-described “King” of pool jumped out to a 4-1 lead, Matikainen never lost hope, as Filler had gotten a few lucky rolls and wasn’t playing all that great, while the Finn had a few rolls go against him.

The mental strategy soon started to bear fruit for the cool-headed blonde. Slowly, and increasingly surely, Matikainen crawled even, and then took the lead while at the same time Filler started to get sloppy, lose focus and even showed some signs of panic. From 4-1 down Matikainen calmly won 9 out of the next ten frames.  After a brief hiccup on the hill that allowed Filler to claim two quick racks, the steady Finn held his nerve and closed out the biggest shock of the tournament so far, an 11-7 upset of the defending champion.

“He’s the world champion and he’s playing and I’m not there in the big tournaments and maybe he’s thinking it’s an easy win,” the 22 year old Matikainen said afterward.  “I felt that Joshua had the pressure because he’s the world champion and I was really relaxed at the table and that helped me and I just got it done.”

Matikainen’s massive win was but one huge result on a dramatic day in Doha that saw some of pool’s biggest names dumped out, while others were taken to the absolute limits. With the field now down to the final 32, the next two days promises to be one of the most exciting and fascinating Battle Royale’s of 9-ball we’ve seen in years.

America’s Shane Van Boening had come to Doha a heavy favorite this year and for good reason. His last three starts here ended with two runner ups and a spot in the semis last year. But several early mistakes against Taiwan’s Liu Ri Teng was all it took for the Taiwanese to grab a commanding lead at 10-4. The American mounted a valiant fight back, but the alternate break format meant the hole was too deep. Liu sent Van Boening packing in the round of 64 with a humbling 11-8 defeat.

After his runner up finish at the US Open in Las Vegas last April, former champion Wu Jiaqing figured to go far here in Doha. But Wu came up against fellow compatriot Xu Xiaocong, who is one of a slew of quality young talents coming out of China. Xu has impressed all week here and  against Wu he turned his game up several notches, crushing the former Boy Wonder 11-5.

The Taiwanese are almost sure to have one, possibly two players in the semis after tomorrow as Team Taipei looked absolutely marvelous today. It isn’t easy picking a favorite out of these world beaters but World 10-ball Champion Ko Ping Chung would probably be at the top of most punters betting sheets.  The slightly built and painfully shy 22 year old is clearly at the top of his game but he even he barely escaped in a harrowing match against Hungary’s talented Oliver Szolnoki.

Szolnoki, another bright European prospect, played the match of his young career and had “Little” Ko on the ropes, shooting out to a 7-3, then 8-5 lead. The fresh-faced Hungarian reached the hill first, but Ko then displayed the courage and guts that only champions can pull off.  In a nervy and tense sudden death rack, the Taiwanese made a series of surreal pressure shots to eek out the victory.

Little Ko’s older brother and two-time former world champion Pin Yi also won today, easily defeating Japan’s Yukio Akagariyama, 11-5. Fellow Taiwanese Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, Lin Wu Kun and Kevin Chang all won their round of 64 matches today. In all seven Taiwanese made it through to the round of 32.

2016 World 9-ball champion Albin Ouschan of Austria looks to be in very fine form this year, as he easily defeated Taiwan’s Lin Ta Li 11-5.  Fellow Austrian Max Lechner continued his rise this year with an 11-4 win over Lithuania’s Pijus Labutis. 

The Russian contingent also put in solid performances today. Veteran Ruslan Chinakhov took down American Corey Duel 11-3, while youngster Fedor Gorst stayed alive with an 11-8 win over Slovakia’s Jakub Koniar.

2012 World 9-ball Champion Darren Appleton has been quietly playing himself back into game shape over the last few months and his solid victory today over Albanian star and European Mosconi team member Eklent Kaci could be a portent for the rest of the field. The Englishman battled back from a 4-0 deficit, and then turned the screws on the Albanian for a quality 11-6 win. In his remarkable heyday from 2008 to 2015, Appleton famously grinded out championships by the truckload and that bulldog mentality definitely was on display this afternoon.

The Philippines had only three players in the final 64 but all three made it through today. 2017 World 9-ball champion Carlo Biado got taken to the limit by Qatari veteran Bashar Hussein, before breaking and running the last rack for an 11-10 win. Also winning today for the Team Pinoy were Johann Chua and Jeffrey Ignacio.

The Polish contingent has been getting stronger by the year and they showed their quality today with three of their stars pushing through to the final 32. Mieszko Fortunski, Wojciech Szewczyk, and Mateusz Sniegocki all won handily.

Also advancing today were the USA’s Billy Thorpe, Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp, China’s Liu Haitao, Greece’s Alexander Kazakis, Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Estonia’s Dennis Grabe, England’s Chris Melling, Canada’s Alex Pagulayan, Qatar’s Waleed Majid, Vietnam’s Do The Kien, and Hong Kong’s young upstart Yip Kin Ling.

The penultimate day of the World 9-ball championship will be extremely busy as the field will be whittled down to the final four at the end of the days’ action. 

Play on day 3, Monday, Dec. 16th will begin at 10am Doha time(GMT +3). All matches will be single elimination knockout race to 11, alternate break.  

The winner of the 2019 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The total prize fund is $150,00.

*The 2019 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Qatar from December 10-17, 2019. The event is hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and is sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.

Fans around the world will be able to view live scoring, results, brackets and live streaming of many of the matches via the QBSF’s free live streaming platform at esnooker.pl.  Multiple tables will be available to view online at no charge to the public.

Results Final 64

Casper Matikainen (FIN) 11 – 7 Joshua Filler (GER)

Yip Kin Ling (HKG) 11 – 5 John Morra (CAN)

Albin Ouschan (AUT) 11 – 5 Lin Ta Li (TPE)

Denis Grabe (EST) 11 – 8 Marc Bijsterbosch (NED)

Jung Lin Chang (TPE) 11 – 9 Dang Jinhu (CHN)

Mieszko Fortunski (POL) 11 – 8 Thorsten Hohmann (GER)

Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (ESP) 11 – 6 Konrad Juszczyszyn (POL)

Xu Xiaocong (CHN) 11 – 5 Wu Jiaqing (CHN)

Alexander Kazakis (GRE) 11 – 8 Radoslaw Babica (POL)

Liu Haitao (CHN) 11 – 9  Jalal Al Sarisi  (VEN)

Naoyuki Oi (JPN) 11 – 7 Petri Makkonen (FIN)

Johann Chua (PHL) 11 – 5 Enrique Rojas (CHL)

Alex Pagulayan (CAN) 11 – 3 Karol Skowerski (POL)

Chang Yu Lung (TPE) 11 – 9 Masato Yoshioka (JPN)

Billy Thorpe (USA) 11 – 6 Kong Dejing (CHN)

Carlo Biado (PHL) 11 – 10 Bashar Hussain (QAT)

Chung Ko Ping (TPE) 11 – 10  Oliver Szolnoki (HUN)

Lin Wu Kun (TPE) 11 – 7 Damianos Giallourakis (GRE)

Maximilian Lechner (AUT) 11 – 4 Pijus Labutis (LTH)

Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS)  11 – 3 Corey Duel (USA)

Chris Melling (ENG)  11 – 7 Mohammad Berjaoui (LEB)

Do The Kien (VET) 11 – 5 David Alcaide (ESP)

Wojciech Szewczyk (POL) 11 – 6 Jang Moonseok (KOR)

Waleed Majid (QAT) 11 – 10 Ralf Souquet (GER)

Pin Yi Ko (TPE) 11 – 5 Yukio Akagariyama (JPN)

Jeffrey Ignacio (PHL) 11 – 6 Stephen Holem (CAN)

Aloysius Yapp (SIN) 11 – 9  Xue Zhenqi (CHN)

Darren Appleton (ENG) 11 – 6 Eklent Kaci (ALB)

Fedor Gorst (RUS) 11 – 8 Jakub Koniar (SVK)

Yu Hsuan Cheng (TPE) 11 – 10 Tomasz Kaplan (POL)

Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) 11 – 7 Ivar Saris (NED)

Liu Ri Teng (TPE) 11 – 8 Shane Van Boening (USA)

One loss side group matches

Winner moves on to final 64 KO stage. Loser is out

Group 1

Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) 9 – 4 Hasan Hwaidi (IRQ)

Bashar Hussain (QAT) 9 – 6 Jerico Bonus (PHL)

Group 2

Fedor Gorst (RUS) 9 – 2 Mohammad Soufi (SYR)

Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS) 9 – 3 Kong Bu Hong (HKG)

Group 3

Dang Jinhu (CHN) 9 – 1 Gerson Martinez (PER)

Wu Jiaqing (CHN) 9 – 3 Saki Kanatlar (TRK)

Group 4

Jalal Al Sarisi (VEN) 9 – 8 Matt Edwards (NZL)

Thorsten Hohmann (GER) 9 – 1 Marc Vidal (ESP)

Group 5

Wojciech Szewczyk (POL) 9 – 8 Mohammad Al Amin (BAN)

Waleed Majid (QAT) 9 – 5 Woo Seung Ryu (KOR)

Group 6

Do The Kiem (VET)  9 – 6 Ali Alobaidli (QAT)

Tomasz Kaplan (POL) 9 – 4 Ricky Yang (IND)

Group 7

Radoslaw Babica (POL) 9 – 6 Abdulatif Alfawal (QAT)

Liu Ri Teng (TPE) 9 – 1 Nadim Okbani (ALG)

Group 8

Carlo Biado (PHL) 9 – 4 Hassan Shahada (JOR)

Lin Ta Li (TPE) 9 – 6 Abdullah Alyusef (KUW)

Group 9

Stephen Holem (CAN) 9 – 4 Khaled Alghamdi (KSR)

Casper Matikainen (FIN) 9 – 5 Phone Myint Kyaw (MYR)

Group 10

Mohammad Berjaoui (LEB) 9 – 5 Max Eberle (USA)

Yukio Akagariyama (JPN) 9 – 4 Ali Maghsoud (IRA)

Group 11

Karol Slowerski (POL) 9 – 4 Hunter Lombardo (USA)

Eklent Kaci (ALB)  9 – 3 Ahmad Aldelaimi (KUW)

Group 12

Marc Bijsterbosch (NED) 9 – 5  Niels Feijen (NED)

Daminanos Giallourakis (GRE)  9 – 3 Abdullah Alshammari (KSR)

Group 13

Masato Yoshioka (JPN) 9 – 4 Clark Sullivan (NZE)

Xue Zhenqi (CHN) 9 – 7 Luis Lemus (GTM)

Group 14

Darren Appleton (ENG) 9 – 6 Richard Halliday (RSA)

Jakub Koniar (SLV) 9 – 3 Fayaz Hussain (MAL)

Group 15

Jang Moonseok (KOR) 9 – 2 Robbie Capito (HKG)

Corey Duel (USA) 9 – 8 Wang Can (CHN)

Group 16

Xu Xiaocong (CHN) 9 – 0 Mohamed El Raousti (ALG)

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32 Players Book Their Spots In The KO Rounds In A Roller Coaster First Day In Doha

By Ted Lerner WPA Media Officer Photo Credits WPA

(Doha, Qatar)–If the first day’s play of the 2019 World 9-ball Championship is any indication–and by all measures it certainly is just that–then fans around the world better be prepared for a wild roller coaster ride over the next three days.  Drama, upsets, nerves, revelations, suprises, excitement and downright brilliant 9-ball at the highest levels were all on display as play commenced in the 28th running of pool’s premier crown. And with a loaded field just getting warmed up, it’s only going to get better leading to the final on Tuesday.

With 64 matches played on 16 tables at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Day 1 saw 32 players book their spots in the final 64 knockout stage which begins Sunday.  None of the 96 players have yet to see the exits, but there were plenty of upsets, near upsets, and upstarts making their mark on pool’s biggest stage.

The top 32 seeds were given a bye in the first round of their groups, so these players only had to win one match to reach the single elimination knockout rounds.  Defending champion Joshua Filler of Germany did just that, but not before a shaky start which saw him tied at 4-4 in the race to 9 alternate break match against Qatari veteran Bashar Hussain. The World number one was never in trouble, though, and cruised to a 9-5 win.

2017 champion and runner up last year Carlo Biado of the Philippines didn’t fair as well as he got dumped over to the one loss side of his group with a shocking 9-3 loss to Chile’s Enrique Rojas. It was Rojas’ second straight victory of the day, the first coming over Kuwait’s Abdullah Alyusef. Rojas now books his well deserved spot in the Final 64 tomorrow.

The USA’s Shane Van Boening is one of the favorites here this week, but he looked a bit cold early on in his match with young talented Chinese player Xu Xiaocong. Xu is part of a large crop coming from China’s youth movement and he had the American down three quarters of the way through their match.  But SVB pulled it together at the last minute and squeaked by the Chinese, 9-8. Xu will get one more chance on Sunday.

Fellow American and Mosconi teammate Billy Thorpe also booked his spot in the final 64 with a 9-5 win over Canada’s Stephen Holem.

It was a solid day for team Taiwan. World 10-ball Champion Ko Ping Chung went up against Myamar’s rising star Phone Myint Kyaw, who also goes by the moniker, Muang Muang. Kyaw is a player that pool fans will want to pay attention to. He’s a former snooker player who has been winning regularly on the brutally tough Chinese 8-ball circuit, and he just grabbed two gold medals in the Southeast Asian games in Manila.  His stroke is one of the most solid in the game and anyone who watches him play instantly can see the potential in this young man.

But of course, Ko is a young prodigy who has already proven his metal in American pool with his recent win at the World 10-ball in July in Vegas.  Little Ko didn’t have much trouble with Muang Muang, winning handily, 9-4.

Little Ko will join his older brother Pin Yi in the final 64, who defeated the always stingy Jalal Al Sarisi of Venezuela, 9-4.  Other Taiwanese cruising into the final 64 include Chang Jung Lin, Chang Yu Lung, and Kevin Cheng.

The Philippines is surprisingly unrepresented in Doha this year with only four players in the field. With Biado losing early it was up to Johann Chua and Jeffrey Ingacio to save the day for the Pinoys. Both looked the goods and nabbed spots in the final 64.

It was a mixed bag for the European Mosconio Cup team. Greece’s Alexander Kazakis is one of Europe’s top bets here this week and he qualified for the knockout round with an easy 9-5 win over Qatar’s Waleed Majid.  But Albania’s Eklent Kaci and former World 9-ball Champion Niels Feijen of the Netherlands weren’t so fortunate. Kaci lost big to the Netherlands’ Ivar Saris, who had earlier looked solid in a 9-6 win over Poland’s Karol Skowerski. Feijen went down to upstart Hong Konger Yip Kin Ling, 9-7, who took his spot in the Final 64 with his second  win of the day.

The surprises kept coming throughout the day. Lithuania’s Pijus Labutis first squeaked by Peru’s Gerson Martinez, 9-8. Then he took on former World 9-ball Champion Wu Jiaqing, and shocked the Chinese great with a 9-7 upset, and a spot in the knockout rounds.

Also booking a spot in the final 64 was Canada’s John Morra, who continued his return to fine form with a 9-8 win over Poland’s Mateusz Sniegocki. Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp showed that he’s clearly a dark horse to watch here in Doha with a 9-4 drubbing of China’s talented Dang Jinhu.  England’s Chris Melling came back from 6-2 down to defeat Vietnam’s Do The Kien, 9-7. Also advancing today were Japan’s Naoyuki Oi, Austria’s Max Lechner, China’s Lui Haitao, Estonia’s Dennis Grabe, Finland’s Petri Makkonen, Germany’s Ralf Souquet,  and Spaniards David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz.

Play on day 2 on Sunday, Dec. 14th will begin at 10am Doha time(GMT +3). The field will be whittled down to 64 players playing single elimination knockout race to 11.  The round of 64 will be completed in the first two session, and by the end of the day, the field will be down to the final 32. 

The winner of the 2019 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The total prize fund is $150,00.

*The 2019 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Qatar from December 10-17, 2019. The event is hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and is sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.

Fans around the world will be able to view live scoring, results, brackets and live streaming of many of the matches via the QBSF’s free live streaming platform at esnooker.pl.  Multiple tables will be available to view online at no charge to the public.

Results

Group 1

Bashar Hussain (QAT) 9 – 6 Hasan Hwaidi (IRQ)

John Morra (CAN) 9 – 7 Jerico Bonus (PHL)

Group 2

Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS)  9 – 5 Mohammad Soufi (SYR)

Mieszko Fortunski (POL) 9 – 6  Kong Bu Hong (CHN)

Group 3

Pijus Labutis (LTH) 9 – 8 Gerson Martinez  (PER)

Dang Jinhu (CHN) 9 – 7 Saki Kanatlar (TKY)

Group 4

Kong Dejing (CHN) 9 – 6 Matt Edwards (NZL)

Jalal Al Sarsi (VEN)  9 – 7 Marc Vidal (SPN)

Group 5

Waleed Majid (QAT) 9 – 5 Mohammad Al Amin (BAN)

Oliver Szolnoki (HUN) 9 – 3 Woo Seung Ryu (KOR)

Group 6

Tomasz Kaplan (POL)  9 – 5 Ali Alobadili (QAT)

Do The Kien (VET) 9 – 3 Ricky Yang (IND)

Group 7

Liu Ri Teng (TPE)  9 – 5 Abdulatif Alfawal (QAT)

Radoslaw Babica (POL) 9 – 1 Nadim Okbani (ALG)

Group 8

Lin Ta Li (TPE) 9 – 1 Hassan Shhada (JOR)

Enrique Rojas (CHL) 9 – 7 Abdullah Alyusef (KUW)

Group 9

Phone Myint Kyaw (MYR) 9 – 3  Khaled Alghamdi (KSR)

Stephen Holem (CAN) 9 – 6 Casper Matikainen (FIN)

Group 10

Yukio Akagariyama (JPN) 9 – 7 Mohammad Berjaoui (LEB)

Max Eberle (USA) 9 – 7 Ali Maghsoud (IRA)

Group 11

Ivar Saris (NET) 9 – 6 Karol Skowerski (POL)

Hunter Lombardo (USA) 9 – 1 Ahmad Aldelaimi (KUW)

Group 12

Damianos Giallourakis (GRE) 9 – 7 Marck Bijsterbosch (NED)

Yip Kin Ling (HKG) 9 – 8 Abdulla Alshemari (KSR)

Group 13

Xue Zhenqi (CHN) 9 – 5 Clark Sullivan (NZE)

Masato Yoshioka (JPN) Luis Lemus (GUY)

Group 14

Jakub Koniar (SLV) 9 – 8 Darren Appleton (ENG)

Richard Halliday (RSA) 9 – 4 Fayaz Ussain (MAL)

Group 15

Konrad Juszcayszyn (POL) 9 – 7 Robbie Capito (HKG)

Jang Moonseok (KOR) 9 – 6 Wang Can (CHN)

Group 16

Petri Makkonen (FIN) 9 – 0 Mohamed El Raousti (ALG)

Xu Xiaocong (CHN) 9- 2  Riccardo Sini (ITL)

Winners Side Matches Day 1.

Winner is through to the Final 64, Loser goes to one loss side of their group for one more chance

Group 1

Joshua Filler (GER) 9 – 5 Bashar Hussain (QAT)

John Morra (CAN) 9 – 8 Mateusz Sniegocki (POL)

Group 2

Denis Grabe (EST) 9 – 7 Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS)

Mieszko Fortunski (POL) 9 – 4 Fedor Gorst (RUS)

Group 3

Pijus Labutis (LTH) 9 – 7 Wu Jiaqing (CHN)

Aloysius Yapp (SIN) 9 – 4 Dang Jinhu (CHN)

Group 4

Kong Dejing (CHN) 9 – 6 Thorsten Hohmann (GER)

Pin Yi Ko (TPE) 9 – 5 Jalal Al Sarisi (VEN)

Group 5

Alexander Kazakis (GRE) 9 – 5 Waleed Majid (QAT)

Oliver Szolnoki (HUN) 9 – 3 Wojciech Szewczyk (POL)

Group 6

Chang Yu Lung (TPE) 9 – 6 Tomasz Kaplan (POL)

Chris Melling (ENG) 9 – 7 Do The Kien (VET)

Group 7

Johann Chua (PHL) 9 – 3 Liu Ri Teng (TPE)

Max Lechner (AUT) 9 – 6 Radoslaw Babica (POL)

Group 8

Liu Haitao (CHN) 9 – 3 Lin Ta Li (TPE)

Enrique Rojas (CHL) 9 – 3 Carlo Biado (PHL)

Group 9

Chung Ko Ping (TPE) 9 – 4 Phone Myint Kyaw (MYR)

Billy Thorpe (USA) 9 – 5 Stephen Holem (CAN)

Group 10

Yu Hsuan Cheng (TPE) 9 – 8 Yukio Akagariyama (JPN)

Alex Pagulayan (CAN) 9 – 3 Max Eberle (USA)

Group 11

Ivar Saris (NED) 9 – 4 Eklent Kaci (ALB)

Naoyuki Oi (JPN) 9 – 1 Hunter Lombardo (USA)

Group 12

Jeffrey Ignacio (PHL) 9 – 7 Damianos Giallourakis (GRE)

Yip Kin Ling (HKG) 9 – 7 Niels Feijen (NED)

Group 13

Ralf Souquet (GER) 9 – 8 Xue Zhenqi (CHN)

Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (ESP) 9 – 8 Masato Yoshioka (JPN)

Group 14

David Alcaide (ESP) 9 – 7 Jakub Koniar (SLV)

Jung Lin Chang (TPE) 9 – 4 Richard Halliday (RSA)

Group 15

Konrad Juszcayszyn (POL) 9 – 8 Corey Deuel (USA)

Albin Ouschan (AUT) 9 – 4 Jan Moonseok (KOR)

Group 16

Petri Makkonen (FIN) 9 – 5 Lin Wu Kun (TPE)

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Qatar march on as Philippines exit early

2015 Dafabet World Cup of Pool

  Qatar march on as Philippines exit early

  Round 2 Scores

  Qatar 7-3 Czech Republic

Finland (10) 7-4 Singapore 

England B (15) 7-4 Philippines (2)

Friday evening was a tale of contrasting fortunes as Qatar put on a masterful performance to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history and the Philippines crashed out, failing to make the last eight for the first time in the tournament’s history. In the other match of the session, Finland once again won to look on track for their third semi-final in three years.

Taking place at the York Hall in London, the Dafabet World Cup of Pool features 32 two-man teams from around the globe competing for a $250,000 prize fund. Televised live in over 40 countries around the world, the event is now entering its tenth year.

Team Qatar who had looked so good in their win over the USA in the opening round, continued in the same rich vein of form as they beat the Czech Republic 7-3 to move into the World Cup of Pool quarter-finals for the first time.

Both Waleed Majid and Bashar Hussain played superbly, as they dominated the Czechs and made the most of their chances to secure a great win.

From the outset, Qatar looked a solid unit combining power with a bit of artistry as they eased into a 3-0 lead as they broke and ran from the off. Bashar missed their first ball of the match as he twitched on the 2 ball but after Czech’s Roman Hybler had missed it also, Waleed played a sensational carom off the two onto the rail and then onto the 9 for 4-0.

The Czechs got their name on the scoreboard in the next and won a drawn out sixth rack to make it 2-4 but when Hybler scratched on the 2 ball, it was a chance that Qatar grasped to move to 5-2. Waleed missed a long 2 ball in the next and the momentum went back to the Czechs who cleared for 3-5.

Hybler though missed the 2 ball in the ninth after the Czechs had pushed out and Qatar had put them back in. Majid slid it home along the rail and he and Bashar coped well with a tricky layout to reach the hill at 6-3.

The Czechs got to the table in the next but a clumsy safety from Michal Gavenciak left the 7 ball on and Bashar Hussain played a great cross bank to pot it and set up the win.

Commented Bashar, “We are delighted to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, and we know everybody watching in Qatar will be very happy. We played very well against USA and we were very happy with the performance tonight; we didn’t make too many mistakes.

“Beating USA gave us a big confidence boost. They are a big team with big players and that gave us a lot of confidence, which we have built on with the win today. Japan is a very good team but if we can keep the same rhythm and the same focus we know we can win,” he added.

Finland and Singapore shared the opening four racks as both sides looked a little nervy but it was Finland who took the lead for the first time as Petri Makkonen played an outstanding positional shot to leave the 7 ball for his partner Mika Immonen.

Chang Keng Kwan badly missed into the centre pocket for the second time in the match and that left three easy balls for Finland and instead of 3-3, the score became 4-2.

A poor shot from Chang saw him pocket the 1 ball but nudge the 2 and leave it in unpottable position. Aloysius Yapp’s safety caught the knuckle of the centre pocket and left it on and Finland ran out to increase their lead.

A dry break from Makkonen though, got the Singaporeans back to the table but they couldn’t capitalise and Finland reached the hill at 6-3 and from there they finished the last rack off for an excellent win.

“We weren’t super pleased with that performance; we had a couple of unforced errors and a couple of bad positional shots but we got away with it because Singapore weren’t in great form. But we will take it and there were some positives; our run-outs were pretty good and we played a more consistent game. We just need to get the breaks going and clear the table,” said Immonen.

England B – Daryl Peach and Mark Gray – started out as the big outsiders against Team Philippines but got off to a great start with some solid play and no mistakes as they took a 4-1 lead against the highly fancied Filipinos.

Warren Kiamco and Carlo Biado looked nervous and made some uncharacteristic errors to help the English on their way. However, a dry break from Peach gave the Philippines a chance and they ran the table out to get 1-4.

They took the next and when Gray scratched on the 2 ball following a push out, the Filipinos ran out to get within one of the English. A scratch from Peach left a tricky table but when Biado sunk the 9 ball to tie it up at 4-4, it began to look ominous.

That was as long as the comeback lasted. There was a safety battle on the 2 ball in the next but Biado left a look at it and Gray potted it down the side rail to set up the rack and restore the lead. In the next came an even bigger blow for the Filipinos. Placed in snooker by Biado, Peach outrageously fluked the 3 ball and obtained shape on the 4 and England B cleared for 6-4. They ran the next for an outstanding victory against the odds.

Gray said, “We had a great start with some good outs and we were playing well. But from 4-1 up Daryl got kicked in off on a break and we didn’t have much luck.; I played a good shot on the 2 to try and carom the 6 in and there was no gap but somehow the white scratched in off and the game turned to 4-4 and you are playing a best of five to get into the quarter-finals.

“We have a great chance of reaching the final. We haven’t had easy matches but we have beaten two good teams. We have played the Finnish lads many a time on the Euro Tour and we both have good head-to-head records against them so I am confident we can win that match.”

Peach added, “There were a few twists and turns but we were trying to win each mini interval 2-1 and we did win most of them 2-1. That gives you a short-term target. We played well and deserved the win.

“Finland is a tough match but so was that. It is a longer race so there is more time to settle down. They are a very good team as proven in the past when they have won it but my and Mark are a good team too and reached the final the only time we played the World Cup together, so we could be in for a good match.”

Quarter Final Line Up

  Saturday 13.30 Austria v Chinese Taipei then Japan v Qatar

  Saturday 18.30 England A v Romania then Finland v England B

Results

  England A (1) 7-5 Australia

Korea (16) 7-6 Malaysia

Indonesia 7-3 Germany

Romania 7-4 China

Austria (5) 7-5 Peru

France 7-6 Canada (12

Poland (13) 7-3 New Zealand

Chinese Taipei (4) 7-5 Estonia

Holland (3) 7-3 India

Japan (14) 7-3 Italy

Czech Republic 7-3 Spain (11)

Qatar 7-5 USA (6)

Singapore 7-5 Greece (7)

Finland (10) 7-4 Belgium

England B (15) 7-4 Sweden

Philippines (2) 7-4 Russia

  Round 2 Scores

  Japan (14) 7-6 Holland (3)

England A (1) 7-0 Korea (16)

Austria (5) 7-2 France

Romania 7-5 Indonesia

Chinese Taipei (4) 7-3 Poland (13)

Qatar 7-3 Czech Republic

Finland (10) 7-4 Singapore v

England B (15) 7-4 Philippines (2)

  The following broadcasters are screening live coverage of the Dafabet World Cup of Pool:

Sky Sports – GB and Ireland; Sky – New Zealand; CCTV – China; Nova TV – Czech Republic & Slovakia; OSN – Middle East & North Africa; ESPN 3 – USA; ESPN Latin America –Central & South America; Viasat – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Bulgaria & the Baltic states.

For fans outside those territories, Perform Group will be streaming the event via their www.livesport.tvservice. In addition the Dafabet World Cup of Pool is syndicated around the world as 31 x 1 hour programmes by Matchroom Television.

Featuring 32 two-man teams from around the world, the Dafabet World Cup of pool is celebrating its tenth year as defending champion England attempt to become the first team ever to successfully defend the title. The event runs from 22nd to 27th September.

Tickets are now on sale at www.SEETickets.com and are priced at 10.00 per evening session (Tuesday to Friday), 12.50 per evening session on the Saturday and Sunday. Weekend afternoon sessions are 7.50 while Tuesday to Friday afternoons are free!

A season ticket covering all sessions is priced at 65.00.

The World Cup of Pool will carry a $250,000 prize fund including $60,000 for the champions. The event will be produced by Matchroom Sport Television and televised live on Sky Sports and then syndicated internationally as 31 x 1 hour programmes.

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TOP GUNS SHOW THEIR CLASS

Amidst some of the toughest competition ever assembled, pool’s best shine on day 1 of the World 9-ball Championship in Doha.

By Ted Lerner WPA Press Officer

John Morra Photo Courtesy Richard Walker and the WPA

  (Doha, Qatar)–Like all the top players, Canada’s John Morra just wanted to get out of the starting gates on Day 1 of the 2015 World 9-ball Championship with a win. A loss on the first day of  group play can be a total downer as you’re now suddenly faced with a pressure packed, do-or-die match in the double elimination format. If you don’t get your head in the game and your game in gear, you can quickly be headed for the exits in a New York second, you’re dreams of pool glory gone for another 12 months.

That’s the prospect the 26 year old from Toronto surely faced as he found himself down 6-1 and then 7-3 and playing miserably in his opening race to 9 match against Austria’s tough Mario He. Morra, however, has built up a steady stream of high finishes in the last 18 months and understood that winning in championship pool often requires patience, a positive attitude, and the ability to pounce when you’re opponent shows even the slightest bit of weakness.

And so when  the big Austrian made a few mistakes, and showed his disgust with himself, Morra took it as his cue that he had life remaining. Slowly Morra fought back, gained confidence, while He became more frustrated with the mounting mistakes. Tied at 8-8 Morra had the Austrian by the throat, played a  lockdown safety, and won the match 9-8.

“I was down 7-3, I just couldn’t find my stroke,” a clearly pumped Morra said after match. “I was getting some bad rolls and that’s expected when you’re not playing well. I just clawed my way back game by game. I was saying to myself ‘you’re going to get your opportunities so just stay calm.’   I started breaking well and I trusted my instincts under the pressure and just committed to each shot. Every little mistake he made gave me energy because he was getting upset with himself. I just fed off of that.”

Having turned near failure into opportunity and success, the talented Canadian suddenly feels the experience bodes well for his chances this year.

“I feel like I have a new life now. I was facing defeat and then maybe elimination if I lose my next one so that would’ve been a lot of pressure. But I managed to come back and win. So now I can just come out and play without pressure because I had my back against the ropes and I didn’t expect to win that one but I did.”

Morra’s gritty victory was easily the comeback of the day as the 2015 World 9-ball Championship got under way with 36 matches played out over four sessions at the sparkling Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha.  Fans used to stunning upsets in the early going in this event got nothing of the sort. What they did get was a quick reminder of the sheer amount of incredible talent from all corners of the globe and that over the next week, we are surely going to be treated to some of the highest level of pool ever seen.

Photo Courtesy of Richard Walker and the WPA

Defending champion Niels Feijen found himself down 3-0 early to Qatar-based Filipino Francisco Felicilda, who has recently been playing some of the best pool in the Middle East. But the Dutchman stormed back and played brilliantly, routing the talented Pinoy 9 – 4. Only one player in history, Earl Strickland, has ever won back to back World 9-ball titles. Feijen’s opening salvo today showed he has every intention of trying to become the second player to accomplish the feat.

Plenty of other top names and favorites looked exceptional today as well. Mika Immonen has been showing his old Hall of Fame form in the last few weeks. The Finn put in a terrific performance today against another solid Qatar based Filipino, Amir Rota, winning handily 9-4. Last year’s runner-up Albin Ouschan of Austria won handily. Taiwan’s Ko Pin Yi, the current World 10-ball champion, won easily over Estonia’s Denis Grabe, 9-2. Ko’s 19 year old brother Ko Pin Chung looked solid in defeating Sweden’s Marcus Chamat. Former 9-ball champion and legend Ralf Souquet squeaked by Taiwan’s Chang Jung Lin, 9-8. American Shane Van Boeing struggled against the UAE’s Omran Salem but eventually prevailed 9-6. The Philippines’ Carlo Biado, who has been knocking on the door of big time success in the last two years, also saw victory today.

While Biado represents the best of the younger generation of great Pinoys, 45 year old Warren Kiamco is ably carrying the flag for the older generation of Filipino greats, especially with the absence of legends Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante.  As expected Kiamco easily beat Norway’s Vegar Kristiansen today.

Filipino fans looking for one of their own to go far can surely look to the low key Kiamco to deliver the goods this week. The 20 year veteran has been playing the best pool of his long career this year, as evidenced by his win at the Derby City 9-ball event back in January and quarter final finish at the World 10-ball in February. Kiamco, who spends nearly five months out of the year honing his game in the US, says his recent resurgence in pool is a result of a renewed commitment to the sport.

“I’m dedicated to this game,” Kiamco said. “I’m still practicing hard for the tournaments and also I’m quite disciplined and focused on my game. I need it. I have to make a living. This is the job that I know. I am also a member of the Philippine national team so I need to practice hard.

“In 2006 I stopped playing pool for a while but I got a new interest in pool. And now I practice all the time because I really want to do well. But in the World 9-ball you need to not just play good, you also need luck. If I can win this tournament that would really mean a lot to me. This is one of my dreams to be a world champion some day.  But it’s really tough. Too many good players, too many young players. And you have to be able to compete with all of them.”

One of those young players Kiamco could be referring to is the USA’s Mike Dechaine. Except for Shane Van Boening, top Americans have been scarce at the World 9-ball Championship for six years running, a sorry fact that nobody in pool wants to see continue. The 28 year old from the US state of Maine has been one of the USA’s best players for the last several years, and his recent string of near misses seems to indicate he is on to something big. This is the young American’s first ever time to play in the World 9-ball Championship. After defeating Chile’s Alejandro Carvajal today 9-4, Dechaine said he was thrilled with the experience and that it will be the first of many testing the waters overseas.

Mike Dechaine Photo Courtesy of Richard Walker and the WPA

“I played Ok but not as good as I wanted to, probably 60 to 70 percent, but I’m just getting over my first World 9-ball Championship jitters,” Dechaine said. “I’m very pleased with the atmosphere, it’s incredible. You’ve got a big arena, every table is in perfect condition and they do it right here. The atmosphere is right. The jet leg is what hurts me but hopefully I’ll get past that and do well.

“I’m trying to expand my horizons. I want to start traveling a lot more overseas and getting more experience playing in different atmospheres and playing against different people who have different techniques. I think more of these trips are going to be in the future. I think I’m going to team up with Shane, maybe go to Moscow, go to Japan.

“I definitely think I can win this tournament. I play rotation pool with the best in the world. I think it comes down to the break. It’s very important that you get a shot after the break. That’s a little bit of luck. I just have to think positive and continue to make balls.”

The group stages continue on day 2 on Sunday at the Al Arabi Sports Club. Players in the remaining 4 groups will play their first round matches followed by losers bracket matches which will see two dozen players head for the exits.

**The 2015 WPA World 9-ball Championship takes place at the Al Arabi Sports Club Sports Club in Doha, Qatar from September 7-18, 2015. The winner of the 2015 World 9-ball Championship will receive $30,000. The runner up will receive $15,000. The total prize fund is $200,000.

The players will be competing on Wiraka New Model Tables with Simonis 860 Cloth, Electric Blue Color and using Aramith Super Pro TV Balls.

The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), which is once again hosting and organizing the World 9-ball Championship, will be providing free live streaming of the entire tournament, in cooperation with Kozoom. Fans can watch the action live on the QBSF website at, http://live.qbsf.qa/. With all 14 tables streamed live, fans can select which table they want to watch and switch between tables at their convenience.

The WPA will be on hand in Doha throughout this year’s World 9-ball Championship providing up to the minute information, live scoring, photographs and in depth articles with insights and analysis from WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner. 

Fans can interact with us through the WPA’s official Facebook Page for the event at this link;https://www.facebook.com/wpaworld9ballchampionship

The WPA is also on Twitter; @poolwpa

  RESULTS DAY 1, GROUP STAGES

Group 1 Albin  Ouschan (AUT) 9 – 5 Khaled A.M. Farag (EGY) Kawabata Satoshi (JPN) 9 – 6 Hunter Lombardo (USA) Bashar Hussain (QAT)  9 – 5 Irsan Afrinneza Nasution (INA)    Wu Kun Lin (TPE) 9 – 7 Konstantin Stepanov (RUS)   

Group 2 Wang Can (CHN) 9 – 6 Kuribayashi Tohru (JPN) Marc Bijsterbosch (NED) 9 – 4 Mohd Al Bin Ali (QAT) Radoslaw Babica (POL) 9- 3 Abdullah Al Yousef (KUW) Bautista Ruben (MEX) 9 – 7 Bader Al Awadhi (KUW)

Group 3 Li Hewen (CHN)  9 – 8 Roman Hybler (GER) Justin Campbell (AUS) 9 – 2 Rasekhi Medhi (IRI) Yang Ching Shun (TPE) 9 – 6 Waleed Majid (QAT) Yukio Akagariyama (JPE) 9 – 8 Sanchez-Ruiz Franscisco (ESP)

Group 4 Raymund Faraon (PHL ) 9 – 3 Francois Ellis (RSA) Pordel Mohammadali (IRI) 9 – 6 Mohammad Saeed (QAT) Nik Ekonomopoulos (GRE) 9 – 1 Mohamed Shareef (MDV) Zhou Long (CHN) 9- 7 Marco Teutscher (NED)

Group 5 Warren Kiamco (PHL) 9 – 2 Vegar Kristiansen (NOR) Wojciech Szewczyk (POL) 9 – 2 Jeong Young Hwa (KOR) Wu Jia Qing (CHN) 9 – 5 Shannon Ducharme (CAN) Oliver Medenilla (PHL) 9 – 2 Mohanna Obaidly (QAT)

Group 6 Ralf Souquet (GER) 9 – 8 Chang Jun Ling (TPE) Mateusz Sniegocki (POL)  9 – 8 Mohammad Sharif (PAL) Johann Gonzales Chua (PHL) 9 – 7 Ali Obaidly (QAT) Abdulrahman Al Amar (KSA) 9- 3 Hichem Benaissa (ALG)

Group 7 Naoyuki Oi (JPN) 9 – 5 Nick Van Den Berg (NED)  Tom Teriault (CAN) 9 – 7 Abdultif Fawal (QAT) Ruslan Chinakov (RUS) 9 – 6 Lee Van Corteza (PHL)  Liu Ching Chieh (TPE) 9 – 8 Mohamed Al Hosani (UAE)

Group 8 Daryl Peach (GBR) 9- 2  Muhammad Bewi Simanjuntak (INA) Mike DeChaine (USA) 9 – 4 Alejandro Carvajal (CHI) Calro Biado (PHL) 9 – 6 Fahad Khalaf (BRN) Daniele Corrieri (ITA) 9 – 6 Mishel Turkey (QAT)

Group 9 Ko Pin Yi (TPE) 9 – 2 Denis Grabe (EST) Matey Ullah (NOR) 9 – 6  Rajandran Nair (RSA) Mika Immonen (FIN) 9 – 4 Amir Rota (QAT-PH) Oliver Ortmann (GER) 9 – 2 Zhu Xi He (CHN)

Group 10 Ko Pin Chung (TPE) 9 – 5 Marcus Chamat (SWE) Christopher Teves (PER) 9 – 5Cheng Yu Hsuan (TPE)  Shane Van Boening (SVB) 9 – 6 Omran Salem (UAE) Richard Jones (GBR) 9 – 1 Hassan Shafraz (MDV)

Group 11 John Morra (CAN) 9 – 8 Mario He (AUT)  Toh Lian Han (SIN) 9 – 6 Mazen Berjaoui (LEB) David Alcaide (ESP) 9 – 3 Chu Bing Jie (CHN) Hesam S.A. Abdulaziz (EGY) 9 – 8 Khalid Yousuf Esbttam (UAE)

New Post on http://thepoolscene.com/international-pool-and-billiards/2014-betway-world-cup-pool-day-2-session-1/

2014 Betway World Cup of Pool - Day 2 Session 1

Super Qatar topple Taiwan!

Poland 7 – 4 Australia

China 7 – 5 Czech Republic

Qatar 7 – 5 Chinese Taipei

QATAR upset the applecart at the 2014 Betway World Cup of Pool as they turned over the highly fancied Chinese Taipei pairing of Chang Yu-lung & Hsu Kai-lun to take their nation through to the second round for the first time in the event’s nine year history.

Taking place at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth, the Betway World Cup of Pool features 32 two-man teams from around the world vying for a $250,000 prize fund, and it was Qatar who still has their eyes on the prize following an exciting 7-5 win.

The Middle Eastern country had played in the event from its inception in 2006 until 2010, having failed to win a game but pool in Qatar has made significant progress in recent years. The pairing of newcomer Waleed Majid and veteran Bashar Hussain shed any nerves as they moved into a 2-0 lead.

That lead became 5-2 before the Chinese Taipei pair steadied the ship as they won two racks to reduce the deficit to 5-4. Waleed bagged the 9 ball to put his side on the hill, and although Chinese Taipei grabbed one back, some superior shot-making in the 12th rack sealed a historic win for Qatar.

Commented Waleed, “We are so happy to win; we were delighted just to be at the Betway World Cup of Pool. Today we played against a strong team, one of the top five in the world. We’re hoping to make a name for Qatar in world pool.

“If you break and you get a good spread you can win the racks and in the short format you can win any match. It was great to play with Bashar – he is a very, very good player with lots of experience and we make a good partnership. We enjoy playing together and as the tournament goes on hopefully as a pairing we can get better.” China overcame a scare against qualifiers the Czech Republic before coming through in the closing straights to secure a second round berth. The Czech pair of Roman Hybler and Michal Gavenciak, who had played in the inaugural event back in 2006, looked in great shape as they reached the hill first at 5-3.

However, that was their last gasp as the Chinese pair of Wang Can and Dang Jinhu found that extra gear to carry them across the line.

Wang Can commented, “This is our first time as partners in this event so we feel like novices. In the match we supported each other well and we had to fight hard because Czech Republic played very well, it was a really tough test in our first match.”

In the opening match of the session, perennial dark horses Poland kept up their consistent recent World Cup of Pool record with a solid win over Australia. The Poles were quarter-finalists in 2009, ‘10 and ’11 and followed that up with a narrow defeat to Finland in the 2012 final.

Australia, on the other hand, has still yet to win a match at the Betway World Cup of Pool with eight first round defeats in eight attempts. The Polish pair of Karol Skowerski and Mateusz Sniegocki can look forward to a rematch with Finland in the second round.

There are three more first round matches on Wednesday evening as last year’s runners-up Holland face Sweden, 2008 winners USA take on Croatia and England A are up against Spain

Now in its ninth year, the Betway World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams from around the world battling it out for a $250,000 prize fund. The defending champions are the Philippines who will be among the favourites to claim a record-breaking fourth World Cup.

All tickets are priced at £5 (afternoons) and £10 evenings and are available from the venue or www.seetickets.com

Diamond Billiards are the Official Table of the 2014 World Cup of Pool; the Official Cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith. Predator is the Official Cue of the event.

Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: [email protected]

New Post on http://thepoolscene.com/international-pool-and-billiards/full-line-announced-pools-battle-royal/

Full line-up announced for pool’s battle royal

2014 World Cup of Pool

WITH THE ANNUAL World Cup of Pool set to get under-way on the 23rd September, the full line-up of players can now be confirmed and it is arguably the strongest set of players ever assembled in the nine year history of the event.

There are 12 World Champions competing as well as six US Open Champions and countless European and Asian Champions. In addition the field also contains seven former World Cup winners and nine World Pool Masters champions, making it a must-see tournament for UK pool fans.

Taking place at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth from Tuesday 23rd to Sunday 28th September, there are 16 first round matches over the first three days.

Europe (17)

Austria – Albin Ouschan & Mario He Croatia – Ivica Putnik & Karlo Dalmatin Czech Republic – Roman Hybler & Michal Gavenciak England A – Darren Appleton & Karl Boyes England B – Daryl Peach & Chris Melling Finland – Mika Immonen & Petri Makkonen France – Stephan Cohen & Alex Montpelier Germany – Ralf Souquet & Thorsten Hohmann Greece – Nikos Ekonomopoulos & Alexander Kazakis Holland – Niels Feijen & Nick van den Berg Italy – Fabio Petroni & Daniele Corrieri Poland – Karol Skowerski & Mateusz Sniegocki Portugal – Manuel Gama & Guilherme Sousa Russia – Konstantin Stepanov & Ruslan Chinakhov Spain – David Alcaide & Francisco Diaz-Pizarro Sweden – Andreas Gerwen & Tomas Larsson Switzerland – Dimitri Jungo & Ronni Regli

Rest of World (5)

Australia – Phil Reilly & James Georgiadis Canada – Alex Pagulayan & John Morra Chile – Alejandro Carvajal & Enrique Rojas Qatar – Waleed Majid & Bashar Hussain USA – Shane Van Boening & Earl Strickland

Asia (10)

China – Wang Can & Dang Jinhu Chinese Taipei – Chang Yu-lung & Hsu Kai Lun India – Raj Hundal & Amar Kang Indonesia – Irsal Nasution & Muhammad Zulfikri Japan – Hayato Hijikata & Masaaki Tanaka Korea – Jeong Yung Hwa & Ha Minuk Malaysia – Ibrahim Amir & Alan Tan Philippines – Dennis Orcollo & Lee Vann Corteza Thailand – Nitiwat Kanjanasri & Tanut Makkamontee Vietnam – Nguyen Phuc Long & Dang Thanh Kien

Now in its ninth year, the World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams from around the world battling it out for a $250,000 prize fund. The defending champions are the Philippines who will be among the favourites to claim a record-breaking fourth World Cup.

The event starts on Tuesday 23rd September and there are two sessions daily at 12 noon and 6.00pm during weekdays and then 1.00pm and 6.00pm at the weekend. Team USA get their campaign underway on Wednesday 24th September.

All tickets are priced at £5 (afternoons) and £10 evenings and are available from the venue or www.seetickets.com

Diamond Billiards are the Official Table of the 2014 World Cup of Pool; the Official Cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith. Predator is the Official Cue of the event.

Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: [email protected]