BEATS DEFENDING BILLIARDS CHAMPION CHEN SIMING 9-3 IN LOPSIDED FINAL AND MOVES TO WORLD NUMBER 1

Story and Photo by Ted Lerner

(Shanghai, China)–Playing virtually mistake free 9-ball, and seemingly immune to the pressure, Fu Xiao Fang defeated fellow Chinese and defending champion Chen Siming 9-3 to capture the China Open championship Sunday afternoon in Shanghai.

Playing virtually mistake free 9-ball, and seemingly immune to the pressure, Fu Xiao Fang defeated fellow Chinese and defending champion Chen Siming 9-3 to capture the China Open championship Sunday afternoon in Shanghai.

With her impressive victory, Fu won $30,000 and cemented her status as China’s best player. She has now won two major tournaments in the last year, including the World 9-ball championship held last September in Shenyang, China. In addition to stamping her class on the highly popular and competitive world of women’s pool in China, the victory now moves the 25 year old to the top of the world rankings.

The match, played in front of several hundred people inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium, and an estimated nationwide television viewing audience of over ten million people watching on China’s CCTV, was expected to be much closer. But the usually unflappable Chen made some uncharacteristic mistakes, all of which cost the 17 year old phenom dearly.

The two stars split the first four racks before Fu grabbed the lead and, from there, hightailed it all the way to the title. In the fifth rack Chen twice fouled, the last one leading to a nervy and difficult clear for Fu. In rack six, Fu and Chen engaged in a long safety battle, before Chen missed an open shot on the 1. Fu then ran out for a two rack lead.

With her impressive victory, Fu won $30,000 and cemented her status as China’s best player.

Chen couldn’t seem to get comfortable while Fu just stayed steady, and Fu soon went up 5-2. Chen faced a pivotal rack in the next frame and after missing an opening on a long 1 ball, she went on to play a lock down safety that earned her the point. Little did she know, however, that it would be the last rack she would win.

Fu just refused to buckle and would hold a tight reign on the proceedings the rest of the way. A terrific long pot on the six down the rail won her the next rack for a 6-3 lead. Chen fouled twice in the subsequent frame and Fu moved up by 4. Then Fu broke and ran out to go on the hill.

In the final rack, Chen broke but got nothing down and left an open shot on the 1 ball. From there the balls presented a basic layout and Fu cleared to claim the title.

“I played really well,” Fu told a throng of Chinese media after the match. “The pressure was big but Siming had some mistakes and maybe I have more experience than her in big events.”

Chen claims $15,000 for getting runner up and will now move down to the second spot in the WPA world rankings.

To see all the stories from our extensive coverage of the 2011 China Open, please visit the official website of the World Pool Association: www.wpa-pool.com

Rocket aiming to take no prisoners

RODNEY Morris believes America’s greater desire to win will see them beat Europe and lift the 2010 PartyCasino.com Mosconi Cup. Morris, currently top of the BCA rankings, thinks he is in the form of his life and will play a vital part as his side look to defend their trophy.

USA won the 2009 Mosconi Cup, although Morris was not involved after coming second to Dennis Hatch in a public vote to find the final player in the side.

Morris believes America’s greater desire to win will see them beat Europe and lift the 2010 PartyCasino.com Mosconi Cup.

“Sitting there in Las Vegas and watching just tore me up inside because I know I’m the best player in the world,” said 40-year-old Morris.

“Last year, I didn’t want to go to Turning Stone, which is a ranking event, because they don’t seed the players, and I didn’t get into the Mosconi Cup because my ranking was too low.

“It was really frustrating not getting in by the vote, but everything happens for a reason. It showed me we should all get invited based on merit and it also wasn’t fair to Shawn Putnam, who was fifth in the rankings.

“But it made me more determined than I’ve ever been. I changed cues, changed technique and practiced every day on all aspects of my game. It was more of a commitment to myself – to prove I can get there with hard work.

Morris has an outstanding track record in the event, having appeared in six Mosconi Cups and won 19 matches from 30 – a percentage record only bettered by Earl Strickland.

“Playing for my country means a lot to me. The fact there’s 300 million people wanting to see me win rather than the other guy is truly amazing.

“I’m very happy to make the team this year as I’ve been playing in all the ranking events and consistently doing well. I’m No.1 right now and very proud to be. It’s a culmination of hard work and determination combined with an undying belief in one’s self.

Morris comes in to replace Oscar Dominguez from last year’s side, with the rest of the American line-up consisting of Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Shane Van Boening and Dennis Hatch.

This year’s event, which will be staged from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th December 12, will be the seventh time Morris has donned USA colours. However, this will be Morris’s first appearance at the spiritual home of the event – London’s York Hall.

“I’ve heard York Hall is a different animal to what I’ve been used to,” added Morris. “I’m excited and anxious to see how I’ll feel when I’m out there and how I will perform.

“I’m playing super right now, so I have the confidence I’ll win no matter what. Losing is not an option for me from now until I die.

“The Mosconi is going to be very difficult to retain. One reason is the obvious home-court advantage; the second is the fact the European guys are all champions.

“Any time you get a group of players like this competing it’s going to be tooth and nail to the end. I had mixed emotions about watching last year. I kept thinking it was going to be close, so I was surprised when Europe lost some key matches.

“But one thing to remember is this. For many years, people from different countries have come to the US to learn how to win. Americans don’t live in other countries to learn how to win. It’s just an edge we have – an extra killer instinct if you will.

“We Americans have the heart advantage, period. Europeans have the titles. It’s the same as it is every year. The Europeans are the favourites until we get in there and show our heart. It’s simple, there’s no secret there, it’s all about heart, heart, heart!

“There really isn’t a specific European weakness that we will try to capitalize on. It’s just a matter of imposing our will every match. The balls might not roll our way, but when they do, we need to pounce and take advantage.

“It’s really about show-casing our strengths, which will become obvious over the course of the event.”

All tickets for the 2010 PartyCasino.com Mosconi Cup are available exclusively from www.seetickets.com/mosconicup

Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: luke.riches@matchroom.com

www.matchroompool.com

Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world’s leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,000 hours of original programming across a range of nine sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the Mosconi Cup is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the World Pool Masters.

The 2010 Mosconi Cup is sponsored by PartyCasino.com, the world’s leading online casino. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.

Korea’s Ga Young Kim is fighting to stay in lead of Group 4

Day 2 of the round robin portion of the Yalin Women’s World 10-Ball Championship is complete. Taiwan’s Pei Chen Tsai and Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan thus far have been untested. On the other hand, top favorites such as Allison Fisher are in a do or die situation to qualify. 48 players are still playing, but Day 3 will decide the fate of many in the group stage of the event. The Dragon Promotions produced event will see half the field eliminated today. The event takes place at Nuvo City Lifestyle Center with the televised portions at Robinson’s Galleria.

Day 2 of the round robin portion of the Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship is complete.

In Group 1, defending Women’s World 10-Ball Champion Rubilen Amit of the Philippines is yet undefeated and will face her biggest challenge thus far in Taiwan’s Pei Chen Tsai, who has only dropped 5 games total in 4 matches. Both players are undefeated and likely their match will decide the #1 spot in their group. Being #1 in a group will give a player a bye (skip a match) in the next stage of the event when the final 24 players goto single elimination tournament format. In Group 7, Jasmin Ouschan of Austria also is undefeated with 4 wins and only 7 total games lost.

The toughest group is likely Group 2, where the players have been beating each other with no clear best player. Everyone has a loss. The surprise is World #1 Duchess of Doom Allison Fisher who won her first match 6-2, but then dropped her next two matches and will be forced to win her next two matches to qualify. Even that is not a guarantee depending on the results of the other players. Fisher lost 6-4 against China’s Doudou Zhou and a 6-5 loss to Japan’s #1 Akimi Kajitani.

Another interesting group is #6. Several players in the group have 2 wins or more making this a tough group to call with only 3 of the 6 players being able to advance. A possible 4 way tie could take place. Korea’s Yu Ram Cha won two matches before losing a 6-5 decision to China’s Wu Jing. Cha has two tough matches coming with Iris Ranola and Amalia Matas, who both also have to wins. Jing is #1 as of now in the group with 3 wins and 1 loss.

The Yalin Women’s World 10-Ball Championship is sponsored by BCN Balls, Leqi Cloth, Crown Plaza Galleria Ortigas, Predator Cues, Magic 89.9, Philippines Star, Nuvo City, and Robinson’s Galleria. The event will be airing on ABS-CBN and internationally on ESPN Star Sports. The event will be broadcasted live for all five days of the main event on ABS-CBN with 25 hours of broadcast television coverage. Www.Top147.com will also be giving it live daily coverage in China.
Stories, complete info and updates will be on www.WomensWorld10Ball.com

With these global network and media partners the Yalin Women’s World 10-Ball Championship will be the biggest and most watched women’s billiard event in history.

pic by Emille “BiBoy” Soriano

by Dave Dupuis

François Normand and Ernie Wong took the premier spots on the first edition of the MMX AllerRetour Challenge in the elite and amateur divisions, respectively. The tournament was held June 12-13 at Dooly’s Pool Hall in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. During the tour’s 30 weeks of pool, fans were lucky enough to see, both onsite and online, two categories of play every week in a duel of 9-ball.

For the tour’s grand finale, 32 of the top players in the standings (16 amateurs and 16 elites) were invited. The amount of $4,500 CAD was awarded throughout the tournament, and the Delta-13 racks were also given as trophies to the champions.

Saturday’s qualifying session was a round robin for players who were ranked fifth to sixteenth in the standings, and later the first round of single elimination finals took place. Only four players from each category were invited to play the next day.

In the amateur division, Ernie Wong of Montreal, the best player in the season’s standings, easily defeated Francis Farley 9-1 in the finals. On the road, Wong bested Martin Lévesque 7-6 and Eric Fleury 7-4 to earn his place. Farley, on the other hand, eliminated Abraham Benoliel 7-2 and Eric Gaudreault 7-4 to participate in the final match-up.

In the elite event, the scenario was different because four players came from two round robin qualifications on Saturday. Eric Theroux lost 9-5 against François Normand and Martin Lalonde eliminated Tino Barbieri. While many predicted a victory by Lalonde, Normand’s game effectively allowed him to take the lead 10-8 in the race-to-11 games. Lalonde, who is known for his desire to win, did not let go and forced a hill-hill battle. To the great surprise of Normand, Lalonde scratched on the break, giving the advantage to his opponent. Despite the importance of the break in a championship game, Normand capitalized on the error and the match—without Lalonde returning to the table—to win the 2010 Elite title.

A live broadcast of the final matches on the Internet was made possible through the collaboration of Guy Simard (BillardQuebec.com). To view the videos visit the official website of the event Allerretour.ca.

François Normand and Ernie Wong took the premier spots on the first edition of the MMX AllerRetour Challenge in the elite and amateur divisions, respectively.

Amateur Results:
1st Ernie Wong $550
2nd Francis Farley $300
3rd Éric Fleury $125
Éric Gaudreault
5th Martin Lévesque $50
Éric Horth
Abraham Benoliel
Denis Duteau

Mika Immonen and Mezz Cues are proud to announce the Mezz Pro-Am Tour. The Mezz Tour is a 1-day Open Tournament with staggered entry fees and additional cash prizes for the top 2 finishers in the A/B and C/D division. Events will take place in the North East region.

“We are happy to work with Jose Burgos, who runs the best 1-day tournaments in this region. We hope to offer a highly competitive tournament and great prizes for pros and amateurs alike. We will also give each player a free raffle ticket for a Mezz Cue and Mezz Case at the Grand Finale Tournament along with prizes for the Top 10 point leaders of the year,” says Mika.
Jose describes, “I am honored to join forces with Mika Immonen and Mezz Cues. I believe having the best player in the world along with one of the leading cue companies in the industry as sponsors will make the Mezz Pro-Am Tour one of the premier tours in the region.”

Along with the Mezz Open Tour, we are also proud to announce a Mezz Women’s Tour overseen by WPBA Pro and Mezz USA President, Caroline Pao.

“With so many great female players in the Northeast region, this is a great opportunity to provide a competitive tour for them to participate in. We will feature great prizes at each stop as well as hold a Grand Finale tournament with added monies. Prizes will also be awarded for the Top 3 female players of the year with the Top Female receiving paid entry to the prestigious Turning Stone Tournament in Syracuse, NY. I am very excited be able to provide an opportunity for our local female players to sharpen their competitive edge. Once we complete the 8 event schedule, it will be on our official Mezz Tour website, www.mezztour.com,” explains Caroline.

Immonen and Mezz Cues are proud to announce the Mezz Pro-Am Tour.

As a prelude to our official launch of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour, we had a great event at Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA on January 31st with an attendance of 53 players. Joey Testa and Ignacio Chavez were co-champions of this event with Victor Nau in 3rd and Josh Brothers in 4th place.

The next stop will be at on February 21st at :
Atlantic City Billiards
6701 Blackhorse Pike
Egg Habor, NJ 08234
(609) 645-7576

Visit the official Mezz Pro-Am Tour website, www.mezztour.com, for more information.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@mezztour.com.

There can be no doubt as to who the best player in the world is now. Mika Immonen of Finland has won the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World Ten Ball Championship in Manila scant weeks after winning his second consecutive US Open and the Challenge of Champions. These wins push him over the $200,000 mark for the year and cement his place firmly in pool history.

Immonen entered the final day as one of four players left out of the 128 who started the week. His first victim for the day was Antonio Lining of the Philippines whom he beat 9-7. Just after this win the other semi-final between Lee Van Corteza of the Philippines and David Alcaide of Spain ended with Corteza earning the right to face Immonen 9-7.

Immonen continued his assault on the sport of pool as he captured the title of WPB World Ten Ball Champion. With this win, his winnings this year puts him over $200,000.

Corteza began the final with a hot hand and led 2-0 after the first two racks. But from there Immonen found his game and slowly pulled away to take the title 11-6 in a convincing victory.

View the WPA World 10-Ball Championships Groups tournament brackets

View the WPA World 10-Ball Championships Single Elimnation tournament brackets

Congratulations go out to Raya Sports for their production of this year’s championship and the Republic of the Philippines for being such gracious hosts.

Thorsten "The Hitman" Hohmann laid the smackdown his fellow pros at the Accu-Stats 14.1 Straight Pool Invitational at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ.

It’s Official. Not even Hurricane Hannah could contain Thorsten Hohmann as he cruised, unscathed, through a minefield chock-full of straight pool powerhouses  in the Accu-Stats 14.1 Straight Pool Invitational at Comet Billiards, in Parsippany, N.J.

Johnny Archer, Jose Parica, John Schmidt, and Ralf Souquet all felt the frustration as Hohmann hosted a clinic. Accu-Stats’ commentators Incardona and DiLiberto were so impressed by Thorsten performance that they considered him to be the best player they’d ever seen. Never, in recent memory, has there been a round robin event where a player went undefeated. Even Efren, in the 2001 Accu-Stats 8-Ball Invitational, had to compete in a play-off to secure his win.

The Accu-Stats Video Production, Double Round Robin, event, also broadcast over the internet, allowed each competitor to play each other twice with both matches immortalized on DVD. All century plus runs are given a “Player Review” where the aspirant narrates his own DVD.

John “Mr. 400″ Schmiidt had highest run honors as he blasted a lightening fast 169. Off to a slow start, and zero for 5 in his opening matches, John redeemed himself by winning his last 3 over Souquet, Archer, and Parica.

Ralf, too, was on shaky ground. He had 3 wins; one over Schmidt and two over Archer.

Johnny garnered wins over Schmidt and a 60-and-out over Parica where he continued to complete a high run of 99.

Parica, with 4 and 4, secured $2,000 in prize money by defeating Archer, Schmidt, and Souquet, twice,

Players earned $500 for each win with a possible $1,000 in bonus money per match.  Once a player hit 60, he could continue pocketing balls in the hope of running to 100 and win an additional $500 or, $1,000 for 150.

Hohmann grossed $5,000 for his 8 wins and his century plus runs of 112 and 149. One more point on the 149 and he would have made an extra $500. Johnny felt the sting too. His 99 was so close yet, so far.

Accu-Stats’ Pat Fleming would like to thank Bill Hailey and his crew at Comet Billiards for their superior service, and all who attended the inaugural event there. That means you net surfers too.

In the interest of keeping the production values at peak performance, Pat asked the players for suggestions on how to improve the event. The consensus was, “Don’t change a thing.”

Final results:
1. Thorsten Hohmann 8-0
2. Jose Parica 4-4
3. John Schmidt 3-5
4. Ralf Souquet 3-5
5. Johnny Archer 2-6
High Runs
1. John Schmidt 169 _ $1,000
2. Thorsten Hohmann 149 _ $500
3. Thorsten Hohmann 112 _ $500

Thorsten "The Hitman" Hohmann is still on the path to a perfect record at the Accu-Stats 14.1 Straight Pool Invitational at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ.

Although off to a rocky start in the opening rack, in day 2, Thorsten Hohmann’s recovery skills and consummate cue ball control garnered his second high run of the event at 112. Thorsten’s consistency, pattern play, and ability to overcome potential disaster had Accu-commentators Incardona and DiLiberto considering whether Thorsten was the best player, not only playing today, but ever. That’s high praise from men who’ve seen them all.
For other constestants, the Accu-Stats Invitational has held some disappointments. John “Mr 400″ Schmidt has hardly lived up to his monicker as he has managed only 24 balls in 4 matches. The 60 point matches put players in a now-or-never mind set. And, that causes panic. On the upside, this is just sort of come-from-behind motivation that John may need to get rolling.
Archer, with a high run of 150-and-out in a previous Accu-Stats tournament, has only managed one win, interestingly enough, against Schmidt.
Johnny has had opportunity. In his 7:00 pm, Friday night match, he scored 45 against Jose Parica’s 60. Johnny missed a ball he would have made in the case came of any 9 Ball championship. That seems to be the challenge of 14.1. When a ball gets just outside one’s comfort zone, as the consequences are much more dire, errors happen.
8:00pm had John Schmidt (-1) got no sympathy from Thorsten Hohmann with a 60 & Out concluding with a High Run of 112.
10:00pm – Ralf Souquet (60) gave Johnny Archer (15) his 3rd defeat.
11:00pm – Thorsten Hohmann (60) and Jose Parica (54). This was without a doubt the most tightly contested match. Parica needed six when Hohmann was allowed to the table. Thorsten stalled at 58 and a safety battle ensued.
So the tallies so far are, Hohman 4 and 0 losses. Parica 3 and 1, Souquet is 2 and 2,  Johnny is 1 and 3, and Schmidt 0 and 4. For his two, century plus runs, Hohmann has generated an additional $1,000 in bonus money.

Saturday afternoon’s session continued with the aforementioned Archer defeating Schmidt 60 to minus 2, and Pareica over Souquet, 60-4.
Can Hohmann prevail? The schedule will prove interesting.
The Afternoon session continues with
3:00pm – Thorsten Hohmann vs. Johnny Archer
4:00pm – John Schmidt vs. Ralf Souquet
And the evening matches scheduled are:
7:00pm – Jose Parica vs. Johnny Archer
8:00pm – Thorsten Hohmann vs. John Schmidt
10:00pm – Ralf Souquet vs. Jose Parica
11:00pm – Johnny Archer vs. John Schmidt
Please noter all times are Eastern.

Visit http://www.accu-stats.com/liveppv.html for your ringside seat and live commentary by Bill Incardona and Danny DiLiberto.

For sure, pool is a one-on-one sport. Two players go into a match, and only one comes out a winner. Only one player gets to move forward on the tournament chart. You could say that the other player, in terms of a pool match, gets killed off, and that points to the essential aspect of competition. Everybody can’t win. If your opponent really wants to win and you really want to win, one of you has to be denied. And that denial, no matter how many mistakes you make, is ultimately delivered by the hand of your opponent. In that respect, pool requires the winner to land a killing blow. He has to squash the other player’s intention and kill off his hope.

There are people who appreciate the beauty and camaraderie of pool and cringe at killer allegory. They would prefer to pretty it up. No killers here, thank you. To them, the outcome of any particular match is just a matter of the best player winning. If one player plays a better game, then he wins; if the other player plays better, then he wins. It’s not a personal thing, for goodness’ sake.

If we were talking about boxing, this issue would be easy to resolve. After all, somebody is likely to get knocked out, maybe even hospitalized. Having a clear and focused killer instinct in a boxing match is clearly a genuine advantage. Only a fool would be there without one. But is boxing so different from pool? Pool players can’t physically touch each other, but aren’t they up to the same thing?

The truth probably leans toward the killer instinct, even though some will not admit it. To such a player, resistance to the phrase killer instinct comes from associating it with undesirable traits such as hatefulness, evil, and disrespect. That player wants to see himself as a good person, intent on pursuing his own goals and not someone who is focused on actively killing off another person’s hopes and dreams. But that perspective denies the real truth of competition. You have to eliminate the other player to claim victory.
There is nothing wrong with having a killer instinct, expressing it in competition, or talking about it in a mature fashion. It’s not something bad. Having a killer instinct doesn’t mean you have to hate your opponent or be mean and surly, and it certainly doesn’t necessitate poor sportsmanship. In fact, the greatest killers in competitive pool are often the most jovial, friendly people you will ever meet. The killer instinct is not demonstrated and revealed by mannerisms but by the underlying intention of the player.

You can like or dislike a particular player, but if you want to play well against them, it’s essential to respect them. Allison Fisher once said it was the most important thing. It’s also natural to feel love and camaraderie for people like yourself who have found a passion for playing pool. None of this, however, needs to interfere with the killer instinct coming to the surface once your match is called. It’s what competition is about, and if you didn’t have it in you, you would not be playing competitively.

All competitive players, in other words, possess a killer instinct, even if they can’t express it powerfully. One has to acknowledge and accept it to express it effectively. Think about yourself as a competitive player and look for it inside. Don’t worry, pool isn’t an existential activity. No one is really going to die. Even if your opponent tells you he needs to win to feed his family, that’s just a bunch of baloney. It’s still your responsibility as a competitor to kill him off as soon as you can. You’re not taking anything away from him, because if he’s not qualified to win, he doesn’t deserve it. He can get a job just like anyone else.
Good luck good shootin’!

I remember when I made my first 20-ball run, I ran over to my dad to tell him what I had done. He told me to concentrate on the next shot, which of course I missed, but that taught me to control myself better. One time, on my way back from a tournament, my parents told me off for taking it too easy in the finals of an event. From that day, at age 16, it became a job that I was dedicated to because I wanted to succeed. My whole attitude changed, and I realized I was going from a hobby to having to make a living. I always had the desire to do well, and I still do. The desire is to try and become the best player that you can be. Not everyone wants to make a living at it, and quite frankly, it is very tough to do so. But the game is so great because it is always challenging. It is also very rewarding when you can feel and see improvements.

The best way to reach new levels is to perfect one thing at a time. Take each part of your game apart and see where the weaknesses are and then rebuild it. I can never stress enough the need for great fundamentals. If you have flaws, they will kill you under pressure. There are millions of great players in practice but very few in a match.

The other thing in your game that needs to be good is mental toughness. Try to work on putting bad shots or results behind you and learning from the experiences. Write down the shots you missed and practice them over and over. If you keep missing them, it is time to analyze your stroke and alignment. It can be something minor that is going wrong. Give yourself some achievable goals, whether in matches or in practice drills. Start building confidence and watch good players to try and learn new things. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you like the way someone does something.