The 14.1 Challenge at the Derby City Classic continued on Thursday with action in the first round of the single elimination bracket. Three of the four matches were played with one match postponed to Friday due to scheduling conflicts presented by Niels Fiejen and Darren Appleton playing in other events.

The match saw Souquet, Inside POOL Magazine's 2011 Player of the Year, defeat Immonen 125-109. Souquet posted a high run of 70 balls on his way to the victory.

The first match on the FREE live HD stream produced by Inside POOL TV was between Ralf Souquet and Mika Immonen. The match saw Souquet, Inside POOL Magazine’s 2011 Player of the Year, defeat Mika Immonen 125-109. Souquet posted a high run of 70 balls on his way to the victory.

The second match on the free live stream was between John Schmidt and Johnny Archer. Schmidt played well, taking advantage of some early opportunities. Schmidt dominated the match even though his high run was only 44 balls.

The remaining match posed Alex Pagulayan versus Dennis Orcollo. Both players fought hard with some decent runs, but it was Pagulayan that pulled out the victory.

The match between Fiejen and Appleton is scheduled on the FREE live stream channel at InsidePOOL.tv for approximately 11:30 am EST on Friday.

The 14.1 Challenge enjoyed an $8,500 added purse that pays out $300 for the daily high run, $200 for second place daily and $100 for third place daily. The prize breakdown for the main event of the 14.1 Challenge are as follows:

1st – $2,600
2nd – $1,900
3rd-4th – $1,200
5th-8th – $700

Sponsors for the 14.1 Challenge include Diamond Billiard Products, Bob Jewett, Stu Mattana, Rich Klein, Jeff Mohl and Simonis Cloth. Patrons include James & Sons Jewelers, Arnold Kupec, Angel Levine, 14and1.com, America’s Straight Pool League, Stan Haines, Ted Antle, James Franklin, Larry Moy, Jay Helfert and Phil Capelle.

The free live stream is being broadcast by Inside POOL TV in HD at 1-year subscription to the online version of Inside POOL Magazine.

Sponsors that make the free live stream of the 14th Annual Derby City Classic include Diamond Billiard Products, Kamui Tips, Fury Cues, The bankshot Calculator, Hammerhead Hustling Clothing, Sharks web series, Pool Player Excuses billiard towel, Definitive Synergy billiards management software and Tom Simpson’s National Billiard Academy.

Hangzhou, China – China will take on Europe in two separate matches during the World Mixed Doubles. In the first, China’s team of Xiaofang Fu and Haitao Liu will take on Finland’s World Champion Mika Immonen and Marika Poikkioiki. Then China’s Siming Chen and Hewen Li will go against Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann and Neslihan Gurel. Both matches will be televised. More people will watch the World Mixed Doubles than any other billiards event in China! The World Mixed Doubles will be an exciting format which is unique in bringing women and men together on a side-by-side team, the only event of its kind. With the greatest professional players, the world’s biggest billiard sponsors, the biggest billiards event producer Dragon Promotions now brings the biggest TV coverage in China. Dragon Promotions in cooperation with 9 Club Entertainment will be producing the event on November 30- December 2, 2011. The tournament is sanctioned by the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association. The event will pair the top men’s and women’s players together as a two-person team, with a total of 16 teams from around the world. The World Mixed Doubles is sponsored by Rikko Decoration www.rikko.cn, 9-Club Entertainment, Official Cue is Predator Cues & Poison Cues, Simonis Cloth, Master Chalk, and Aramith Balls . Official media partner is www.Top147.com. Link to the Official site for the World Mixed Doubles is http://www.top147.com/news/Doubles/

The event takes place at Jiebai New Yuanhua(解百新元华), #177 Yan’an Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Tickets can be purchased at 9-Club or on site for 50RMB.

The Chinese players are very excited about this event. China #1 ranked Liu Haitao has this to say,”I know the tournament was held in Manila for the first time, but actually now it’s the first time I am playing in World Mixed Doubles. It’s going to be a great atmosphere in the venue, as it’s held in a busy shopping mall beside the beautiful Xihu Lake. I already practiced with Fu Xiaofang my partner for one day. We have to know each other’s game well to make our cooperation as a team successful. I’ve been to 9-Club before which mixes music and billiards together. It truly makes the normal tension of a professional tournament fade out, so it feels really great to enjoy the World Mixed Doubles. Hope the tournament is a great success and for more events like this one to be held in China.”
Liu Haitao and Fu Xiaofang will not have an easy match against Finland’s Mika “Iceman” Immonen and Marika Poikkioikki. Immonen is a World Champion in 9-Ball and 10-Ball, while Marika is one of the top women in Europe and #1 in her home country.

“It is a huge honor for me to get to play side by side with Mika Immonen, who is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of the last decade. I have all my faith in Mika and I trust him to be the team´s driving force. That’s why I chose Royal Blue as our colour, because it represents Finland really well and of course it suits the Iceman!”, says Marika with a smile.

Marika answers, “I have only participated in one really minor team-tournament, so this is still new for me. But we are definitely going to fight to be on the top! For me, the result is a big question mark… You´ll just have to wait and see!”

World #1 Siming Chen of China and her partner Li Hewen, a 2x World Cup Doubles Champion will face the strong German team of 3x World Champion Thorsten Hohmann and Neslihan Gurel.

Thorsten Hohmann says, “I am a big fan of the doubles competition. To play with my partner Nes will be a lot of fun. Pool is growing in Asia and China and Dragon Promotions is doing a great job promoting the game and the players here. y first experience in playing with Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/china-vs-europe-fu-xiaofang-vs-immonen.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/two-in-a-row%e2%80%94appleton-now-a-double-u-s-open-victor.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/two-in-a-row%e2%80%94appleton-now-a-double-u-s-open-victor.html#comments Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:32:06 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=16498 Two in a Row—Appleton Now a Double U.S. Open Victor
U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships / Chesapeake, VA

by InsidePOOL Staff

Darren Appleton joined an elite group the eve of October 22—a group of only three 9-ball players, in fact. The players who have pulled off consecutive wins at the prestigious U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships now include Nick Varner (1989, 1990), Mika Immonen (2008, 2009) and now Appleton (2010, 2011).

At 1 p.m. Appleton faced off with the other undefeated player, Alex Pagulayan, in the hot seat match. Pagulayan, who won the Open in 2005 and was in the finals in 2002, staved off Appleton and held the lead at 6-4. But Appleton’s break was working, and so were his defensive moves. Though he had his chances, Pagulayan never won another rack in that match, as Appleton steamrolled through to an 11-6 win.

In the concurrent quarterfinal match, Dennis Hatch, who had played and won six matches Friday on the one-loss side to reach Saturday alive, and Shawn Putnam went up against each other. “Big Bubba” opened up the set with a four-pack and kept Hatch in his chair for most of the match. Finally Hatch won the eighth rack and raised his arms in the air to celebrate. Putnam took the next two and only allowed “The Hatchetman” one more game before breezing past him 11-2.

The Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship kicked off Thursday morning with a field that was expanded to 72 players.

Putnam went on to meet Pagulayan in the semifinal match, where the score remained even for the first few games, but it didn’t take long for Pagulayan’s little mistakes to catch up to him. Putnam reached a 6-2 lead, but Pagulayan fought back to 6-4. A scratch by “The Lion” gave Putnam the next rack, and then he broke and ran the following one. However, Pagulayan wasn’t done—he took the next four racks to knot the score at 8.

Live real time scoring and tournament brackets were provided by Propool.com at Inside POOL TV.

An empty break, though, spelled doom for him as Putnam was gifted a 4-9 combo to go up one and then employed his jump cue to win the next rack to reach the hill 10-8. The last rack was pure heartbreak for Pagulayan fans: A safety battle led to Pagulayan kicking in the 3 ball and hanging the 9 at the same time. He got out of line for the 6 and even worse position on the 8, which he and Jimmy Wych attributed to the balls skidding. A long sharp cut shot on the 8 ball was missed, giving Putnam the table with two balls left and the match 11-8.

The final match was a reversal for Putnam and his match with Hatch, as Appleton raced to a 6-0 lead in the extended race to 13. His break was dialed in, and Putnam really wasn’t allowed to the table too often. In the seventh rack Appleton scratched on the 4, and Putnam got on the board and won the next two as well. But when Putnam scratched on his next break, Appleton cleared that table and then broke and ran the next … and the next, with a long-rail bank on the 9 to top things off and bring the score to 9-3 in his favor.

They traded the next four racks, with a great deal of defensive play occurring. Appleton made three balls on his next break, and though they both missed the 3 ball, Putnam lucked in the 7 ball and ran out. But again, his problems with the break came up again and he scratched, and Appleton cleared the table to reach the hill 12-6. In the last rack, Appleton made one ball on the break—but it was all he needed. He broke apart the 2-8 cluster when he shot the 2, and as sparkling wine corks popped in the background, he coolly pocketed the remaining balls to take his second U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in a row.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

New Brunswick, New Jersey – Overcoming mother nature, The World Tournament went on relatively unscathed on Day 1. Dragon Promotions accommodated players stuck in traffic, floods, and disaster zones to make their matches rearranging times in the grueling round robin format.

A full field of 64 players started a full day of 14.1 at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Hotel in the World Tournament arena. Oliver Ortmann overcame two cancelled flights, a whole day delay, arrival in a far off city, car rental and 4 hour drive to make his matches at a chance to defend his title and win a 3rd World Tournament 14.1 title.

“It was unbelievable. Three days of traveling and dealing with changes in cities, planes, etc. Even last night once we got near the hotel, the roads were closed so we had to stay at another nearby hotel till it cleared in the morning. And now I go to rest, and get ready for the evening matches”, said Ortmann of his arduous journey.

Most of the top seeds advanced unscathed, including Ortmann. One upset was USA’s Max Eberle win over former World 14.1 winner Stephan Cohen of France. Mika Immonen will have a tougher sleep when he led 95-30 against Dennis Hatch, before Hatch ran a 70 and out for the 100-95 win. “Alex did the same ting to me last night in the Warm-Up. When you miss in straight pool, you’re not sure if you will shoot again”, said hatch. A glimmer of hope for the USA?

A full field of 64 players started a full day of 14.1 at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Hotel in the World Tournament arena.

Ray Martin won his first 2 matches handily. The 76 year old super veteran ended his day on a high note to the delight and applause to the audience with his wins over Peter Burrows and Chris Riley. Tomorrow will be a tester as he faces Jose Parica, Oliver Ortmann, and a much anticipated match with Mike Sigel.

“I’m not sure if we have ever played each other straight pool. Ray was just a little before my time”, said Sigel.

“It feels nice to still win. Dragon Promotions has done such a wonderful job producing this event and promoting my induction into the 14.1 Hall of Fame. I think I’m going be very teary eyed on Wednesday night,” said martin.

Ray Martin won the World 14.1 Championship in 1978. Sigel won the next year. This could be history in the making tomorrow night at 8:30pm! The match will be live streamed on InsidePOOL.tv

InsidePOOL will be streaming matches starting from 10am to midnight tomorrow with many marquee matches with Ortmann, Sigel, Immonen, Martin, and many more 14.1 legends.

Checkout www.worldstraightpool.com for full groups and other 14.1 news from the event

Tuesday Live Streaming Schedule (tentative, all time EST)
10:00 AM – Takahashi vs Waldo
11:30 AM – Cohen vs Lombardo
1:00 PM – Ortmann vs Martin
2:30 PM – Hopkins vs Tetrault
4:00 PM – Schmidt vs Blacklaw
5:30 PM – Ortmann vs Sigel
7:00 PM – Archer vs Gottier
8:30 PM – Sigel vs Martin
10:00 PM – Immonen vs Hopkins

View the World 14.1 Tournament match schedule

View the World 14.1 match results

Watch the World 14.1 PPV Live Streaming in HD by Inside POOL

For the sixth straight year, Dragon Promotions will produce the 71st Annual World Tournament of Straight Pool August 28- September 2 . In partnership with the support of Dr.Michael Fedak, this year’s event will have the biggest payout in straight pool history with $20,000 going to the champion. The event is $35,000 added , boasting a total $70,000 in the prize fund. Predator Cues will also be sponsoring the event for the sixth straight year at the luxurious Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ. Once again the greatest straight pool players from around the world will arrive on USA’s east coast again to attend t Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/martin-vs-sigel-tuesday.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-stars-advance-at-china-open.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-stars-advance-at-china-open.html#comments Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:45:32 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=15820 Billiards Stars Advance at China Open
IMMONEN, ORCULLO AND SIX OTHERS THROUGH AS DAY 1 FINISHES AMIDST POMP AND PAGEANTRY AT THE CHINA OPEN

by Ted Lerner
(Shanghai, China)–Mika Immonen sure is getting a good workout here in Shanghai. Immonen, who two years ago commenced what would become one of the greatest winning streaks in the annals of pool, has advanced out of his group and into the knockout stage of 32 at the China Open with two grueling 9-8 victories as day one of the $275,000 event came to close at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium in suburban Shanghai.

In the morning session the Finn won a testy match against German Oliver Ortmann. Then Immonen came back later in the evening and slugged it out with recent Beijing Open champion Chang Jung Lin. The match got so heated that after Immonen sank the final 9-ball, Chang refused to shake his hand.

Day two of the China Open continues Thursday afternoon and after the second day’s matches, the knockout field of 32 for the men and 16 for the women will be completed.

“He dogged that 9-ball in the previous rack, then he dogged the 5 in the last rack,” Immonen said of Chang. “I didn’t do anything to him. It wasn’t my fault. I guess he’s just caught up in the heat.”
Joining Immonen in the final 32 will be Great Britain’s Chris Melling. Melling, who made it to the quarter finals of the World 10-Ball championship in Manila in May, defeated Toh Lian Han of Singapore and John Salazar of the Philippines. Also through to the final 32 is World 10-ball semi-finalist Yukio Akagariyama, who defeated Efren Reyes 9-4. Other players who won two and have qualified for the final 32 are Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines, Corey Duel of the USA, Fu Chei Wei of Chinese Tapei, Ahmad Taufiq Bin Murni of Brunei, and Wang Ming of China.

The men’s field started with 64 players playing in 8 groups of 8 in a double elimination format, race to 9, alternate break. The final 32 players will begin the play on Friday and will play race to 11, winners break.
The day’s biggest surprise came from World 10-Ball champion Huidji See, who went two and out to quickly end his stay in Shanghai. See barely saw daylight as he lost to Vietnam’s Vu Trong Khai, 9-5, then Great Britain’s Scott Higgins, 9-6.

Easily the biggest profile match of the day was between Johnny Archer and Francisco Bustamante, both Hall of Famers. Archer routed the Filipino great 9-2.
“We were both making balls on the break,” Archer said. “But he missed a few shots, and I was shooting good. I’m happy.”

The women’s division, which comprises 48 players, race to 7, had a completely different feel than the men’s event. That’s because in China, the women pool players are light years more popular than the men players. Clearly cuteness and charm sell in China which was evidenced by the fact that throughout the first day, every single television match featured the women. And Asian women at that.

One of the more popular TV matches feature China’s very own World 9-ball champion Fu Xiao Fang vs Singapore’s Chai Zeet Huey. Spurred on by over 100 school children in the audience, Fu performed perfectly and won going away, 7-0. Korea’s glamorous Ga Young Kim drew an adoring crowd on the 2nd feature table, and won easily over Chan Ya Ting of Chinese Taipei, 7-3. Defending champion, and quickly rising Chinese superstar, 17 year old Chen Siming also won handily and will face Ireland’s Karen Corr on Thursday.

In a match of high profile veterans, Chinese Taipei’s storied veteran Liu Shin Mei took down Hall of Famer Allison Fisher, 7-3.

The day and evening sessions with 20 tables in action were sandwiched around a lavish opening ceremony with pomp and pageantry as one can only see in China. At one point several dozen tuxedo clad pool referees, along with each and every Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-stars-advance-at-china-open.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-promoter-expands-to-china.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-promoter-expands-to-china.html#comments Sat, 04 Jun 2011 06:33:15 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=15783 Dragon Promotions Expands to China with World Mixed Doubles

By Sally Lee Photos courtesy Emille “BBoy” Soriano

Hangzhou, China- Global billiards promoter Dragon Promotions will be producing the 2nd Annual World Mixed Doubles in Hangzhou,China on September 29-October 1,2011. This will be the first event produced in China by Dragon Promotions and in cooperation with their local partner 9 Club Entertainment and sanctioned by the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association. The event will pair the top men’s and women’s players together as a two-person team, with a total of 16 teams from around the world. Last year had top talents such as Mika Immonen, Shane Van Boening, Shanelle Loraine, Kaori Ebe and more competed in this unique and excting event. Defending champions Efren “Magician” Reyes and Rubilen Amit will return to defend their World Mixed Doubles title.

Player of the Decade Mika "The Iceman" Immonen advises his partner Borana Andoni in last year's World Mixed Doubles.

“We feel this is one of the most colorful events in billiards. Our television network partners love this format and the uniqueness of the World Mixed Doubles brings a different level of excitement to audiences. This is the only event where you can see the top men and women play together as a single team. It’s thrilling for the masses to watch the players experience teamwork and camaraderie “, says Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.

“We think this is a wonderful event and we are very honored to host it in China. Dragon Promotions is a very professional company and their expertise in producing world class events is welcomed here. We hope it helps improve all aspects of our sport and growth of billiards in China”, explains Tao Wang, Director of Pool for the CBSA.

The World Mixed Doubles will have players representing countries such as Philippines, China, USA, Japan, Taiwan, Finland, Germany, Korea, England, and many more will participate. The game will be 10-Ball in a double elimination format. The winning team will earn $15,000 for first place. The event will be televised worldwide through ESPN Star Sports and ABS-CBN. The last World Mixed Doubles event surpassed viewing numbers of many individual men and women’s billiards championships.

“This is a dream come true for us to bring Dragon Promotions to China. Their name is very respected here and the World Mixed Doubles is one of their premiere events that we really wish to see. Having the top men and women stars at the same time playing together will be a very big treat for the fans. We plan on helping Dragon Promotions to build this into a huge event and we look forward to a long cooperation with them for years to come”, says Wang Di, President of 9 Club Entertainment.

Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. In a span of over 10 years, Dragon Promotions has produced over 100 international events airing on networks in USA, Korea, and Europe such as ESPN, ABS-CBN, ESPN Star Asia, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, and Euro Sport. Events include The World Tournament of 14.1, The Predator International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro Pool Schools, DP Pro Classic, Women’s Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, The World Mixed Doubles and many more. Dragon also manages some of the world’s best players including Allison Fisher, Mika Immonen, Shanelle Loraine, Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, Mike Davis, Erica Park and many more.
Visit www.dragonpromotions.com or www.dragonpromotions.co.kr

The Association of Billiard Professionals (ABP) represents the world’s best billiard players that are uniting together for a common goal. Over the years, players have endured many hardships and has found it necessary to try to reach common ground between the promoters of events, international associations, and the professional players. Without a voice, players have not been able to adequately communicate and work with promoters and other industry entities. Promoters and associations likewise have been lacking in instruction and guidance from the pro players.

The Association of Billiard Professionals (ABP) represents the world’s best billiard players that are uniting together for a common goal.

Some events and associations have not been able to sometimes protect the players from issues ranging from prize money payments, equipment issues and conditions, and rules/format. As the saying goes, “there is strength in numbers”, and this has led to the formation of the ABP. The ABP led by some notable names such as Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen, Rodney Morris and many others in a committee of top players unified under a common purpose: To elevate the sport of pocket billiards and protect and assist in the well being of every player.

The ABP is an association for the players and by the players. The players now have a united voice to help bring resolutions to seemingly never ending issues we face in the industry. The ABP, with your help, can bring about a positive change in a fair and appropriate manner. From standardizing equipment, rules, and creating systems to insure the payment of prize money so the players can get paid and in a timely fashion. The ABP is for unification. The ABP is for change. Please join, support us, and see your name stand next to the world’s greatest.

Below is a list of confirmed players who share in the ABP ideals and want to make a change now in our sport.

ABP Board of Directors

Johnny Archer- Atlanta, GA
Mika Immonen- Helsinki, Finland
Rodney Morris- Honolulu, HI
Shane Van Boening- Sioux Falls, SD
Thorsten Hohmann- Fulda, Germany
Mike Davis – Tampa, FL
Stevie Moore – Columbia, SC
Oscar Dominguez – Los Angeles, CA
Shawn Putnam- Atlanta, GA
Charlie Williams – Orlando, FL
John Schmidt – Wheeling, WV

ABP Player Membership

Shane Van Boening USA
Mika Immonen FIN
Johnny Archer USA
Shawn Putnam USA
Rodney Morris USA
Mike Davis USA
Thorsten Hohmann GER
John Schmidt USA
Corey Deuel USA
Stevie Moore USA
Oscar Dominguez USA
Charlie Williams USA
Dennis Hatch USA
Jeremy Jones USA
Allen Hopkins USA
Scott Frost USA
Ernesto Dominguez MEX
Tony Robles USA
Ronnie Wiseman CAN
Kim Davenport USA
Jeremy Sossei USA
Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/association-of-billiard-professionals-announces-members-and-goals.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/day-one-philippine-open-billiards-event.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/day-one-philippine-open-billiards-event.html#comments Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:24:41 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=15599 Day One Philippine Open Billiards Event

The fields of 64 men and 32 women lined up today for the opening sessions of the 2011 Philippine Open. There are 12 tables in play for the tournament, 8 being used for the men’s division, and 4 for the ladies.

Van Boening and Immonen suffered first round losses at the Philippine Open.

Mika Immonen was one big name casualty from today’s play, losing 6-9 against Chinese player, Li Wen Lo, currently ranked 105. If today’s performance is anything to go by, Lo will certainly climb fairly rapidly in the rankings as there was a lot to like of his game today. Immonen will now face Indonesian Rudy Susanto in the one loss side of the draw, with the loser being eliminated from the tournament.

Ralf Souquet, another big name, had a close 9-8 encounter after leading comfortably in his match against a qualifier, Filipino Carlo Biado. Dennis Orcollo, recent winner of the World 8-Ball Championship also scraped through his first round match 9-7, against fellow countryman Demosthenes Pulpul.

USA’s number 1 player, Shane Van Boening, also stumbled at the first hurdle, losing 4-9 to Japanese player Naoyuki Oi. Former world champion (English Billiards) Robbie Foldvari gave number 1 seed Antonio Lining something to think about before losing 7-9.

High quality of play was the talking point in the women’s division on opening day, where the biggest upset was world number 2 Allison Fisher losing to Chinese qualifier Wu Jing. On the other hand, world number 1, Ga Young Kim of Korea looked the goods as she easily accounted for her opponent Aradhana Nail 9-0. Other players who were also impressive were reigning World 10-Ball Champion, Austrian Jasmin Ouschan in beating Canadian Veronique Menard 9-0, Korean Yu Ram Cha winning against Suniti Damati 9-1, and young China Open Champion, Chinese player Siming Chen with a 9-1 victory against Reggie Ann Biagcong.

Day two will see play commence at 2.00 pm (+7 GMT) Live scoring will be available on www.wpapool.com

The Philippine Open will kick off on April 7th with a total prize fund exceeding $175,000 between the men’s and women’s divisions. This event, to be held at the SM Megamall in Manila, will feature reigning World 9-Ball Champion Francisco Bustamante and reigning World 8-Ball Champion Dennis Orcullo as well as the current World Ten Ball Champion Mika Immonen. The women will have two current World Champs in their arena as well. Jasmin Ouschan, reigning World 10-Ball champion and current World 9-Ball champion Fu Xiao-Fang will be in attendance and intent on adding to their resumes.

The Philippine Open will kick off on April 7th with a total prize fund exceeding $175,000 between the men

These are not the only honoraries of the game that will be competing, however. Add to these lists the names of Ralf Souquet, Darren Appleton, Shane Van Boening, Ga Young Kim, Allison Fisher, Karen Corr and Kelly Fisher and you begin to get an idea of the class of play that will be on display during the event.

The event may be followed in real time with live scoring and brackets on the WPA webpage (http://www.wpapool.com) and will be broadcast in Asia by ESPN-Star and in the Philippines by AksyonTV 41.