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LIU SHASHA COMES FROM BEHIND TO DEFEAT CHEN SIMING TO WIN THE WOMEN’S CHINA OPEN 9-BALL TITLE

By Ted Lerner
WPA Press Officer

Photos Courtesy of Jin Li/www.top147.com

(Shanghai)–Coming into Sunday’s finals of the 2013 China Open, Liu Shasha knew she was on the cusp of a golden opportunity to vault her way back to the upper echelons of not only the fiercely competitive world of Chinese women’s pool, but also the entire world of women’s professional pool.

Since coming out of nowhere and winning the 2009 Women’s World 9-ball Championship held in Shenyang, China, the diminutive and glamorous youngster has maintained her place on the Chinese national team, but she hadn’t won any tournaments. In the lead up to this week’s tournament, with 48 top women players from all parts of the globe, Liu hadn’t been playing well in practice and was only hoping to at least reach the quarterfinals.

But suddenly she found herself in the finals of one of the biggest tournaments of the year. Indeed on Sunday, in front of packed house at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium arena, Liu seized the moment, coming from behind in crunch time to overtake fellow teammate and young star Chen Siming to win the China Open by a nose, 9 – 8.

Liu Shasha

With the win, Liu can now claim two of the biggest prizes in women’s pool. She also joins her close friend and “sister” Fu Xiaofang who also has won these same two prestigious events.

For Chen, the loss had to be a massive disappointment. The hard working and prodigious player, who many feel is China’s best natural talent, led the contest nearly the entire way only to see the dream die right when the finish line was in sight.

Chen was in stride early and jumped out to a 3 -1 lead in the alternate break match. Liu quickly got it together and tied up the match. But then Chen hit one of her high gears, which can be a thing of beauty to watch. Chen went up 5-3, then 6-4, then 7-4. She seemed to have an answer for everything Liu tried and appeared capable of fending off her opponent at will.

Chen Siming

But as so often happens in pool, one mistake sends the momentum over to the other player’s side. After a break and run by Liu to move to 7-5, Chen broke, but saw the cue ball get kicked into the pocket for a scratch. Lui made a calculated clear to close the gap to one, 7-6. Liu then stepped to the table and tied the match with a break and run out.

With the title down to a mere race to two, Liu got Chen once again as Chen left a safe open and allowed Liu to grab her first lead of the night, 8-7. Chen’s the consummate battler, however, and she broke serve in the 16th frame after winning a nervy safety exchange to leave one final rack to decide the champion.

Chen broke and sent two balls down on the break. Position for the two ball was tricky and Chen bobbled the 1-ball in the jaws. Liu came to the table with a look at the one and steadily picked off the colors. As she got down to the final 8 and 9 balls, she held her chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she stood on the cusp of victory. With raw nerves jangling, she potted the last two balls for the championship.

On the floor afterwards, Liu was greeted with warm hugs by a tearful Fu Xiaofang. The two are not really sisters, but they are practically inseparable, living together and playing pool together every day.

As she drank in the accolades, Liu expressed surprise that she was even standing in the winner’s circle.

Liu Shasha

“I am very surprised that I won this tournament,” she said through an interpreter. “I have not been playing well lately. We had a practice tournament before this tournament and I got 8th place. I was hoping to get at least to the quarterfinals in the China Open. I didn’t think I could win it. I’m very happy. This is my first championship in three years so this is something I am going to celebrate tonight.”

As usual with the Chinese women players, Chen, who also hasn’t won a big tournament in China in three year, was gracious to a fault in defeat.

“I think I played well. I missed one ball in the first half of the match. The second half I also played well but it was then that Liu didn’t miss a shot. When I missed she took that and played well. I’m happy that at least two Chinese players reached the finals.”

Liu won $30,000 while Chen took home $15,000.

*The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the governing body of the sport of pool.

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CORTEZA CASHES IN!

FILIPINO LEE VAN CORTEZA IS ALL BUSINESS AS HE CAPTURES THE CHINA OPEN 9-BALL CROWN

By Ted Lerner, WPA Press Officer

Photos Courtesy of Jin Li, www.top147.com 

Lee Van Corteza waves as he finishes off his final win.

(Shanghai)–Playing with his trademarked calm and cool demeanor, all the while exhibiting a deadly stroke and a fierce, quiet fortitude, the Philippines Lee Vann Corteza staked his claim to stardom today as he defeated Taiwanese veteran Fu Che Wei to win the 2013 China Open 9-ball in Shanghai.

The win means that the China Open title, one of pool’s biggest tournaments, remains in the Philippines at least one more year, as Corteza’s win follows countryman Dennis Orcollo’s victory in 2012.

The victory, besting a quality field of 64 top players from around the globe, is easily Corteza’s biggest  to date in a professional career that has spanned nearly two decades.

For the last five of those years, Corteza’s pedigree had already been established far and wide. Everywhere he has played fellow players and fans could see that under Corteza’s humble veneer and boyish smile lay a deadly serious and focused professional with a noticeable swagger that oozed confidence. This is a man who has something inside him that doesn’t allow him to flinch under pressure. This is a man who knows how to close out a match.

All of these traits were on full display today in front of over 500 people at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium arena. The match was played at an extremely high quality with 12 of the 17 played racks being break and run outs. The outcome turned on just a few mistakes, and it was Corteza who took advantage and nailed the door shut every time he was given the opportunity.

As they had all week, both Corteza and Fu remained untouchable in their respective semi-final matchups which took place earlier on Sunday morning. Corteza easily defeated surprise entry Omar Al-Shaheen of Kuwait, 11 – 3. Fu put a halt to the marvelous run of former two-time world champion Wu Jiajing, 11 – 8.

In the finals, the 34 year old Corteza won the lag and broke and cleared the first rack in the alternate break match. The pair traded racks and neither missed a single ball as the Filipino led 2-1. Corteza’s first chance to gain some distance came in rack four when he cleared off a Fu miss on the 1-ball to take a 3-1 lead. Corteza broke and ran the next rack to move up 4-1. The Filipino would never be threatened the rest of the way.

Fu Che Wei

Fu continued to play well, and continued to break and run racks, but so did Corteza plunking the cue ball dead square in the center of the table on the break and potting 2, 3 and once even 4 balls. Down 7-5, Fu had a brilliant opportunity to narrow the lead in rack 13 when Corteza scratched. Fu was clearing the table beautifully until he missed an easy 8-ball and was soon down 8-5.

Fu forced a foul in the next rack to close to 8-6, but Corteza, as all great champions do, put pedal to the medal and sprinted home, while Fu wilted down the stretch. Corteza won going away, 11-6.

Afterwards the low key Corteza was typically reserved, but the satisfaction of his accomplishment was all too clear.

“I’m so happy right now I really don’t know what to say,” Corteza said. “This tournament is so hard there are so many good players. I tried not to be under pressure and I really enjoyed myself this match. That was one of the keys today. I was relaxed. And that also helped me to stay focused the whole time.

“For me this means a lot to win this tournament. It’s been three years since I won a big tournament. And the way I won this, playing really well and of course I get a few lucky rolls, this is going to give me a lot of confidence in the coming months. This is a big win for my career.”

As expected Fu was  disappointed as the loss meant his second defeat in the final of major in the course of one year. In 2012 he lost in the finals of the World 8-ball championship in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates to fellow Taiwanese Chang Jung Lin. Fu indicated that while he was playing well all week, he could never get 100% comfortable with the new tip he had put on his cue stick the just before the China Open began.

“I had a problem with my cue tip today,” Fu said through an interpreter. “Just before the tournament I changed my tip and I’m really not used to it. But before rack 13 I felt like I was playing good.  Then when I missed that 8-ball in that rack, that was it. After that I didn’t play good. And he also played good. He deserves to be the champion.”

For the victory Corteza takes home $40,000 while Fu pockets $20,000.

*The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the world governing body of the sport of pool.

Results From Sunday

Semifinals

Lee Van Corteza (PHL) 11 – 3 Omar Al Shaheen (KUW)
Fu Chei Wei (TPE) 11 – 8 Wu Jiajing (CHN)

Finals

Lee Van Corteza (PHL) 11 – 6 Fu Che Wei (TPE)

In recent years, these teenage phenoms have become two of the top rulers of international women’s pool, with Siming Chen capturing the China Open in 2010 & the Philippine Open in 2011, while Liu Shasha held the World 9-Ball title in 2009 and was a semifinalist in 2012.

The final match between Chen & Liu is set to take place at 1:30pm (1:30am EDT) on Sunday, May 19. Read on for the details leading into this final pairing in the story below by WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner.

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TEENAGE PRODIGIES EYE THE PRIZE

CHEN SIMING AND LIU SHASHA REACH THE FINALS OF THE CHINA OPEN 9-BALL

By Ted Lerner
WPA Press Officer

(Shanghai)–Chen Siming and Liu Shasha are both 19 years old. They are both members of the Chinese national women’s team. And they each have a prodigious talent with a cue stick that leaves fans of the sport in awe.

And now, the two friends will finally get a chance to go head to head in the finals of one of the biggest tournaments of the year in the world of pool, the 2013 China Open 9-ball in Shanghai. The finals will take place at 1:30pm inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium arena. The match will be a race to 9, alternate break.

Both players have achieved fantastic successes in their own short careers but it was Liu who pulled off the most amazing feat, winning the 2009 Women’s World 9-ball Championship when she was just 16 years old. That same year, Chen won the China Open, also at the age of 16.

Liu Shasha

In the highly-competitive world of Chinese women’s pool, however, it is Chen is who considered to have a freakish talent. Much is expected of Chen from her coaches and fans of the sport. Since winning the Philippine Open 10-ball in 2010, she has faltered in the big events in China and she seems to play under more pressure than does Liu.

The finals will surely be a back and forth affair as both players put in rock solid performances throughout the long day of play today. Chen first took down Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan in a messy match, 9-7. She then manhandled the Philippines’ Rubilen Amit, 9-2.

In the semi-finals, Chen met up with defending champion and world number one Kelly Fisher. The Brit had relatively easy wins over Taiwanese Tsai Pei Chen 9 – 3, then Lan Hiushan 9-5, and looked to be cruising towards a repeat of the last year.

Fisher surely knew, however, that she would be in for a much stiffer test in the semis against Chen. The match, which was about as good a pairing as you could find in women’s pool, was appropriately played on the TV table in front of a packed house and shown live on CCTV around China.

Chen grabbed an early 3-0 lead but Fisher fought back to tie. From there on in the two stars sparred in a high quality, give and take match with Chen getting a one rack lead, then falling back in to a tie, then getting a lead, then back to tie again.

Siming Chen

The whole match came down to two mistakes by Fisher, one in rack 13 with the match tied at 6-6 and one right at the end. Chen was up 8-6, but Fisher fought back to force a one rack decider. In the final frame, Fisher thought she left a lock down safety on the 2-ball, but Chen could see enough of the long shot to sink the pot. She then calmly ran the table for the win and a spot in Sunday’s final.

“I played really good today,” Chen said afterwards through an interpreter. “I’ve been practicing a lot in the last few months and my confidence is getting better every time I play. After I lost in the group stages I tried to tell myself to relax and not take it too seriously. Kelly played solid, especially early in the match. At 6-6 she made a mistake and I was able to hold on.”

Fisher was disappointed but resigned to the fact that her two mistakes spelled the difference.

“It was a quality match,” Fisher said. “She played solid. I made a few mistakes in the middle of the match and that cost me. In the last rack I thought the safety I played on the 2 ball was perfect but I guess she could see just a little bit of the ball.

“She’s always been at that very high standard. But this time she’s held it together better than she’s done in the past. I made two more mistakes than her and in a way she deserved to win.”

Like Chen, Liu had caught a gear at just the right time, first beating Japan’s Chichiro Kawahara 9 – 7, then easily waltzing past 2011 World 9-ball champion Bi Zhuqing 9 – 4. The semi final was another east vs. west affair as Liu went up against Hall of Fame legend Allison Fisher.

As in Chen’s match with Kelly Fisher, Liu grabbed an early lead and fended off every attack by Fisher. The match was close throughout and Fisher nearly closed the small gap right at the end. But at 8-6 down Fisher missed a 9-ball and Liu stepped up and potted the long leave to send the hometown crowd into cheers and herself into a finals date with Chen.

The winner will receive $30,000. The runner-up will take home $15,000.

*The 2013 China Open in Shanghai, China runs from May 12-19 and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association (WPA). 64 men and 48 women will compete in separate 9-ball events. The China Open is a WPA ranking event. The main event will begin on May 16 and run through May 19.

The WPA will be providing full coverage of the 2013 China Open Women’s final via its website at www.wpapool.com, and through Facebook at www.facebook.com/WpaChinaOpen. The WPA will be providing live scoring, daily articles and analysis from WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner, and photographs. Fans can also follow the event through Twitter; @poolwpa.

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A KUWAITI IN SHANGHAI!

UPSTART OMAR AL SHAHEEN BARGES INTO THE SEMI FINALS AT THE CHINA OPEN, JOINS CORTEZA, WU AND FU FOR SUNDAY’S FINAL FOUR

By Ted Lerner, ?WPA Press Officer

Photos Courtesy of Jin Li/Top147.com

(Shanghai)–Omar Al Shaheen just booked his place in pool history.

After defeating Taiwan’s Hsu Kai Lun, 11-8, in the quarterfinals of the China Open 9-ball in Shanghai on Saturday night, the 20-year-old Kuwaiti became the first pool player in his country, and indeed in the entire Middle East region, to ever advance to the semi-finals of a major world ranking pool event.

It is an accomplishment that will surely have profound repercussions for not only Al Shaheen’s budding career, but also for the progress of the sport in the Middle East, which is one of the few growth areas worldwide—along with China–for the American game of pool. Whether Al Shaheen can take the prestigious crown and the $40,000 winner’s purse on Sunday is something that is entirely up to the pool gods.  But the way things have fallen in place for Al Shaheen this week in Shanghai, anything must surely be in the realm of possibility.

Al Shaheen will have all he can handle and more as he takes on the Philippine veteran Lee Van Corteza in the first semi-final. In the second semi-final, Taiwan veteran Fu Che Wei will go up against his former countryman and surprise entry, the two time former world champion Wu Jiajing (formerly Wu Chia Ching), who now plays out of China.

Al Shaheen has had an amazing run through the field this week in Shanghai and it was capped off with an all-time gritty performance throughout the day today. He first came back from a 10-7 deficit to beat Poland’s Radislaw Babica, 11-10. In his next match, he fended off Great Britain’s Karl Boyes down the stretch, and won another cliff hanger, 11-10.

After taking down Taiwan’s Hsu, Al Shaheen whooped it up with his fellow Kuwait teammate and various friends in the arena.

Omar Al Shaheen

“I’ve very happy,” a beaming Al Shaheen said.  “A lot of people back in Kuwait are waiting for something like this. All over the Middle East this is very big. They will be proud of this. I have worked very hard for this.”

The youngster’s rise to the upper echelons of pool is not totally out of the blue. When four Kuwaitis made it to the final 64 of the World 9-ball Championship in Qatar last June, it showed Kuwait is a growing force in professional pool.  When Al Shaheen advanced all the way to the final 16 of the event, it showed that he is clearly the face of the new and hungry generation coming out of the Middle East.

Al Shaheen revealed that he goes to university during the day where he studies sports psychology. At night he trains on the pool table for 5-6 hours. He said he uses what he learns in the classroom on the pool table.

“I try to control my thinking out there when I play, and I take my time on each shot.”

If Al Shaheen wants to send the entire population of his small city state country into the streets to celebrate—something he says will happen if he manages to win the China Open—he’ll have to employ more than psychology against Corteza. The Filipino played marvellous pool on Saturday first taking down Austria’s capable Albin Ouschan, 11-8, then smothering Taiwan’s Ko Pin Yi, 11 -6. In the final match of the day, Corteza defeated another strong Taiwanese player, Zheng Yu Xuan, 11 -7.

Corteza is certainly one of the world’s top players, but he said he had to take a rather unconventional approach for a Filipino player in preparing for the China Open. With the tournament and money game scene having all but dried up in the Philippines, Corteza has had to find other things to do. He has gotten himself into playing shape by swimming, jogging and practicing by himself at a local pool hall. The change of routine and the focus on fitness has clearly paid off for the Filipino.

“One of the keys today was that I didn’t get tired. I was very focused all day.”

Wu Jiaqing

If Wu manages to find himself in the winner’s circle on Sunday afternoon–and it’s a distinct possibility–it will go down as one of the great stories in professional pool over the last few years. The 24 year old is often spoken of by pool fans around the world with reverence. At the age of 16 he won the World 9-ball and World 8-ball championship only months apart. He has one of the deadliest strokes and biggest hearts ever seen on the green pitch.

But over the last four years his personal life has been a roller coaster of drama and intrigue. For a while he was  practically a man without a country. After suffering a three year competition ban for trying to move to Singapore, the Taiwan-born Wu ended up moving to China. He was forced to return to Taiwan last year to serve 16 months in the Army or face never seeing his family in Taiwan for 20 years. Over that period, one of the sports great talents mopped floors and washed windows and never picked up a cue stick. In November last year he was diagnosed with a mild form of leukemia, which is being controlled with medicine.

Wu has only practiced for one month before the China Open, but incredibly he has played like the Wu of old this week in Shanghai. On Saturday he first defeated Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann 11-10. Then against Greece’s Nick Ekonomonopoulos, who had just taken down World 9-ball champion Darren Appleton, Wu delivered nine break and runs, all while Ekonomonopoulos played lights out and ran 8 racks. Wu won the match11-10. He then came right back out and whipped the Philippines Carlo Biado 11 -6 to book a spot in the semis.

The matchup with veteran Fu looks set to be epic, with a bit of cross straits intrigue thrown in to boot. The 37 year old Fu played fantastic on Saturday and was practically untouchable. He crushed 2011 China Open Champion Chris Melling 11-3. Then he outlasted defending champion Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines, 11-8. He finished up with an 11-10 squeaker over fellow Taiwanese Tsung Hua, 11 – 10 to take his place in the final four.

The first semi-final match up begins at 9:30am Shanghai time(GMT +8). The finals begin at 3:30pm. All matches are race to 11, alternate break.

The winner of the China Open will receive $40,000. The runner-up will take home $20,000.

*The 2013 China Open in Shanghai, China runs from May 12-19 and is sanctioned by the World Pool & Billiard Association (WPA). 64 men and 48 women will compete in separate 9-ball events. The China Open is a WPA ranking event.  The main event will begin on May 16 and run through May 19.

The WPA will be providing full coverage of the 2013 China Open Men’s final via its website at www.wpapool.com, and through Facebook at www.facebook.com/WpaChinaOpen.  The WPA will be providing live scoring, daily articles and analysis from WPA Press Officer Ted Lerner, and photographs.  Fans can also follow the event through Twitter; @poolwpa.

Men’s Semifinal, 9:30AM (GMT +8)?

Lee Van Corteza (PHL) vs. Omar Al Shaheen (KUW)
Fu Che Wei (TPE) vs. Wu Jiaqing (CHN)

Finals Begin at 3:30PM

Results from Saturday

Final 32

Chang Pei Wei (TPE) 11 – 10  Do The Kien (VIE)
Zheng Yu Xuan (TPE) 11 – 9  Afrinneza Isral Nasution (IND)
Lee Van Corteza (PHL) 11 – 8 Albin Ouschan(AUT)
Ko Pin Yi (TPE) 11 – 9 Han Haoxiang (CHN)
Omar Al Shaheen (KUW) 11 – 10 Radislaw Babica (POL)
Karl Boyes (GBR) 11 – 6 Salaheldeen Hussein Alrimawi (UAE)
Hsu Kai Lun (TPE) 11 – 8 Ralf Souquet (GER)
Zhang Yulong (TPE) 11 – 5 Alex Pagulayan (CAN)
Fu Che Wei (TPE) 11 – 3 Chris Melling (GBR)
Dennis Orcollo (PHL) 11 – 10  Johann Chua (PHL)
Li Hewen (CHN) 11 – 7 Niels Feijen (NED)
Chen Tsung Hua(TPE) 11 – 7 Ke Bing Zhong (TPE)
Wu Jiaqing (CHN) 11 – 10 Thorsten Hohmann (GER)
Nick Ekonomonopoulos (GRE) 11 – 9 Darren Appleton (GBR)
Carlo Biado (PHL) 11 – 8 Ryu Seungwoo (KOR)
Chang Jung Lin (TPE) 11 – 7 Fu Jianbo (CHN)

Final 16

Zheng Yu Xuan (TPE) 11 – 6 Chang Pei Wei (TPE)
Lee Van Corteza (PHL) 11 – 6 Ko Pin Yi (TPE)
Omar Al Shaheen (KUW) 11 – 10 Karl Boyes (GBR)
Hsu Kai Lun (TPE) 11 – 9  Zhang Yulong (TPE)
Fu Che Wei (TPE) 11 – 8 Dennis Orcollo (PHL)
Chen Tsung Hua (TPE) 11 – 8 Li Hewen (CHN)
Wu Jiaqing (CHN) 11 – 10 Nick Ekonomonopoulos (GRE)
Carlo Biado (PHL) 11 – 8 Chang Jung Lin (TPE)

Quarterfinal Results

Lee Van Corteza (PHL) 11 – 7 Zheng Yu Xuan (TPE)
Omar Al Shaheen (KUW) 11 – 8 Hsu Kai Lun (TPE)
Fu Che Wei (TPE) 11 – 10 Chen Tsung Hua (TPE)
Wu Jiaqing (CHN) 11 – 6 Carlo Biado (PHL)

I’m off to Tampa to teach another seminar with Tom Simpson. I always enjoy working with people that are improving their game.

This week I want to look at ways that our runs stop, and some ways to eliminate some of these errors. Small improvements over time make for big gains in your game.

First is missing the shot! A lot of misses come about because we shoot the shot with out a clear picture in our mind of what we want to do with the shot, and we jump up. Make sure you finish every shot. Have a clear idea of what you are doing on the shot and stay down on the shot.

This means you have to slow down a little and have a plan. Watch any good player and you will see how much time they take on some shots. They don’t get down until they have a clear picture in their mind what they want to do.

The next run stopper is losing the cue ball. Their are two things to look at here. Play better patterns that don’t have the cue ball moving around so much, and secondly, shoot softer. The less the cue ball moves, the easier it is for you to control where it will stop.

These run stoppers probably aren’t much of a surprise to you, but I want to add 3 other to this list as a lot of advanced players fall into these traps.

Losing the middle ball in a combination stops a lot of nice runs.

What happened in this diagram is that after cutting the one ball to the right, it kept going to the long rail. Our shooter was so focused on making the shot, that the cue ball only went to the end rail, not leaving a high percentage shot on the one. Make sure you take the extra time to figure out how to play position on the middle ball so that your run can continue.

The next area that stops runs is blasting away at a dead shot, and then winding up with no next shot.

This is the kind of cruel fate you that can happen to you if you blast away at dead balls and don’t take the time to play position on another ball. The trick is to know where the cue ball is heading and control the speed and the other balls so that you are left with some options.You’d have to look really close, but this combination might also work if you went in to the 7 first, leaving you the 11 no matter what else happened. The specifics of this particular dead shot are not as important as the idea, when you have a dead shot, don’t just blast away at it, make sure you play position on the next shot so your run continues.

The next run stopper that I want to look at is separating clusters of 2 to 4 or 5 balls. Again, if you are not careful, it is easy to stick on a ball or get left with out a shot.

Look what happened to me the other day. I was on a nice little run. cruising right along, and I thought I was going to hit the 8 on the side nearest the 2 to leave me another shot. I didn’t take enough time and wound up stuck on the back of the 8 with out another shot! The trick is to take adequate time planning the shot so that you don’t make the mistake I did.

The final run stopper I want to look at is bumping in to balls when you don’t have to. Eliminate this error and your game will come up at least one ball. Pay attention for a week how many games are lost or thrown away because the player bumped a make-able ball. Watch how good players take pains to not hit other balls!

MENTAL TRAINING TIP:

The Japanese have an expression called ‘kaizen’, and it means steady improvement. Adopting this attitude for our pool game will help you play better. Every miss, loss or bad game isn’t seen as an ego destroying event, but rather as an opportunity to learn something. As CJ Wiley says, “the game is the teacher”.

After every miss, loss or bad shot, when you have a quiet moment, rather than beating yourself up, ask what the game is trying to teach you. I miss a lot of shots when I am teaching and have learned I can’t shoot and talk at the same time. If you take the time to learn the lesson of each miss, and apply it to your game, you will get better.

This accepting your errors and working on fixing them is the path to mastery in pool!

Tampa Friday!

See you on the road.

…

Mark Finkelstein is the House Pro at Slate Billiards on 21st Street in Manhattan.

If you have questions, or would like to see a particular topic addressed, you can email Mark at mark@nycgrind.com.

The event, which was a qualifier for the WPBA US Open, was taken by storm by 20-year-old World #3-Ranked Siming Chen of China, who defeated newly-inducted BCA Hall of Famer Karen Corr in the finals. New York’s Yomaylin Feliz came in strong in third place in this event, while Kathy Friend finished in fourth.

Check out the video of the final match between Corr & Chen below.

Video streaming by Ustream

This weekend, May 18-19, the JPNEWT will be heading to New York for it’s second tour stop of the season, to be held at Raxx Pool Room in West Hempstead, NY on Long Island. The event will be a qualifier for the Ultimate 10-Ball Championships, set to take place on June 16-20 (www.Ultimate10Ball.com).

Check out the complete results from the event at Triple Nines below, in the story by Kia Sidbury of the JPNEWT. Visit www.JPNEWT.com for more tour information.

…

Siming Chen, ranked #3 in the WPA, tore through the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour (JPNEWT) opening event of 2013. On the weekend of April 20-21, 2013, with $1,500 in the purse and twenty-seven competitors, JPNEWT held the Maryland State Championship and WPBA U.S. Open qualifier at Triple Nines Bar and Billiards in Elkridge, Maryland.

JPNEWT started off the year on a positive note. The turn-out for the first event was pretty good, attracting most of the regulars from last year and former players like Yomaylin “Smiley” Feliz from New York. Welcome back Smiley! I was also impressed by the amount of new players on the scene. The tour welcomes Jen Sylvester, Alex Calabrese, Paula Dickerson, Arron Haefele, Suzanne Sellet, Ann Grintsuk, and Amanda Wilder.

In 2012, Megan Smith was the Maryland State Champion and returned to defend her title. However, there was a beast in the house that went undefeated, crowned Maryland’s new champ, and qualified for the WPBA US Open. Siming Chen dominated the bottom half of the field as she swiftly went through Lenore Donovan and Nicole Vincent 7-1, Linda Shea and Nicole Nester 7-3.

Meanwhile, from the top of the field, BCA Hall of Famer, Karen Corr, was doing a lot of damage. Corr swept through Arron Haefele, Courtney Hall and Kathy Friend. She also downed Yomaylin Feliz 7-4.

Coming down to the hot seat match, Corr and Chen faced-off. Corr could not quite get through Chen. While Chen awaits her final match, Corr quickly won the semifinals for a rematch against Chen. Although the final round was a modified race to 9, Corr couldn’t get passed two games on Chen; awarding Chen the champ.

It is noteworthy to acknowledge Feliz’s accomplishments in this event. After taking some time off from JPNEWT, she returned with a bang and took third place. Her victims were Alex Calabrese, Borana “Killer B” Andoni, Shanna Lewis, Nicole Nester, and Kathy Friend. I also acknowledge our JPNEWT Amateur winner, Jennifer Nhek, for her second consecutive win which allotted her free entry into this event. Last but not least, Linda Shea, our director, was recently inducted into the New England Hall of Fame. Way to go ladies!

Siming Chen (1st), Karen Corr (2nd), Kathy Friend (4th), Yomaylin Feliz (3rd)

Congratulations to all the top finishers below:

1st: Si Ming Chen – $600
2nd: Karen Corr – $400
3rd: Yomalyin “Smiley” Feliz – $265
4th: Kathy Friend – $180
5th/6th: Nicole Nester, Megan Smith – $120
7th/8th: Shanna Lewis, Linda Shea – $80

The JPNEWT thanks all the players for participating in this event and spreading the word to other lady players. We appreciate all the fans and spectators both on site and at live on Ustream – http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jp-newt-women-s-9-ball-tournament.

A special thank you goes out to Stan Natsiatka, owner of Triple Nines Bar and Billiards, for hosting this event and supporting women in billiards. Continued thanks go out to J. Pechauer Custom Cues for your continued support and sponsorship.

Coming up on May 18-19, 2013 is the Ultimate 10-Ball Championships qualifier to be held at Raxx Pool Room, Bar & Grill, West Hempstead, NY 11552.

- By Kia Sidbury

Amsterdam Billiards & Red Shoe Billiards Lead National Qualifiers for the World Tournament

NYC's Amsterdam Billiards

New York, New York – Straight pool players across the United States will have opportunity to qualify and earn a free spot into the world’s most prestigious 14.1 event. Qualifiers will be held for the 8th year in a row since Dragon Promotions revival of the World Tournament back in 2006. Another star studded field is expected at this year’s 73rd World Tournament hosted by Steinway Billiards in New York on August 19th-24th,2013.  Through additional support from such sponsors such as Championship Cloth, Aramith Balls, Amsterdam Billiards and Master Chalk, the absolute best pool players from around the world will arrive on the birth country of 14.1 once more to attend this prestigious event, and vie for the coveted title of greatest straight pool player in the world.

The Qualifiers will be a race to 100 points in a double elimination format with a $105 entry fee. The top 2 winners of the event will get a free entry and spot into the main round robin where each player will play a guaranteed 5 matches against the likes of Hohmann, Ortmann, Schmidt, Immonen, Archer, Williams, and more. Amsterdam Billiards of New York City and Chicago’s Red Shoes Billiards haven’t missed a beat, hosting qualifiers for the past seven years running.

“Thanks to Charlie Williams and Dr. Fedak for keeping tournament Straight Pool alive. And thanks to Dragon Promotions for investing your time, energy and resources in producing a major international pool tournament in New York City. As someone who has hosted many pool tournaments, I know from experience that a lot of people sit on the sidelines and criticize every move you make. But at the end of the day, what they’ve done is great for all pool players, great for pool spectators, and great for the industry,” said Greg Hunt, owner of Amsterdam Billiard Club. Amsterdam Billiards will also be hosting a open 14.1 qualifier on August 3rd.  Amsterdam Billiards is also the Official Poolroom Sponsor of the World Tournament.

Amsterdam Billiards has had a long history of hosting great events and the world's best players such as Jeanette Lee, pictured above.

To host a qualifier contact Dragon Promotions 1-407-782-4978 worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com.

Current 2013 Qualifier Schedule:

July 6th – Red Shoes Billiards, Chicago, IL  (708) 388-3700 – RedShoeBilliards.com
July 6th – Clifton Billiards, Clifton, NJ  (973) 928-6622 – facebook.com/cliftonbilliards
July 20th – Slate Billiards, Boynton Beach, FL  (561) 735-7802 – SlateBilliards.com
July 27th – Sandcastle Billiards,  Edison, NJ  (732) 632-9277 – SandcastleBilliards.com
August 3rd – Amsterdam Billiards, New York, NY  (212) 995-0333 – AmsterdamBilliards.com

Amsterdam Billiard Club has been one of the most famous and prestigious poolrooms in the history of pool for over 22 years. It has hosted many celebrities and been the home of billiard stars for decades. It’s 11,000 sq ft. location has a full bar, serves food, and caters to dart players, pool leagues, and world champions. It is located at 110 East 11th Street New York, NY 10003-5302 (212) 995-0333 visit www.amsterdambilliardclub.com.

Join the 141 Club! Limited to the first 141 members. Visit www.worldstraightpool.com/tickets.html

Tickets will be sold at the door during the event.

Get the latest news by following www.facebook.com/Worldstraightpool and www.twitter.com/Dragonpromoter.

After having recently finished third at the March 24 tour stop at Clifton Billiards, Mike Aro stepped up play strong once again. On his route through the winner’s bracket, Aro defeated Wade Alston 8-6, Juan Maldonado 6-0, Sam Smuke 6-5, and Thomas Rice 6-0 to get into the winner’s side final.

Koka Davladze would also come through the winner’s bracket to make it to the hot seat after defeating Bogie Uzdejczyk 7-2. But, Mike Aro stayed on track to earn a 8-6 win and a spot in the final match.

After Uzdejczyk was sent to the one-loss side by Davladze, he rebounded with a 8-6 win in the quarterfinal against Gerard Nahay, had a great run through the loser’s bracket to finish in fourth place.

Bogie Uzdejczyk then moved on to the semifinal, where he would make a turnaround from his previous loss to Koka Davlazde, and win his second match against him at 7-4.

Following his wait in the hot seat, Michael Aro would be faced with a tough battle against Bogie Uzdejcyk in the finals. While Aro took an initial 3-0 lead, Uzdejcyk then changed the momentum to go up 7-4. But, Aro regained control of the match and won the next three games to tie at hill-hill, and finish off the final game to win the event at 8-7.

Bogie Uzdejcyk (2nd), Mike Aro (1st), Koka Davladze (3rd)

All three of these top finishers have been some of the strongest players on the tour this season in their respective divisions, nice work guys!

Final Results & Payouts:

1st: Mike Aro – $600
2nd: Bogie Uzdejcyk – $350
3rd: Koka Davladze – $230
4th: Gerard Nahay – $140
5th/6th: Ron Gabia, Thomas Rice – $80

…

At Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ, Mike Zimny came out to have a successful run in the Tri-State Tour’s May 4 stop and proved to be unstoppable at the $560-added event that drew twenty-six top amateur players.

In the final four match-ups in the winner’s bracket, Mike Zimny defeated Borana Andoni 7-2, while Eddie da Costa got past Luis Jimenez at 6-4. Zimny did not let up in the hot seat match, knocking da Costa to the one-loss side after a 7-1 win.

One of the tour’s youngest players, 14-year-old Thomas Rice, would have another solid day of play at the Tri-State. After losing his third match of the tournament to Eddie da Costa, Rice made a strong run to to go all the way to the final, following wins against Borana Andoni 8-6 in the quarterfinal and avenging his loss to da Costa in the semifinal, winning 6-4.

However, Thomas Rice could not hold off undefeated Mike Zimny in the final, and the match ended in favor of Zimny at 7-5. Mike Zimny played strong throughout the tournament, in spite of his knee having gone out on him early on in the tournament.

Congrats to Mike Zimny for a great win, along with top finishers Thomas Rice, Eddie da Costa, and Borana Andoni.

Mike Zimny (1st), Thomas Rice (2nd), Eddie da Costa (3rd)

Final Results & Payouts:

1st: Mike Zimny – $550
2nd: Thomas Rice – $320
3rd: Eddie da Costa – $200
4th: Borana Andoni – $140
5th/6th: Ricardo Mejia, Luis Jimenez – $100

The next event on the Tri-State Tour schedule will be the Saturday, May 18 tour stop at Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY. Visit www.thetristatetour.com for more information.

The Tri-State Tour would like to thank Sterling Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Poison Cues, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics for their sponsorship leading to these event.

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Badi Nazhat and I am the Promoter of the Ultimate 10-Ball Championships. I join with all of you who appreciate and enjoy the game of pocket billiards. I would like to start by saying that I have invested in my passion for professional pool over half a million dollars since my first event in Aruba some three years ago. Within the heart of that passion lies a very simple belief that is easily understood but sometimes appears difficult to apply. That belief is in unity and brotherhood in the billiard world. That belief is in a team of professionals who all move towards a common goal.  My objective is to have the supporters of pool show a positive presence in the eyes of the players and the world during my Tunica event. Importantly, this will present a positive image for future sponsors that are outside the billiard industry as well as from sponsors inside the industry that are interested in a wholesome image that has little to do with political or business leverage and is more about this amazing sport.  If we work together we can provide a product of such value that it will draw sponsors from outside the industry who would seek merely to have their brands identified with this very popular pastime. Sponsors who only seek the good will of the millions of people who enjoy playing and watching the game.

When I sought out the contacts that I have established in pool over the last few years by staging my events I found that they were all more than willing to join me in a ‘business as usual’ fashion. They wanted to sponsor my event in the same fashion they have been sponsoring events for the past fifty or more years. That is understandable. People and businesses get used to a certain method and inertia stalls them there. I wish to use my events to kick inertia out the door and begin the journey of pro pool anew.

I decided to respectfully not accept any money from any entity for the UTBC.  The business as usual approach that was desired will not brighten our skies. I do not wish to weaken a house divided, I wish to stand shoulder to shoulder with all who would join in the progression of the professional scene. In the spirit of team play that I envision I have invited many companies to join with us as supporters of Ultimate 10-Ball and they have most graciously consented to allow me to honor their past contributions to the game and look forward with them to a future where we all act as one to achieve a common goal, one that benefits us all by empowering the game.

As my decision to not accept sponsorship funds could be seen as having a deleterious effect on the players I have decided to put the additional $25,000 I was seeking into the prize fund myself. That raises the WPA Men’s Ranking event from $50,000 to $75,000 in Guaranteed Added Money no matter whether the playing fields are full or not..This assists the players and allows me to reach the goal of having the event be a Tier 2 WPA Ranking event. And that more suitably rewards the efforts of international players who will travel many miles in order to compete in this event. The total purse for these two events with full fields now stands at $196,000. No BCA or WPA event on American soil has seen this amount of prize money since the inception of the WPA more than twenty years ago.

I look forward to meeting those from the world of American Pool business who will be honoring my event with their presence. Together we will raise a toast to pool. And I invite all of you to Tunica June 16-20 to enjoy the fruits of our labors. It will be a show you will not soon forget.

- Badi Nazhat
Ultimate 10-Ball Championships

While legendary New York pro and Predator Tour owner Tony Robles has been busy building his amateur league the NAPL (National Amateur Pool League), and working towards growing the billiards industry in new and positive ways, it is clear that he still knows how to win.

Although he doesn’t have much time to practice or even teach as much as he would like, Tony broke through to earn his first win of the 2013 season at the Predator Pro/Am Tour’s seventh stop, held at Cue Bar in Bayside, NY on May 4-5.

The one-day Open/Pro 10-Ball division of the event was held on Sunday, May 5, and featured several stand-out players such as former World Champion Mika Immonen, and top New York area players Zion Zvi, Jonathan Smith, and Joey Korsiak.

NYC Grind contributor Brian Leong was on site for the event for both days of the event, check out his photos at the links below.

Day 1 – http://www.nycgrind.com/photo-galleries-2/regional-tours/photo-galleries/predator-proam-tour-2013-stop-7-cue-bar-day-1/

Day 2 – http://www.nycgrind.com/photo-galleries-2/regional-tours/photo-galleries/predator-proam-tour-2013-stop-7-cue-bar-day/

NYC's Society Billiards house pro Jonathan Smith - Photo by Brian Leong

Mika Immonen has been playing really strong as of late, and is in-form and hungry to win. Mika started off with three consecutive 7-1 wins over Qi Liu, Jerry Tarantola, and Zion Zvi before being handed a 7-2 upset loss by Lee Kang. Lee Kang is a player from Seongnam, South Korea who has been mentored by Shin “Godzilla” Park since he was a junior player, and is currently visiting New York.

Kang is making the most of his trip by earning bragging rights of defeating one of the most dominant players of our generation in impressive fashion. Lee Kang won four consecutive matches on the winner’s side to take the hot seat… before being matched up against Tony Robles in the final. Robles had battled back on the one-loss side after losing to Joey Korsiak 7-2 in the second round to make his way into the final.

Lee Kang - Photo by Brian Leong

In that final match, Tony Robles and Lee Kang were going blow for blow for the first 4 games… but with a 2-2 scoreline, Tony came alive and won the next six consecutive games unanswered to set the tone of the match. Lee had brought out exceptional play throughout the event, but Tony’s game proved to be too much for Lee to contain in the finals. Tony ended up with an 11-5 win to capture the win at Stop #7, and help close the gap between him and tour points leader Mika Immonen.

Throughout the season thus far, the Predator Pro/Am Tour has continued to bring together an international player and fan base… helping people better understand the different cultures and styles of play which are unified through this great game.

Congratulations to both Tony Robles and Lee Kang for showcasing the heart of competition, while embodying character and the ability to communicate through this art form that we have come to love and appreciate.

Tony Robles - Photo by Brian Leong

Payout:
1st: Tony Robles $600
2nd: Lee Kang – $300
3rd: Mika Immonen – $200
4th: Joey Korsiak – $100

The next Predator Pro/Am Tour event will be stop #8, held on June 1-2 at Raxx Pool Room in West Hempstead, NY on Long Island.

The Amateur 9-Ball event will begin Saturday at Noon, while the Open/Pro 10-Ball will begin Sunday at Noon, with a total of $1,500-Added.

For the entire 2013 season schedule and other tour information, visit www.predatorproamtour.com.