Yang Ching Shun Crowned Champion of San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - San Miguel Asian 9 Ball Tour

Yang Ching Shun Crowned Champion of San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour’s Hong Kong Leg
The Son of Pool , Yang Ching Shun, was crowned the first Hong Kong leg champion o­n the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour after an 11-9 defeat of Hsia Hui Kai in an all-Chinese Taipei final, taking home $10,000 USD. The San Miguel Tour is the first-ever world-class 9-ball tournament to be held in Hong Kong. The tour will travel to Taipei for the fourth leg o­n May 7-9 with live coverage o­n STAR Sports.
Quarterfinal
Satoshi Kawabata was defeated by Efren Reyes twice at 3-9 in the quarterfinals of the last two legs, and his encounter with the Magician in Hong Kong still ended in defeat. The two players tied in the first 12 racks, but Reyes then took the lead and made his fourth consecutive semifinal appearance in the tour by winning 9-6.
Park Shin Young then suffered a shut-out by Yang Ching Shun in the other quarterfinal. The Korean player committed a few pocketing mistakes, while Yang cleaned the table three times. Yang then made his first semifinal appearance since the Singapore leg last year.

Hsia Hui Kai Makes his First Semifinal Appearance in the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - San Miguel Asian 9 Ball Tour

Hsia Hui Kai Makes his First Semifinal Appearance in the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour
First Hong Kong Leg Champion Set to Emerge Tomorrow
The San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour, the first-ever world-class 9-ball tournament held in Hong Kong, started today, April 17, 2004, with first two rounds of matches and the first two quarterfinals. “Stone Face Killer” Chao Fong Pang and “Assassin” Hsia Hui Kai, both from Chinese Taipei, book the first two seats in the semifinals tomorrow. The other two quarterfinals will be held tomorrow at the Hong Kong Football Club, starting at 12:00, followed by the race-to-11 semis and the final.
First Round
No big upsets occurred in the first round except the exit of Alok Kumar. The Indian player failed to make his third consecutive semifinal appearance in the tour as he wasted a 5-1 lead and lost 5-9 to Chinese Taipei’s Hsia Hui Kai.
Philippine players prevailed in the two Chinese Taipei-Filipino clashes in Round 1. Francisco “Django” Bustamante beat Wsang Hua Fong 9-5, while Antonio Gabica edged Fan Chi Sheng 9-6.

Top Field Narrowed to 4 at International Challenge of Champions

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Top Field Narrowed to 4 at International Challenge of Champions
By InsidePOOL Staff
With eight of the world’s top players present to vie for the $50,000 first place prize at the International Challenge of Champions, which kicked off today, August 11, 2004, o­nly four remain for Thursday’s matches. Presented by Billiards International, Ltd., the event is held at the beautiful Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.
The first day of the Challenge of Champions consists of four matches, each a race to 7 with alternating breaks. A match-up of two world champions, o­ne former and o­ne current, saw Mika “Iceman” Immonen and Alex Pagulayan go head to head. “The Lion,” fresh from his huge win at the 2004 World Pool Championships several weeks ago, tied the match at 3 and then at 6 after recovering from two-game deficits in both cases. At hill-hill, Pagulayan broke and was looking good until he drew too far back after sinking the 8, hanging the cue ball in the jaws of the corner pocket. Hooked for the 9 ball that was o­nly inches away, he jacked up to make a stab at the 9 but fouled, handing Immonen a 7-6 victory.

International Challenge of Champions Coming Soon

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International Challenge of Champions Coming Soon

Wednesday, August 11, 2004 marks the kick off of the 14th Annual International Challenge of Champions at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT and winds up o­n August 12, 2004. The format is a modified single elimination that features eight of the most talented poolplayers from around the world vying for the first place check of $50,000. Newly crowned world champion Alex Pagulayan heads the all star cast that includes former world champions Thorsten Hohmann, Johnny Archer and Mika Immonen. 2002 InsidePOOL Magazine Player of the Year Francisco Bustamante, Australian Phil Reilly, Japan’s Hiroshi Takenaka and Germany’s Thomas Engert round out the remainder of the field. Admission is free and ESPN will be o­n hand to catch all of the action.
To see the 14th Annual International Challenge of Champion Flyer click here (/ICOC/ICOC.jpg)
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