Ouschan and Kim beat their respective rivals in convincing fashion to serve notice of their title aspirations in this event sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association and organized by Raya Sports in cooperation with the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines.
The two darlings of the crowd brought both beauty and skills to the pool table.
Ouschan swept Veronique Menard of Canada, 9-0, while Ga also blanked her opening-day opponent, Aradhana Naik of India, 9-0.
Menard and Naik falling in an ambush came as no surprise, but the biggest stunner on opening day happened on the evening when Wu Jing of China completed an upset win over Allison Fisher of Great Britain, 9-7.
Wu, who needed to go through the qualifying stage before making it to the main draw, battled Fisher, a veteran of the European Tour and a consistent fixture in the Women’s Professional Billiards Association, toe-to-toe.
But the Chinese cue artist held steadier down the stretch to outlast her more experienced rival after 16 racks.
The rest of the big guns in the tournament – Kelly Fisher of Great Britain, Lin Yuan Chun of Chinese Taipei, and other Chinese players headed by past and present world champions Liu Sha Sha and Fu Xiao- Fang – also delivered just as expected.
Fisher, who showed her competitiveness in the world pool circuit by beating several male competitors in the inaugural staging of the Philippine Open in 2009, rekindled her rivalry with Monica Webb of the United States. But the British player came up with a more dominating performance to score a 9-5 triumph and advance to the winner’s side.
Lin, a former champion of the Amway World Women’s Championship and also the 2006 Doha Asian Games gold medalist in the 8-Ball pool event, demolished Hyun Ji-Won of South Korea, 9-2.
Liu, a former World Women’s 9-Ball champion, and compatriot Fu, the reigning title holder of the women’s 9-ball crown, also had an easier time disposing off their foes.
Liu ran roughshod over young Filipina player Jillian Go, 9-3, while Fu outplayed charming Vietnamese bet Duong Thuy Vi, 9-4, in a TV table match.
Other lady players who advanced to the winner’s bracket include Lim Yun-Mi and Yu Ram Cha of Korea, Chen Siming of China, Line Kjorsvik of Norway, Helena Benjamin of Sweden, Yu Han of China, Cho Chie Yu and Tsai Pei Chen of Chinese Taipei and Ina Jentschura of Germany.
Lim defeated Naomi Williams of Canada, 9-5; Yu whipped Suniti Damani of India, 9-1; Chen ripped Reggie Ann Biagcong of the Philippines, 9-1; Kjorsvik outplayed Angeline Ticoalu of Indonesia, 9-5; Benjamin outlasted Junko Tsuchiya of Japan, 9-6; Yu drubbed Geona Christine Gregorio, 9-4; Cho dumped Li Jia of China, 9-3; Tsai survived Keiko Yukawa of Japan, 9-7; and Jentschura nipped Marika Poikkijoki of Finland, 9-8.
By Raya Staff
