By Ted Lerner/WPA Press Officer
Photo Courtesy Tai Chengzhe/Top147.com
(Shanghai, China)–Yes, perseverance does indeed pay off.
Wu Jing, the 12th ranked female player in China, had played 2009 World 9-ball Champion Liu Shasha on numerous occasions and never tasted victory against her famous compatriot. But tonight on the TV table inside the Shanhai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium, the very unheralded Wu finally pulled it off. And what a time to do it.
In a do or die match to see who would advance to the final 16 knockout stage and who would go home, the diminutive Wu played lights out pool and thoroughly outplayed Liu, winning the match going away 7-2 and qualifying for the big stage of the 2012 China Open.
The win was clearly one of the biggest of Wu’s career. The best the 24 year old from Fujian province had previously done was the final 16 in this year’s World 9-ball, and the quarters at last year’s Philippine Open. But it was the opponent and the circumstances that had her beaming from ear to ear afterward.
βI’ve played Liu Shasha many times in the past and I always lose,” Wu said after her win. “This time I just said relax, believe in myself and I have a good chance to win. I’m very happy right now.”
The final 16 of the women’s event begins Saturday with matches race to 9, alternate break. The total prize fund for the ladies is $125,600 with $30,000 going to the winner.
Most of the big names in women’s pool made it through– Kelly Fisher, Allison Fisher, Ga Young Kim, Fu Xiaofang, Pan Xiaoting, Chen Siming–and this promises plenty of interesting showdowns right from the get go.
Besides Liu Shasha, however, one other female star will not be making an appearance. Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan has an absolutely miserable day on Friday, dropping two matches and uncharacteristically missing the cut.
The men’s field has been trimmed from 64 to 32 and several of the late comers were breathing huge sighs of relief. The Philippines Dennis Orcollo found himself down 6-1 to China’s Wang Ming in the race to 9 alternate break match. Orcollo then went to work and climbed back, finally tying the match at 8. Orcollo had to deftly work his way through a tense last rack to take the match and a spot in the round of 32.
βHe played good in the beginning,” Orcollo said. “He’s a really good player. Every match is tough. There’s a lot of young guys coming up every day. I just have to keep going every day. I know how to survive.”
In another do or die match Taiwan’s Chen Ying Chieh came back against Japan’s Naoyuki Oi to win 9-7. The USA’s Oscar Dominguez bounced back from a bitter 9-8 defeat to China’s Han Haoxing earlier and cruised past the Netherlands Huidji See, 9-5. Dominguez is now the sole American bet in the last 32.
The matches in the men’s field now become race to 11, alternate break. The prize fund for the men is $176,500 with $40,000 going to the winner.
The field will be whittle down to four players in each event after tomorrows play, with the semi finals and finals being played on Sunday. Both the semi-finals and finals will be shown on Chinese state TV, CCTV, and are expected to draw an audience in the tens of millions.
The WPA will be providing live scoring of all matches in the 2012 China Open up to the final on our website, www.wpapool.com. There you can also get updated brackets and daily articles.
For complete tournament brackets please visit the following links.
MEN: http://www.top147.com/news/2012shpool/man_draw.php
WOMEN: http://www.top147.com/news/2012shpool/woman_draw.php
*The World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA) is the governing body of the sport of pocket billiards.The 2012 China Open is being sponsored by Star Tables, Andy Cloth, Fury, Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong.
Results Women 1st Evening Session
Group A
Gao Meng(CHN) 7 – 6 Fu Xiao Fang(CHN)
Wu Zhu Ting(TPE) 7 – 3 Rubelin Amit(PHL)
Group B
Cha Yu Ram(KOR) 7 – 4 Jung Bo Ra(KOR)
Wu Jing(CHN) 7 – 3 Xiao Tong Wang(CHN)
Group C
Chen Xue(CHN) 7 – 6 Liu Sha Sha(CHN)
Group D
Kim Ga Young(KOR) 7 – 3 Bi Zhu Qing(CHN)
Chan Ya-Ting(TPE) 7 – 6 Park Eun Ji(KOR)
Group E
Lin Yuan Chun(TPE) 7 – 5 Kelly Fisher(GBR)
Cong Jing(CHN) 7 – 4 Han Fang(CHN)
Group F
Allison Fisher(GBR) 7 6 Chou Chieh Yu(TPE)
Lai Hui Shan(TPE) 7 – 5 Liu Shin Mei(TPE)
Group G
Han Yu(CHN) 7 – 5 Jasmin Ouschan(AUT)
Zhou Doudou(CHN) 7 – 3 Chchiro Kawahara(JPN)
Group H
Pan Xiaoting(CHN) 7 – 4 Chen Siming(CHN)
Caroline Roos(SWE) 7 – 3 Chai Zeet Huey(SIN)
Women’s Results 2nd Evening Session(Winners qualify for last 16. Losers are out.)
Group A
Fu Xiaofang(CHN) 7 – 4 Wu Tzi Ting(TPE)
Group B
Bae Ge(CHN) 7 – 4 Jung Bo Ra(KOR)
Group C
Wu Jing(CHN) 7 – 2 Liu Shasha(CHN)
Bi Zhuqing (CHN) 7 – 3 Chan Ya Ting(TPE)
Group E
Kelly Fisher(GBR) 7 – 3 Cong Jing(CHN)
Group F
Chou Chieh Yu(TPE) Lai Hui Shan(TPE)
Group G
Zhou Doudou(CHN) 7 – 4 Jasmin Ouschan(AUT)
Group H
Chen Siming(CHN) Caroline Roos(SWE)
Men’s Results Evening Sessions(Winners qualify. Losers are out.)
Group E
Ko Pin Yi(TPE) 9 – 6 Carlo Biado(PHL)
Alex Pagulayan(CAN) 9 – 6 Hsu Kai Lin(CAN)
Group F
Dennis Orcollo(PHL) 9 – 8 Wang Ming(CHN)
Li Hewen(CHN) 9 – 6 Andreas Gerwen(SWE)
Group G
Marcus Chamat(SWE) Fu Che Wei(TPE)
Chen Ying Chieh(TPE) Naoyuki Oi(JPN)
Group H
Karl Boyes(GBR)9 – 1 Al Fawal, Abdulatif(QAT)
Huidji See(NED) Oscar Dominguez(USA)
