Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Ding Junhui captures 2009 UK Championship

Pukka Pies UK Championship 2009China's Ding Junhui won the 2009 Pukka Pies UK Championship.

The final against Scotland's John Higgins was a very tight affair, until Ding took it 10-8 after a 75 in the final frame.

Stephen Maguire (Scotland) and Ronnie O'Sullivan (England) lost out in the semifinals.

Ding received £100,000 for the victory and Higgins got £46,000 for his runner-up spot.

Stephen Lee and Mark Selby tied for highest break of the tournament with 141, for which they shared $5,000.

This was the second UK and fourth ranking title for Junhui. He's previously won the 2005 China Open, the 2005 UK Championship, the 2006 Northern Ireland Trophy. Higgins was looking for his third UK title and 21st win in ranking events.

In his four wins Ding has defeated the four greatest players of the last 30 years; Stephen Hendry (Scotland), Steve Davis (England), O'Sullivan and now Higgins.

Murphy moves from ninth to sixth in the provisional rankings. The top two remain the same. Higgins stays on top, followed by O'Sullivan. Neil Robertson (Australia) sits in third.

The event took place at the Telford International Centre, Telford, England 5-13 December, 2009. It was the third ranking tournament of six on the 2009/2010 Main Tour. Next up on the snooker calendar is the Masters which starts 10 January 2010.

See also:
Related posts:
Shameless plugs:

Sunday, December 13, 2009

USA wins back Mosconi Cup

Mosconi Cup 2009USA defeated Europe 11-7 to win the 2009 Mosconi Cup.

The US team was in front all the way, leading 4-1 after the opening day, 7-2 after the second and 9-5 after the third. On Sunday Shane Van Boening sealed the deal by defeating Ralf Souquet (Germany) 6-2.

Europe was heavy favorites coming into the event with two straight wins and a team packed with world champions. USA now have 12 wins in total to Europe's 4.

The teams:
  • USA
    • Nick Varner (non-playing captain)
    • Johnny Archer
    • Corey Deuel
    • Oscar Dominguez
    • Dennis Hatch
    • Shane Van Boening
  • Europe
    • Alex Lely (non-playing captain, Netherlands)
    • Darren Appleton (England)
    • Niels Feijen (Netherlands)
    • Thorsten Hohmann (Germany)
    • Mika Immonen (Finland)
    • Ralf Souquet (Germany)
The event took place from December 10-13 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, USA. Matches were singles, scotch doubles and scotch quintuples with alternate break. Next year's Cup will be held in Europe.

See also:
Related posts:

Jozef Philipoom wins first career title in 2009 Hurghada World Cup

Jozef Philipoom (Belgium) won the World Cup event in Hurghada, Egypt.

In a roller-coaster final Philipoom defeated Swedish legend Torbjörn Blomdahl 3-1. The frame scores were 3-15, 15-14, 10-15, 15-11 and 15-0.

Turkey's Tayfun Tasdemir and virtually unknown Ruben Legazpi from Spain lost out in the semifinals.

This was the 45-year-old Belgian's first World Cup title. His previous best was second in Sluiskil earlier this season.

He received €5,500 for the victory and Blomdahl got €3,500 for second place.

Defending champion Daniel Sanchez from Spain lost 2-1 to Legazpi in the quarterfinals.

Sanchez had the highest general average among the 56 competitors with 1.873. His 2.523 was the highest single match average in the final stage. The Spaniard also tied Kyung-Roul Kim (South Korea) and Marco Zanetti (Italy) for highest run with a maximum 15.

Frédéric Caudron's fifth place finish secured his victory in the 2009 World Cup Ranking. Blomdahl and Philipoom moved into a tie for second place, from fourth and seventh place respectively. Last year's winner Dick Jaspers (Netherlands) finished in seventh position.

The win moved Philipoom from 12th to eighth in the World Players Ranking. Blomdahl improved from fourth to second. Caudron is the new leader with former No.1 Jaspers in third.

The event took place 6-12 December 2009 at the Sunrise Garden Beach Resort, Hurghada, Egypt. It was the final of five events in the 2009 World Cup. The next season opens in Antalya, Turkey, 15-21 February 2010.

See also:
Related posts:

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Gray wins 2009 Costa del Sol Open, Souquet captures overall title

2009 Costa del Sol OpenMark Gray won the 2009 Costa del Sol Open in an all-English final.

Gray defeated Karl Boyes 8-6 in the final to earn the €5000 first prize. Boyes received €3000 for second place.

In the semi finals Gray beat home player Francisco Diaz-Pizarro 8-5. Boyes defeated Mateusz Sniegocki (Poland) by the same scoreline.

This was Gray's first Costa del Sol Open title and second win in total, from two finals. It puts him at No.16 on the all-time list.

Boyes' previous beat was third in the 2008 German Open. Sniegocki was looking for his first final in his third semi-final appearance. It was Diaz-Piarro's first ever Euro Tour start.

2007 overall winner Gray moves from ninth to fifth in the final Euro Tour Ranking. Boyes jumps from 24th to 12th.

Ralf Souquet (Gemany) "only" managed a ninth place finish this time but still held on to the lead to claim his second straight and record fifth Tour title. He also picked up the trophy in 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2008. Imran Majid (England) and Niels Feijen (Netherlands) finished in second and third place respectively.

The tournament was played 3-5 December at Hotel Alay, Benalmadena, Spain. It was the last event of seven on the 2009 Euro Tour. First up on the 2010 Tour is the French Open which runs from 10-14 February 2010.

See also:
Related posts:

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Immonen crowns amazing year with victory at the 2009 World 10-ball Championship

2009 World 10-ball Championship
Mika Immonen from Finland won the 2009 World Ten Ball Championship.

The Finn won a one-sided final against Lee Van Corteza (Philippines) 11-6. Immonen received $60,000 for first place while Van Corteza got $30,000 for finishing second.

In the semifinals Immonen overcame Antonio Lining (Philippines) 9-7 while Van Corteza downed David Alcaide (Spain) by the same score. There was no bronze match this year so they both tied for third and won $15,000 each.

2009 champion Darren Appleton (England) had a fairly successful title defense, reaching the quarterfinals before losing 9-6 to Alcaide.

Exactly as last year the event was dominated by the European and Asian contingent. Amazingly this year they grabbed the 32 first spots on the leaderboard! There were 18 Asians and 14 Europeans.

This was Immonen's second world title. He also won the 2001 9-ball world championship.

It was the third World Tour win of the year for the fabulous Finn after also having captured the Qatar Open and the US Open.

Immonen now dominates the WPA rankings, ahead of Ralf Souquet (Germany) and Appleton.

This will be the only men's world championship of 2009. For the second year in the row there will be no 9-ball world championship.

The tournament was staged from 25-30 November 2009 at the World Trade Center, Manila, Philippines.

See also:

Related posts

Friday, November 27, 2009

Burden and Yee win golds in the 2009 IBSF World Snooker Championships

England's Alfie Burden and Ng On Yee from Hong Kong won gold medals at the 2009 IBSF World Snooker Championships.

Burden beat surprise finalist Igor Figueiredo (Brazil) 10-8 in the men's final while Yee overwhelmed Australia's Kathy Parashis 6-1.

Yu Delu (China) and finished third in the men's event and Bi Zhuqing (China) reached the same position among the ladies.

These were the first world titles for both Burden and Yee. Burden is a former top-32 player on the Main Tour.

Neither of the defending champions competed this year. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Thaniland) is currently playing on the Main Tour while three-time winner Reanne Evans (England) could not find a sponsor.

The victory means Burden is set to be nominated for a return to the Main Tour in the 2010/2011 season.

The final in the Masters event saw two former pros clash. Darren Morgan (Wales) beat defending champion Dene O'Kane (New Zealand) 6-0. Morgan also won in 2007. Last year he played in the men's event, where he was knocked out in the last 16.

Highest breaks:
Men: Yu delu (China) 142
Women: Ng On Yee (Hong Kong) 77
Masters: Simon Zammit (Malta) 105

The event was held 15-25 November 2009 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre in Hyderabad, India.

See also:
Related posts:

Monday, November 23, 2009

Chinese sensation Susha wins 2009 Women's World 9-Ball Championship

2009 Women's World 9-Ball Championship16-year-old Liu Shusha from China came out on top in the 2009 Kappa Women's World 9-Ball Championship.

In the final she won the last eight games to defeat three-time runner-up Karen Corr (Ireland) 9-5. The comeback included five consecutive break-and-runs.

In the all-Chinese bronze match Xiotang Pan trounced Fu Xiofang 9-1.

Shushua edged 2007 champion Pan 9-8 in the semifinals and Korr beat Xiofang with the same score.

Defending champion Yuan-Chun Lin from Taiwan went out in the early rounds after losing 7-0 to Corr.

This was the sixth world title in a row for Asian players. The last non-Asian to win was four-time champion Allison Fisher (England) in 2001.

The tournament ran from 16-22 November, 2009, in Shenyang, China.

See also:

Related posts:

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Caudron hoists second World Cup trophy of 2009 season in Suwon

Frédéric Caudron (Belgium) won the World Cup event in Suwon, South Korea.

In a roller-coaster final Caudron edged Italy's 2008 world champion Marco Zanetti 3-2. The frame scores were 7-15, 15-7, 5-15, 15-1 and 15-11.

Home hope Kyung-Roul Kim and Swedish legend Torbjörn Blomdahl lost out in the semifinals.

This was the Belgian's second win of this season and eighth World Cup title in total. He received €5,500 for the victory and Zanetti got €3,500 for second place.

Defending champion Dick Jaspers from Belgium and recent world champion Filipos Kasidokostas (Greece) both went out in the last 16.

Jaspers had the highest general average among the 56 competitors with 2.153. Zanetti's 3.214 was the highest single match average. The Italian also tied Kasidokostas for highest run with 13.

Caudron extends his lead in the World Cup Ranking. Zanetti improves from 11th to fifth. Eddy Merckx (Belgium) swaps places with Martin Horn (Germany) to lie in second.

The win also moves him from third to second in the World Players Ranking, just one point behind the leader Jaspers. Zanetti's runner-up finish takes him from eighth to seventh. Daniel Sanchez (Spain) drops from second to third.

The event took place 17-22 November 2009 at the Manseok Park Badminton Gymnasium, Suwon, South Korea. It was the fourth of five events in the 2009 World Cup. The last event is in Hurghada, Egypt, 6-12 December 2009.

See also:
Related posts:

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Kasidokostas wins 2009 Three Cushion World Championship

Filipos Kasidokostas from Greece captured the 2009 World Three Cushion Championship.

Kasidokostas played to a high standard in the final where he beat Eddy Merckx (Belgium) 3-1. The set scores were 11-15, 15-8, 15-13 and 15-3.

Two-time defending champion Marco Zanetti (Italy) and Eddy Leppens (Belgium) shared third place.

Kasidokostas took away €4,800 for the victory. Merckx received €3,200.

The Greek champion had the highest average in the tournament, with 1.869. In addition he had the highest single match average with 3.058. As if that wasn't enough he also tied for the highest run of 13 with Roland Forthomme (Belgium) and Sergio Jimenez (Spain).

This was Kasidokostas' first world title, from three finals. In 2003 he lost to Semih Sayginer (Turkey) and in 2004 he lost to Dick Jaspers (Netherlands). This was the 62nd edition of the world championship but the very first won by a Greek player.

Merckx was aiming for his second world title, having previously won in 2006.

The win takes Kasidokostas from 17th to 10th in the World Players Ranking. Merckx advances three places from eighth to fifth. Jaspers only finished ninth in this event but is still the leader. Daniel Sanchez (Spain) stays in second and Frédéric Caudron (Belgium) moves from third to second.

The championship was held at the Centre de congrès et d'expositions Beaulieu, Lausanne, Switzerland between 11th and 15th November 2009.

See also:
Related posts:

Ouschan ends season on a high by winning the 2009 WPBA Championship

2009 WBPA ChampionshipAustria's Jasmin Ouschan won the season-ending 2009 WPBA Championship.

In the final she beat Xiaoting Pan (China) 7-2.

The semifinals saw Ouschan edge Jeanette Lee (USA) 7-6 while Pan beat Kelly Fisher (England) in a 7-2 drubbing.

This was Oushan's first WPBA Championship win, her third victory of the season, and her fifth Classic Tour title in total. She was unbeaten in the tournament and apart from the semi-final thriller she was really never threatened.

Defending champion Monica Webb (USA) finished tied 17th after losing 7-6 to countrywoman Michell Monk.

Ouschan improved from fourth to second in the rankings for the 2009 Classic Tour. Pan dropped from second to third. Nobody could surpass Ga Young Kim (South Korea) though who won her first overall title. Last year's winner Kelly Fisher finished just outside the top four.

The event took place from November 12-15 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, Hollywood, Florida, USA. It was the last of six events this season on the Classic Tour.

See also:
Related posts:

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Immonen wins second US Open in a row

US Open 9-Ball Championships 2009Finland's Mika Immonen successfully defended his title by winning the 2009 US Open 9-Ball Championships.

The 2008 champion earned $40,000 by defeating 2002 winner Ralf Souquet (Germany) 13-10 in the final. Souquet earned $15,000.

Donnie Mills was beaten 11-10 by Immonen in the losers' final to finish third. Lee Vann Corteza (Philippines) took fourth.

The Finn had to endure a long run on the losers' side after an early loss. In total he played 15 matches, which is more than any previous champion.

Immonen is only the second player to win back-to-back US Open titles. Nick Varner (USA) accomplished the same feat in 1989-1990.

In addition to his two titles Immonen was also runner-up to Corey Deuel (USA) in the 2001 final.

The two finalists are both in the middle of some impressive streaks. Prior to this event Souquet and Immonen were second and third in the WPA rankings and also held the top two positions in the BCA Points List.

The tournament was played 18-24 October at the Chesapeake Conference Center, in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA. There were 216 entrants in this the 34th edition of the championships.

See also:
Related posts:

Ouschan bags 2009 Pacific Coast Classic

Jasmin Ouschan from Austria won the 2009 Pacific Coast Classic.

More to follow ...

See also

Peach wins 2009 Portugal Open

England's Daryl Peach won the 2009 Portugal Open.

More to follow ...

It's four from four as Robertson nicks 2009 Grand Prix

Australia's Neil Robertson won the 2009 Grand Prix for his fourth win in as many ranking finals

More to follow ...

Ga Young Kim is victorious in the 2009 Colorado Classic

Ga Young Kim (South Korea) won the 2009 Colorado Classic.

It was the Korean's fifth victory on the WPBA Classic Tour.

See also

Ortmann bags 2009 Dutch Open

Germany's Oliver Ortmann won the 2009 Dutch Open.

More to follow ...

O'Sullivan pockets 2009 Shanghai Masters

Ronnie O'Sullivan from England won the 2009 Roewe Shanghai Masters.

Pankaj Advani wins 2009 World Professional Billiards Championship

India's Pankaj Advani won the 2009 World Professional Billiards Championship.

More to follow ...

See also

Philippines takes 2009 World Cup of Pool

The Philippine B team of Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante won the 2009 World Cup of Pool.

See also

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Normal service will resume shortly

Because of health issues there won't be any posts for a while.

Normal service will resume shortly. In the meantime, here is a short rundown of recent results:
Next up is the US Open 9-ball Championships, the International Tournament of Champions (9-ball) and the International Challenge of Champions (9-ball). Follow these and other events in the right menu.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Chamat wins 2009 Austria Open, Euro Tour event #100

Sweden's Marcus Chamat won the 2009 Austria Open.

Chamat defeated reigning 10-ball world champion Darren Appleton (England) 9-6 in the final to earn the €5000 first prize. Majid received €3000 for second place.

In the semi finals Chamat beat virtual unknown Jakob Belka from Germany 9-6 and Appleton downed five-time ET winner Niels Feijen (Netherlands) 9-7.

This was Chamat's third Austria Open title and fourth win in total, from seven finals. It puts him at No.6 on the all-time list.

Chamat moves from fifth to third in the Euro Tour Ranking. Appleton jumps from 19th to eighth. Ralf Souquet (Germany) holds a massive lead atop the list and Feijen stays in second place.

This was the 100th event on the Euro Tour. The very first was the 1992 Belgium Open. Mika Immonen (Finland) defeated Tom Storm (Sweden) in that event. Souquet is the all-tim leader with 16 wins, followed by fellow Germans Oliver Ortmann and Thomas Engert with 13 and nine wins respectively.

The tournament was played 19-22 August at Patricks Canadian Taverne, Rankweil, Austria. It was the fourth event of seven on the 2009 Euro Tour. Next up is the Netherlands Open which runs from September 17-19 2009.

See also:
Related posts:

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Second US Open title for Ga-young Kim

Ga-young Kim from South Korea won the 2009 US Open after edging Ireland's Karen Corr 7-5 in the final.

Gerda Hofstätter (Austria) and Allison Fisher (England) finished joint third.

Defending champion Kelly Fisher (England) lost 9-7 to Allison Fisher in the last 16.

This was Kim's second US Open crown and her fourth victory on the WPBA Tour, following wins in the 2004 US Open, the 2005 Cuetec Cues National Championship and the 2007 Carolina Classic. In addition she won the world title in 2005 and 2006.

With this victory Kim is now the sole leader in the rankings. Corr moves from eighth to second. Monica Webb (USA) sits in third place. Kelly Fisher drops from tied first to seventh place.

The event took place from 29 July to 2 August 2009 at the Riverwind Casino, Norman, Oklahoma, USA. It was the third of six events on the 2009 Classic Tour. Next up is the Colorado Classic, at the Sky Ute Casino & Resort, Ignacio, Colorado, USA, 16-20 September 2009.

See also:
Related posts:

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Jaspers goes one better to claim gold in 2009 World Games

2005 three cushion runner-up Dick Jaspers from Netherlands was one of the winners in the 2009 World Games.

In the 2005 final Jaspers lost 42-41 to Daniel Sanchez (Spain). He got his revenge by beating Sanchez 40-26 in the semi finals and Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden) 40-18 in the final.

Austrian Jasmin Ouschan was the defending champion in the women's pool event. She also reached this year's final, but lost 9-8 to Allison Fisher (England).

Ralf Souquet from Germany won the men's pool event. The former world champion is possibly the best player in the world right now and defeated Ching-Shun Yang (Taiwan) 11-4 in the final. The 2005 winner Pei-Weo Chang (Taiwan) did not return to defend his title.

The snooker final was contested between two Englsih pros with veteran Nigel Bond beating David Grace 3-0. Northern Ireland's defending champion Gerard Greene did not take part.

Here are the medals awarded in the billiard disciplines:

Three cushion

1. Dick Jaspers (Netherlands)
2. Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden)
3. Marco Zanetti (Italy)

Pool (9-ball)

Women:
1. Allison Fisher (England)
2. Jasmin Ouschan (Austria)
3. Yuan-Chun Lin (Taiwan)

Men:
1. Ralf Souquet (Germany)
2. Ching-Shun Yang (Taiwan)
3. Stephane Cohen (France)

Snooker

1. Nigel Bond (England)
2. David Grace (England)
3. Mohamed Shehab (United Arab Emirates)

The World Games is an event for 30+ sports not included in the Olympic Games. It's staged every four years by the International World Games Association.

The Games took place 16-26 July 2009 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In 2013 the host city will be Cali, Columbia.

See also:

Monday, July 13, 2009

Results from recent polls

Here are the results from some recent polls:

What's the toughest world title to win?

According to the visitors snooker is the toughest cueball discipline in which to win the world championship. That option was selected by 65 (43%) of the 150 voters. Combined the disciplines in American Pool received 55 votes. Unfortunately I forgot to include three cushion. Possibly that explains the relatively large number in "Other".

8-ball 5 (3%)
9-ball 28 (18%)
10-ball 11 (7%)
Eightball Pool / Blackball 6 (4%)
English billiards 8 (5%)
Pyramid 3 (2%)
Snooker 65 (43%)
Straight Pool 11 (7%)
Other 13 (8%)

Votes: 150
Poll closed 30 June 2009

What is your favourite cue sport?

Snooker and carom tied for the win here with 19 (31%) each of the 61 votes. American Pool was a clear third with 13 picks.

American Pool 13 (21%)
Carom 19 (31%)
English Billiards 4 (6%)
English Pool 3 (4%)
Pyramid 3 (4%)
Snooker 19 (31%)
Other 1 (1%)
I dont't like cue sports 0 (0%)

Votes: 61
Poll closed 31 December 2008

Thompson nicks ninth gold in the 2009 World Eightball Pool Championships

2009 World Eightball Pool ChampionshipsSue Thompson (Scotland) and Phil Harrison (England) came out on top in the 2009 Foster's World Eightball Pool Championships.

Thompson defeated England's Emma Cunningham 8-6 in the women's final.

Thompson has reached the final in 14 of her 15 attempts with this being her ninth win. These two have now contested five of the last six finals, with Cunningham tasting victory in 2005.

Harrison beat Mick Hill (England) 11-7 in the men's final to take home the £10,000 cheque. In the semi-finals Harrison defeated Adam Davis (England) 10-7 and Harrison beat Marc Farnsworth (England) by the same score.

This was Harrison's first title. His previous best was four semi finals. Hill won the title in 2005.

The two defending champions went out early this year. Lynette Horsburgh (Scotland) was beaten 6-3 by Collette Henriksen (Wales) in the last 16 and Gareth Potts (England) lost 9-6 to Davies in the quarter finals.

Ben Clark (England) won the Junior title and Gary Swift (England) took gold in the wheelchair division. There were also a number of other events, including teams, Under 21s and Over 50s.

The tournament took place at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool, England, 28 June - 9 July 2009.

Please note that this is the English version of the game. Wikipedia explains the differences in detail. Here is an excerpt:

In the version of pool or Eight Ball played in the United Kingdom and Australia, plain unnumbered red balls and yellow balls often replace the solid and striped balls. If not, the terms "bigs" (9-15) and "smalls" (1-7) are generally used instead. The black ball, however, still typically bears a number eight. Another difference is that the UK table has pockets just larger than the balls, whereas the American table has pockets significantly larger.

See also:

Related posts

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Merckx finally finds success in 2009 Porto World Cup

Eddy Merckx from Belgium could lift his first World Cup trophy after capturing the World Cup event in Porto, Portugal.

In the final Merckx edged Nikos Polychronopoulos (Greece) 3-2. The frame scores were 15-6, 2-15, 15-6, 9-15 and 15-2.

Surprise men Jae Ho Cho (South Korea) and Jeremy Bury (France) lost out in the semifinals.

Merckx received €5,500 for the win and Polychronopoulos got €3,500 for second place.

Jung Han Heo from South Korea had the highest general average among the 55 competitors with 2.014. He also had the highest single match average of 2.812. Merckx had a perfect 15 for highest run of the tournament.

This was a tournament of upsets, with many of the top players being ousted in the early rounds. Among those failing to reach the last 16 were defending champion Dick Jaspers (Netherlands), Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden), Frédéric Caudron (Belgium) and Daniel Sanchez (Spain).

Although this was the first World Cup win for Merckx he has previously won the 2007 European Championship and the 2008 World Championship.

Merckx moves from 11th to third in the World Cup Ranking. Polychronopoulos improves 11 places to seventh. Caudron and Martin Horn (Germany) hang on to the top two positions.

The Belgian jumps to sixth in the World Players Ranking. Jaspers, Sanchez and Caudron are the top three.

The event took place 29 June - 5 July 2009 at the Centro de Congressis Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal. It was the third of five events in the 2009 World Cup. The next event is in Suwon, Korea, 16-21 November 2009.

See also:
Related posts:

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Immonen wins Qatar Open

2009 Qatar International Open 9-Ball ChampionshipFinland's "Iceman" Mika Immonen won the 2009 Qatar International Open 9-Ball Championship.

In the final Immonen defeated Taiwan's current junior world champion Pin-Yi Ko 13-9. The victory was worth €40,000 with Ko getting €20,000 for second place.

Immonen trounced Antonio Gabica (Philippines) 11-3 in the semi finals. Ko beat England's reigning world 10-ball champion Darren Appleton 11-8.

The Qatar Open is part of the WPA World Tour:
  • Philippine Open (Niels Feijen)
  • China Open (Thorsten Hohmann)
  • Qatar Open (Mika immonen)
  • Patricks Austria Open
  • 10-ball World Championship
  • US Open
  • 9-ball World Championship
The victory will improve Immonen's current fifth place in the World Tour rankings. Appleton will be the new No.1.

The tournament was played 27 June - 6 July 2009 at the Grand Regency Hotel, Doha, Qatar. It was the third event of seven on the 2009 World Tour. Next up is the Patricks Austria Open on (Euro Tour), which runs from 17-19 September 2009.

See also:

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Ouschan conquers all in 2009 Great Lakes Classic

Austria's Jasmin Ouscan captured her third career win on the WPBA Classic Tour by taking the 2009 WPBA Great Lakes Classic.

In the final she dominated England's Kelly Fisher 7-2.

Karen Corr (Ireland) and Xiaoting Pan (China), finished joint third.

Defending champion Allison Fisher (England) lost 9-4 to Kelly Fisher in the quarter finals.

This was Ouschan's third win on the Classic Tour. She also won the 2006 EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championships and the 2008 Carolina Classic.

Monica Webb (USA), who was gunning for her third title in a row on the Classic Tour, was ousted in the last 24 by England's Kim Shaw.

Ouschan's triumph takes her from 17th to third in the rankings. Kelly Fisher moves to first place, tied with former No.2 Ga Young Kim (South Korea).

The event took place from 17-21 June 2009 at the Blue Chip Casino, Michigan City, Illinois, USA. It was the second of six events on the 2009 Classic Tour. Next up is the US Open, at the Riverwind Casino, Norman, Oklahoma, USA, 29 July - 2 August 2009.

See also:

Related posts:

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Hogan and Jans win European Snooker Championships

David Hogan (Ireland) and Wendy Jans (Belgium) won gold medals in the 2009 European Snooker Championships.

Hogan defeated fellow Irishman Mario Fernandez 7-4 in the final of the men's event while home favourite Jans whitewashed Anna Mazhirina (Russia) 5-0.

Hogan blanked Germany's Sascha Lippe in the semis while Fernandez beat yet another Irishman, Brendan O'Donoghue, 6-2.

In an all-Belgian semifinal EJans eased past Caty Dehaene 4-1. Mazhirina edged Latvia's Inese Lukashevska 4-3.

This was Hogan's first major title. Jans won the European title three years in a row from 2004-2006. She also captured the 2006 IBSF World Amateur Championship.

With this victory Hogan won a spot on the 96-man 2009/2010 Main Tour.

Defending champion David Grace (England) lost 5-2 to O'Donoghue in the quarterfinals. 2008 Ladies champion Reanne Evans (England) did not participate in this year's event.

Former top pro Darren Morgan (Wales) won the Masters division. In the final he beat 2000 winner Joe Delaney (Ireland) 6-3. Morgan also won in 2007. He opted for the Men's event last year though, where he made it to the semifinals.

Tony "Tornado" Drago from Malta had the highest break of the tournament with a 139.

The event was held 3-13 June at the Crowne Plaza, Duffel, Belgium.

The European Main Tour play-offs (International Open) was played just before the tournament. Drago won the event to reclaim a place on next season's Main Tour.

See also:

Related posts:

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Rubilen Amit wins inaugural 10-ball World Championship

Rubilen Amit from Philippines won the 2009 Women's World 10-Ball Championship on home soil.

In the final she defeated two-time world 9-ball champion Shin-mei Liu (Taiwan) 10-4 to grab the $20,000 first prize and become the first world champion in women's 10-ball. Liu received $9,000 for second place.

Amit defeated Japan's Akimi Kajitani 9-6 in the semifinals. Liu beat Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) 9-6.

This was Amit's first world title from her second final. She finished second to Xiaoting Pan in the 2007 World 9-ball Championship. It was also the first win by a woman from the Philippines.

Unfortunately the event was surrounded by some controversy. Read Sarah Rousey's blog post for more.

The tournament ran from June 2-6, 2009, at the SM Mall North, Manila, Philippines.

See also:

Sánchez wins European Three Cushion Championship for a third time


Daniel Sánchez from Spain won the 2009 European Three Cushion Championship.

In the final he edged Belgium's Frédéric Caudron 3-2. The set scores were 15-11, 2-15, 15-2, 9-15 and 15-13. Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden) and Tayfun Tasdemir (Turkey) shared third place.

The final was a relatively low-scoring affair with Sánchez averaging 1.435 and Caudron 1.473.

This was Sánchez' third European title from three finals. His previous wins came in 1997 and 2000. In addition he has four bronzes.

Defending champion Dick Jaspers from the Netherlands was beaten 3-1 by Caudron in the quarterfinals.

Jaspers had the highest tournament average with 1.933. Blomdahl had the best single match average with a 3.750 against Kostas Papakonstantinou (Greece) in the group stages. In that match he also made a perfect 15, to share the high-run honors with Dion Nelin (Denmark).

Sánchez moves up to No.2 in the World Players Ranking. The list is still topped by Jaspers, with Blomdahl in third.

The event took place May 21-24 2009, in Sportshallen, Odense, Denmark.

See also:
Related posts:

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Souquet wins German Open - Euro Tour's first 10-ball event

Ralf Souquet from Germany won the 2009 German Open.

In the final Souquet defeated England's two-time ET winner Imran Majid 8-4 to claim the €5000 first prize. Majid received €3300 for second place.

Souquet defeated countryman and defending champion Thomas Engert 8-3 in the semifinals. Majid edged surprise man Michal Czarnecki (Poland) 8-6.

This was the first ever 10-ball event on the Euro Tour and what could be more fitting than the all-time leader taking the title. This was his 16th win from 26 finals. Fellow German Oliver Ortmann is second on the list with 13 wins.

The German legend is on an amazing run. His last six finishes on the Tour is 5th, 1st, 1st, 5th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st.

Souquet extends his already massive lead in the Euro Tour Ranking. Majid improves from seventh to fourth. The Dutch pair of Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg hold on to second and third place respectively.

The tournament was played 21-23 May at Billiard Cafe Die Drei, Sindelfingen, Germany. It was the third event of seven on the 2009 Euro Tour. Next up is the Patricks Austria Open which runs from August 20-22 2009. It will be the 100th event on the Euro Tour.

See also:
Related posts:

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Martin Horn lifts first career World Cup trophy in Turkey

Martin Horn from Netherlands earned his first World Cup win by capturing the World Cup event in Antalya, Turkey.

In the final Horn defeated fellow Dutchman, and last season's Tour champion, Dick Jaspers 3-1. The frame scores were 15-13, 7-15, 15-11 and 15-14. Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden) and Frédéric Caudron from Belgium lost out in the semifinals.

Horn received € 5.500 for his first victory and Jaspers got € 3.500 for second place.

Caudron had the highest general average among the 54 competitors with 1.713. Savas Bulut (Turkey) had the highest single match average of 2.307. Frenchman Jeremy Bury' perfect 15 was the highest run of the tournament.

Horn moves from 17th to second in the World Cup Ranking. Jaspers improves seven places to fifth. Caudron stays on top and Jozef Philipoom (Belgium) drops from second to third.

The winner jumps to sixth in the World Players Ranking. Jaspers, Blomdahl and Caudron remains the top three.

The event took place 4-10 May 2009 at the Otium Hotels Sun Zeynep, Antalya, Turkey. It was the second of four events in the 2009 World Cup. The next event is in Suwon, Korea, 16-21 November.

See also:
Related posts:

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

John Higgins wins the World Snooker Championship for a third time

Betfred.com World Snooker Championship 2009Scotland's John Higgins captured the 2009 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship.

In the final he overwhelmed England's 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy 18-9.

Neil Robertson (Australia) and Mark Allen (Northern Ireland) lost out in the semifinals.

Higgins received £250,000 for the victory and Murphy got £125,000 for his runner-up spot.

Stephen Hendry (England) won the £157,000 high break bonus after compiling his ninth career maximum break, and second at the Crucible. It was the ninth 147 made in the world championship. In total there were a record 83 centuries in this year's event.

Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan (England) lost 13-11 to Allen in the second round. The last player to successfully defend his world title was Hendry in 1996.

This was the third world title for Higgins, having also lifted the trophy in 1998 and 2007. It was his second ranking title of the season and 20th of his career.

With this win Higgins will improve from fifth to fourth in the new world rankings. Murphy will keep his third place from last season.

O'Sullivan and Stephen Maguire (Scotland) will still be Nos 1 and 2. Graeme Dott is the only player to drop out of the top 16. Mark J Williams regains the spot he lost last year.

The event took place Apr 18 - May 4, 2009 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England. It was the last of eight ranking tournaments on the 2008/2009 Main Tour.

See also:
Related posts:
Shameless plugs: