Cue Sports Australia

The 2010 Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open is back in its 5th year and takes place August 4-8, 2009 at Emerald Billiards in New Iberia, Louisiana. The Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open is produced by Dragon Promotions and will coincide with The DP Pro Classic events. 

This 5th installment will feature seven tournaments: 9-Ball and 8-Ball disciplines, with divisions in Open, Women, Seniors, and Mixed Doubles. No Pros, No Semi-Pros, No Top Rated Amateur players will be allowed to play.

Pictured, 2009 amateur women's champ Neslihan Gurel.
Emerald Billiards opened in 2008 but moved in 2009 to a new million dollar facility by owner Keith Hulin. Emerald Billiards has 20 Valley Bar Tables and 8 Brunswick Gold Crown Vs and has hosted major amateur events such as the APA Tri-Cup with over 800 players.

"This is one of the premier amateur events in the country and we are really happy to host it in Louisiana. And bringing some of the best pros in the world will mark the first time Louisiana has ever held an international event. So we are all excited", said Keith Hulin, Owner of Emerald Billiards.

"The Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open is becoming a great tradition of bringing in amateur players from all over the country to play in a fair environment where everyone has a chance to win. At the same time they get to be right next to the pros during the Pro Classic events. With a women's, men's, seniors, mixed doubles, and juniors division there is definitely something for everyone during a incredible series of events", said Shawn Gargano, President of Ozone Billiards.

Ozone Billiards has had a history of supporting professional tours as well such as The Predator International 10-Ball Championship, The World Straight Pool Championship and the Dragon Promotions Pro Classic.    Players will be playing for $3000 1st place in the 8-ball and $4000 1st place in the 9-Ball with full fields, and minimum guarantees of $1000 for 1st in the 8-Ball Open and $1500 minimum for the 9-Ball Open despite any field size. These events are open to all true amateurs (men or women) and no membership fee is required. There is also a Mixed Doubles 9-Ball so now men and women can travel and play together on one team, as well as play in their individual singles events.

Questions on Amateur event call 1-407-782-4978 email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Ozone Billiards has been providing pool players with top quality billiard products for more than eight years. For more information about Ozone Billiards and its product lines, visit www.ozonebilliards.com

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Viking Cue Mfg., Inc. has added Brian Rosselli to their sales and marketing team. Mr. Roselli will be servicing Viking Cue dealers on the East Coast, Florida and Tennessee.

"Brian joins Viking Cue as a sales professional with over 15 years of experience in the Billiard Industry. He has firmly established himself as an industry specialist through his knowledge of sales, marketing, advertising, merchandising and customer service strategies for the Billiard market," Viking said in making the announcement.

"Brian is already familiar with Viking Cues and its products and will be contacting his accounts soon. We will support Brian in anyway necessary in helping him achieve mutual growth and success with Viking Cue and the Dealers that he will be servicing."

For more information on Viking Cue Mfg., Inc., visit www.vikingcue.com

Keep up on all the news in Pool Town! Visit www.poolmag.com

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Leonard Bludworth will be inducted into the International Cuemakers Hall of Fame on July 10th, 2010 during the Southern Cue and Case Show in the luxurious Scorpion Room of the Marietta Billiard Club in Marietta, Georgia.

Leonard, commonly referred to as "Blud," started doing cue repair in 1976. He was a master pool table mechanic and served as the equipment coordinator for both the men's pro tour and the senior tour for about 15 years. Around the same time he developed the popular Bludworth Billiard Ball Cleaner. It was also Bludworth's idea to take pool tables and travel the country setting them up for pool events. He gave the plans to Valley Tables and they ran with it.

In the 1980s he converted Sears' wood lathes into workable cue repair machines so others could begin their own cue repairing businesses. He sold over 400 of these machines around the world. He also made the first video showing how to do cue repairs on the modified lathes. After a few years, nearly every major tournament had a qualified repairman fixing cues for the pros and spectators using one of his lathes.

Leonard started building cues in the 1980s and became known for building very solid cues with a slightly thinner profile. He was probably one of the first cuemakers to sell a cue for over $100,000. Among the most notable top pros that started playing with Leonard's cues was his long time friend Buddy Hall, and eventually Leonard developed a line of cues for Buddy.

In 1992 Leonard founded the American Cuemakers Association and served as the president for several years. His late wife Janice worked along side of him for decades and he also passed his vast cuemaking and machinery knowledge down to his son Donald.

Leonard went on to develop many other mechanical and CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) cue building machines. Some were shaft tapering saw machines. Many were CNC cue lathe/milling machines, and some of those were combo's, (saws and mills), from single cutting heads to multi-heads. The largest machine was a CNC mill with eight heads that went to Bangkok, Thailand.

He traveled over 100,000 miles annually for about 22 years setting up tables and doing cue repairs at the pro events. As the pioneer of the travelling pro shop who made his cue repair lathes available to others, Leonard has inspired a countless number of individuals to get into cue repair and cue building industry.

The Southern Cue and Case Show is being held in conjunction with the Gem City Classic 10-Ball Open (July 9th-11th). Admission to the Show is free. Several of the south's finest cue and case makers, along with collectible cues from past cuemakers, and some very rare and high end collections, will all be on display.

For more information visit www.internationalcuemakers.com

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With the 2010 International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo (BCA Expo) rapidly approaching, the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) is pleased to report exhibit booth sales and attendee pre-registration are sharply ahead of last year's Expo.

When comparing attendee pre-registration, this year's numbers reflect an 18 percent increase from last year at this time.  Additionally, booth sales have already surpassed last year's total number of 411 booths.

In a warming economy, both manufacturers and distributors have chosen the 2010 BCA Expo as a platform to launch new products and extend support for the home recreation industry.  Currently, 113 companies have contracted to exhibit in 2010.  On average those exhibiting are also committing to larger exhibit spaces than in 2009.

Additionally, as of this announcement, 22 new companies will exhibit at the 2010 Expo.  New products include spas, saunas, tanning beds, casual furniture, cue accessories and much more.

"We are encouraged to see the industry pulling together to climb out of this dismal economy," said BCA Chairman, Ivan Lee. "After months of survival strategies, retailers of all kinds are seeking new products for their stores, new ideas for profitability and new networking opportunities to create a stronger future, while manufacturers are offering new products and Expo-only special pricing."

"The BCA Expo remains the gathering place for the industry to connect face to face, and this year will be more dynamic with a great lineup of seminars, industry discussions and opportunities for folks to share ideas, progress and concerns with their peers," commented BCA CEO Rob Johnson.  "The strong pace of retail and room operator registrations, along with the increase in returning and new exhibitors, indicates a positive attitude within the entire home recreation industry."

About the International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo
Established in 1983, The International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo provides industry manufacturers, distributors, retailers, dealers and poolroom operators an annual venue for new business opportunities, including education, new products and networking.  The International Billiard & Home Entertainment Expo is sponsored exclusively by the Billiard Congress of America.

About Billiard Congress of America
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership.  The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards through education, marketing and promotional efforts, an annual industry trade show, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody's games.  For more information, please visit bca-pool.com or call 303.243.5070.

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OVER 750 players from around the world attempted to win the 2010 PartyPoker.netWorld Pool Masters but in the end after five days of play at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, it was Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines who claimed the title and with it the $20,000 first prize...

He beat the relatively unknown 25 year-old Japanese player Toru Kuribayashi 8-3 in front of an enthusiastic Las Vegas crowd to cement his position of one of the world's top players. For Kuribayashi it was a week of superb performances and his name will now be known throughout the pool world. "I'm very happy and you can see the tears in my eyes. If I could fly in the sky then I would fly. This tournament is really hard to win but I made it and I'm really proud to have won this. It's my biggest win," said a jubilant Orcollo.

"It was very difficult to play in the final as you try to not think that if you win this game then you are the champion. In the semi-final I wasn't feeling like that but in the final I had to tell myself to just try and control my emotion. If you can't stay in control of your emotions then you can't do anything and your mind goes blank. So I just controlled myself and continued my game right until the end," he added.   Orcollo came through the double elimination stage of the competition with an opening win over Shaun Wilkie, then a 9-8 defeat to Marcus Chamat and then victory against Jasmine Ouschan to reach the last 32. There he avenged his defeat to Chamat with a 9-7 win before beating Raj Hundal 8-1 in the last 16. John Morra (Canada) was his quarter final victim before beating compatriot Roberto Gomez in the semi-final.

Kuribayashi got off to the worst start to the event, losing to Charlie Williams in his opening match, but made his way through to the last 32 stages with wins over Ahmad Taufiq and Tony Drago. There he beat Taiwan's Kuo Po Cheng before whitewashing Daryl Peach in the last 16. The quarter-final saw him take revenge over Charlie Williams before disposing of Oliver Ortmann in the last four.

Both players greeted the crowd as they were introduced to the arena and Orcollo looked set to take the first but left a green 6 ball wobbling which cost him the rack and Kuribayashi broke and ran the second to go into a 2-0 lead.  Orcollo had ball in hand in the third and converted it well to get on the scoreboard before he made an error in the next as he scratched, playing a safety and Kuribayashi made him pay to lead 3-1.

Kuribayashi looked in good shape in the next but lack of pace on the cue ball meant his run broke down. They exchanged safeties on the pink 4 before an attempted bank from Kuribayashi failed and Orcollo ran the rack to get to 2-3. There was ball in hand opportunity in the next for Orcollo as Kuribayashi scratched making a jump shot and the Filipino converted his chance to level things at 3-3.

Kuribayashi left the 3 ball hanging over the pocket after an attempted safety and Orcollo dished up to take the lead for the first time and increased his lead to 5-3 in the next with a break and run. Orcollo began to find his groove in the ninth game as he ran out his second consecutive rack to put some space between himself and Kuribayashi as the score went to 6-3. More great play from Orcollo put him on the hill at 7-3.

In fitting style, Orcollo ran out what was the final rack to win 8-3 and claim the title of 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters champion. "I was worried when I missed the 6 ball (in the first rack) and it was unexpected but sometimes that can happen. After that I knew he (Kuribayashi) would be feeling confident because I had made a mistake but I was still hoping to get another chance and get back some momentum.

"The tournament is short races and if you lose one rack you could then be out. It's a big difference to money games as if you lose a rack there then you have a chance of making a game again," said Orcollo afterwards. "In a money game it might not matter if you play badly at the beginning you can still recover but in a tournament if you start badly you may lose. This is great news for the Philippines and many people have followed this competition in my country and they will be celebrating. I would love to bring this competition to my country."

The Final
Dennis Orcollo (PHI) 8-3 Toru Kuribayashi (JAP)
Winner receives $20,000, runner-up $10,000

Semi-Final Results
Dennis Orcollo (PHI) 8-6 Roberto Gomez (PHI)
Oliver Ortmann (GER) 3-8 Toru Kuribayashi (JAP) Losers Receive $5,000

Earlier, Orcollo had beaten compatriot Roberto 'Superman' Gomez 8-6 to secure his berth in the final.  It was a high quality encounter and after 12 racks they were tied up at six apiece. It was anyone's but went in Orcollo's favour as he edged the final two racks to make his second Matchroom Sport pool final, following his World Pool League victory in Poland in 2006. In the other semi-final, Kuribayashi put on a display of shot-making and power breaking to beat Germany's Oliver Ortmann. Playing fluently throughout, the young Japanese came with all the shots when required to seal an 8-3 win. It was a great performance from Ortmann though in reaching the semi-finals and he is still a force to be reckoned with on a major stage.

Television was produced by Matchroom Sport and will be seen as 15 one hour programs in 14 countries around the world with more to be added to the list. The 2010 World Pool Masters was sponsored by PartyPoker.net, with tables supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and Predator, the official cue.

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ACTION CONTINUED at the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas as the final two quarter-finalists were determined and Dennis Orcollo became the first player to reach the semi-finals.

The standard of play was high throughout and in the opening match of the evening, Thomas Engert defeated Rodney Morris 8-5 to leave Charlie Williams the sole remaining US hope in the event. Engert, a two-time winner of this event in 2004 and 2007, clearly has the Masters mojo as he looked very comfortable throughout. "That was the first time I've played well in this tournament. I broke well and the balls were on my side," said Engert. "Sometimes it wasn't easy to run out - it's never easy to run out against Rodney - but I took my chances. It was a good match for both of us.

"Every time I play I feel better at the table and felt much better than at the first match. I'm not thinking about winning it yet. Everyone wants to win and in pool you have to wait for your chances."

There was another guaranteed German in the quarter-finals as former World Champions Oliver Ortmann (pictured) and Thorsten Hohmann squared off and it was 1996 WPC champ Ortmann who proved superior. It was an excellent show from Ortmann who came from 4-1 down to complete an outstanding 8-6 victory. "I didn't do anything wrong but I was down 2-1 and then 4-1, but I just tried to concentrate on my own game and I was playing ok so that was the point of the match. I took my chances and was happy to do so," said Ortmann. "At the end of the day the victory was right as I was playing good and he was a bit lucky. I'm focused and feeling pretty confident. I'm just trying to do what I can and I feel really confident at the moment.

In the final match of the evening, Dennis Orcollo continued his rich vein of form as he overcame Canada's John Morra 8-3 to book his semi-final spot.

Morra didn't have that many opportunities but Orcollo will be hard to stop as he chases his first Masters crown. "I played really well and I did everything. I won the first four games and I felt comfortable every time as I always had a shot. I had a lot of chances to clinch the game so I did.

"It was the same type of performance as in the other matches - I didn't change my game so the momentum was always there. I was always thinking positively and my mind was focused.

Play continues on Sunday afternoon.  Saturday Evening Results

Round Three Rodney Morris (USA) 5 - 8 Thomas Engert (GER) Oliver Ortmann (GER) 8-6 Thorsten Hohmann (GER)

Quarter-Final Dennis Orcollo (PHI) 8-3 John Morra (CAN)

The 2010 World Pool Masters is sponsored by PartyPoker.net. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.

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THERE WERE THREE further Round 3 matches at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas as the PartyPoker.netWorld Pool Masters reached its ultimate day. With play rising to a high standard, there were wins for Charlie Williams, Roberto Gomez and Toru Kuribayashi.

In the opening game, Scottish qualifier Jayson Shaw made a few too many mistakes for a player of Roberto Gomez's standard and the Filipino joins compatriot Dennis Orcollo in the quarter-finals. Shaw lost the initiative in the third game as he made an elementary error going from 6 to the 8, as he left the cue ball behind the 9 ball. That handed the rack to Gomez for 2-1 and another shocker, scratching when the run out was elementary. It was a choker for the young Scot as Gomez increased his lead to 3-1.

A run out in the next increased his lead, but Gomez tried a Bustamante-style 'behind the back' shot instead of using the bridge and completely miscued. He made contact with the 6 ball but failed to reach a rail. With ball in hand, Shaw took full advantage and he ran the next following a decent break to get to within one rack of Gomez at 4-3. A missed pink 4 down the rail, though down the rail, let the Filipino back in and he increased his lead to 5-3.

From there it was all Gomez as he took the last three racks to seal the win and move into the quarter-finals where he faces a tough one in Ralf Souquet. "I played good - maybe I would give myself seven or eight out of ten. My shot (behind the back that caused a ) it happened at exactly the same time as the shot clock warning bell ringing and I just hit it badly," said Gomez. "But I just forget about everything I had done wrong as it would destroy your game if you are thinking about your mistakes.

"He had a lot of chance but missed them and that gave me courage to grab the chances. Playing Ralf Souquet will be a great match and I have to prepare well. I've played him once in Taiwan and I won.

In the second match of the afternoon, Charlie Williams looked the business as he disposed of entertaining Japanese player Naoyuki Oi, coming from 4-1 down to win 8-5. Having been used to race to 9 matches in the first two rounds, Williams assumed that this match was race to 9 also and returned to his chair after potting what was the case 9 ball!

Referee Nigel Rees had to tell the American that he had indeed won the match, much to his pleasure. "That was a big win for me and I'm pleased to get in the last eight. Now I'm in the championship ring and it looks a bit easier," said Williams. "Oi is a very aggressive player so I knew he would come at me. I thought I had got here early enough to practice but I didn't so I hadn't hit one ball in practice today. The first shot I hit was actually in the game and it showed as I made some early mistakes but it's my fault as I should've been here at 2 pm.

"At 4-1 Oi was playing good but I didn't give up and just tried to work it back one frame at a time. Being 4-1 down it wasn't looking good at all but I figured out the break quicker that he did and that gave me some momentum.

"At the end I didn't know it was a race to eight. Nigel looked at me and someone jumped up and I thought I'd committed a foul!"

In the final match of the afternoon, Japanese qualifier Toru Kuribayashi looked a million dollars as he mastered the break superbly to record an 8-0 whitewash over England's Daryl Peach.

Making two and three balls at a time and leaving easy run outs, Kuribayashi left Peach seated for most of the match and the young Japanese looks a massive dark horse for the title.  He now plays Charlie Williams in the next round. "I played really well and I am really happy with my performance. If I keep playing like that then I know I can win the tournament," said the Japanese.

Play continues this evening. Saturday Afternoon - Results Roberto Gomez (PHI) 8-3 Jayson Shaw (SCO) Naoyuki Oi (JAP) 5-8 Charlie Williams (USA) Daryl Peach (ENG) 0-8 Toru Kuribayashi (JAP) Saturday Evening Matches Round Three Rodney Morris (USA) v Thomas Engert (GER) Oliver Ortmann (GER) v Thorsten Hohmann (GER) Quarter-Final Dennis Orcollo (PHI) v John Morra (CAN)  

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THE FIRST THREE TV games took place on Friday evening at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas as the round of 16 got underway in the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters. From a starting line up of 64 players, there are just 13 left as Dennis Orcollo, John Morra and Ralf Souquet won through.

In the opening match of the last 16, Filipino Dennis Orcollo made light work of Raj Hundal (India), going through to the quarter finals by an 8-1 scoreline. Hundal, who looked composed as he negotiated his way through the opening two rounds, made too many mistakes for a player of Orcollo's obvious calibre...

Hundal's safety game wasn't tight enough to contain Orcollo and the sharp-shooting Pinoy completed four break and runs as he ran away with the match. "It was a great! I had a break in the first game as Hundal missed a ball. That was my chance and I took it.  I always think I'm going to win the competition, but there's a lot of top players here," said Orcollo.

The second game of the evening was a nervy affair as up-and-coming Canadian talent John Morra put paid to John Schmidt's World Pool Masters hopes, winning through by an 8-4 margin. Morra can look forward to a quarter-final match-up against Dennis Orcollo.

It was a scrappy encounter with both players making errors, but Morra rode his luck to pull away after leading 5-1. "I played pretty well for most of the match but was difficult to get used to the TV table as it was very different to the tables we've been playing on," said Morra. "But I feel good about my game and got a couple of rolls which helped but John's a great player so that's a great win. The shot clock was difficult and I got called up on it and wasn't sure about the rule. I'm going to have to use my extensions better and I have them for a reason. Dennis is one of my favorite players. I've played him once in an event in Virginia three years ago and beat him 9-2. He won the tournament but I beat him on the winner's side. I feel really good but tomorrow is a whole new day and I hope I can play better. I did make mistakes and need to step it up a notch to beat Dennis."

In the final match of the evening, five times Masters champ, Ralf Souquet had just enough to stay ahead and close out Indonesia's Ricky Yang in a tough encounter.

Souquet opened up a big lead but the dogged Yang, now emerging as one of Asia's premier players, came back at him. Souquet though, held him off for the win. "It's always good when there's a W next to your name but this was not the best performance at this event, but as long as I reach eight first then I'm happy. I started off well but I missed a stupid one ball in the side when it was 4-1 and from that point I let it slip away and made a few more mistakes. The shot clock kept bothering me as we hadn't played with it earlier and when you play ten tournaments without it, it can be difficult. Ricky Yang is a very good player and was expecting a close match and he won the Philippine Open and is well known so I wasn't expecting an easy one."   Play continues throughout today so stay tuned for later results.

Friday Night Last 16 Results
Raj Hundal (IND) 1-8 Dennis Orcollo (PHI)
John Morra (CAN) 8-4 John Schmidt (USA)
Ricky Yang (INA) 6-8 Ralf Souquet (GER)

Saturday Afternoon's Matches
Roberto Gomez (PHI) v Jayson Shaw (SCO)
Naoyuki Oi (JAP) v Charlie Williams (USA)
Daryl Peach (ENG) v Toru Kuribayashi (JAP)

Working in conjunction with  Cuesports International, the Masters takes place during the annual BCA National 8-Ball Championships, which sees thousands of players and fans flock to the Riviera for a lengthy festival of pool. Television is produced by Matchroom Sport and will be seen as 15 one hour programs in 14 countries around the world with more to be added to the list.

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The field of the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters has halved after two days of play as 32 have left the competition and the remaining 32 reconvene today as the event moves to single elimination.

Described by witnesses as arguably the strongest 64 player line-up assembled in recent times, the Masters has proved a brutal school with world-class match-ups coming thick and fast. The opening round saw 64 players divided into eight groups of eight players playing in double elimination.

All matches in the Masters in the opening round were race to nine, winner breaks, with the action taking at the Convention Center at the Riviera Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The 'two and through' players in Group 6 were defending champion Darren Appleton who beat the Asian pair of Yu Ram Cha and then Ricky Yang to progress, and then Marcus Chamat. The diminutive Swede beat qualifier Manny Chau and then claimed a superb 9-8 win over Dennis Orcollo, which included a miscue on the final 8 which left a severely testing 9 ball.

Both Orcollo and Yang also made the last 32 via the one loss side.

In Group 6, two American players went through via the winners' side as US Open champions John Schmidt and Rodney Morris (pictured) put on excellent displays. 'Mr 400' beat Belgian qualifier Noel Bruynooghe and survived a hill-hill thriller against Lee Van Corteza of the Philippines.

Morris beat Scottish youngster Jayson Shaw and then beat compatriot Johnny Archer to seal his own fete but both Shaw and Archer went through on the one-loss side, with the Scot recording a particularly impressive win to knock out Corteza.

A focused Stevie Moore was the first player to make progress in Group 7 as he beat the UK based pair of Imran Majid and then Tony Drago. Moore was joined by Thomas Engert who got the better of Charlie Williams in another hill-hill match.   Williams though stepped up a gear in the final match on the one loss side as he put Majid out of the competition, 9-3. Joining him will be stylish Japanese qualifier Toru Kuribayashi who put paid to former Masters champ Tony Drago's Vegas dream.   Finally in a strong Group 8, recently crowned World 8 Ball king Karl Boyes beat Ernesto Dominguez and Ralf Souquet to advance and was joined by unknown Taiwanese Lo Li-wen who beat Mika Immonen and then Karen Corr.

Souquet made up for his defeat to Boyes by recording only the second 9-0 of the competition as he ran six racks on tough Brunswick equipment to put Mika Immonen out of the competition. Veteran Ernesto Dominguez made up for family disappointment yesterday as he beat Karen Corr 9-3 to take the final spot.

The last 32 matches are single elimination race to 9 and matches start at 12 noon tomorrow.

Working in conjunction with Cuesports International, the Masters takes place during the annual BCA National 8-Ball Championships, which sees thousands of players and fans flock to the Riviera for a lengthy festival of pool.

The prize fund is set at a guaranteed $100,000 with $20,000 going to the eventual champion.    Matchroom Sport are one of the world's leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,100 hours of original programming across a range of nine sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the World Pool Masters is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the Mosconi Cup.   The 2010 World Pool Masters is sponsored by PartyPoker.net. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.

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After 27 years and over 45 events, The United States Pool Players Association (USPPA) announced the Reno Open will relocate to the fabulous Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada. The complete schedule of events will take place between November 19th and December 6th, 2010...

Tony Annigoni, President of The USPPA and Principal in Two Cushion Club which will manage the event dubbed The Pacific Rim International Billiard Expo explains, "We thank the Sands Regency for all its support over the years, however, the future for our association and in some ways billiards in America, is with The Peppermill."

With a new home and more space, the event menu is expanding. While the Reno Open and USPPA Pro Am will once again be the main stays, the word International is not merely a title. "Working with The WPA in 2008 to host the World Juniors and World Wheel Chair tournaments reinforced for me how international the game is and, in some ways, how billiards internationally is in much better shape than in the States." Annigoni continued. "I was looking for a venue and added formats that would enhance the International presence as well as deliver a playing format that would give American players, who I still feel are the best in the world, 'For the Cash' a chance to shine. To that end, we've added a new event, The Simonis Tour Championship which will run in conjunction with the Reno Open. And as an incentive to encourage participation, we're also adding the Two Cushion Club Poker Challenge."

The Peppermill Resort Spa Casino features 1,635 luxurious rooms and suites, two resort pools, 10 award-winning restaurants, 16 themed bars and lounges including EDGE nightspot and Terrace Lounge, free nightly entertainment in the Casino Cabaret, 24/7 gaming action, headliner entertainment as well as the 43,000 square foot Spa & Salon Toscana and Fitness Center featuring northern Nevada's only Caldarium with indoor pool, sun deck and Secret Garden.

For information on sponsorship, vendor space, advertising or participation as well as any aspect regarding The Pacific Rim Billiard Expo contact Tony Annigoni at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at 831-277-0216. For more information on the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino contact Julia Jeffers-Peaua at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at 775-689-7114.

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Play has concluded on the first day of the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters as 16 players made their way through to Friday's round of 32 and 16 have been eliminated from the competition. Separated into eight groups of eight players competing in double elimination competition, four groups competed today and top of the seeding for the straight knock out stages of the event...

There were plenty of big name casualties who fell by the wayside on a day when the strength in depth of field shone through. Those who fell at the first hurdle included Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, Shane Van Boening, Corey Deuel, Oscar Dominguez and Earl Strickland.

Straight out of the traps in Group 1 were 2005 Masters champion Raj Hundal and Mexico's Rafael Martinez, who took the final qualifying spot at Pool Sharks yesterday. The wily old campaigner took out American qualifier David Grau and Evgeni Novosad (Ukrane) to reach the money stages.

Hundal made light work of Korea's Ga Young Kim and then Jason Klatt to book his spot. The one-loss side of this group saw the young Novosad win through in what was a great day for Ukrainian pool, and the final spot went to Canadian qualifier Jason Klatt who bumped Shane Van Boening out of the competition by a 9-5 scoreline on the one-loss side.

All matches in the Masters are race to nine, winner breaks, with the action taking at the Convention Centre at the Riviera Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. In Group 2 it was the Philippines' powerful Roberto Gomez who beat Earl Strickland and Huijdi See to go through. Dutch qualifier See, though, redeemed the situation with a win over Allison Fisher, which together with an earlier 9-8 victory over Niels Feijen, saw him through. Feijen recovered though, as he beat Ko Pin-yi to win through to Friday. The other winners' side victor was 2005 World Pool Championship runner-up Kuo Po-cheng who secured his spot with wins over Oscar Dominguez and countryman Ko Pin-yi   Thorsten Hohmann (pictured) and Dennis Hatch were the two who went undefeated through Group 3 and they now take their place in Friday's last 32. Hohmann was the first player to make it as he posted wins over Radoslaw Babica and Efren Reyes to progress.   Hatch held wins over Norwegian qualifier Tron Engebaak and Morra to secure his spot. On the losers' side Canada's Morra won through at the expense of Radoslaw Babica, while 2007 World Champion Daryl Peachsent Efren Reyes crashing out of the competition.

Finally in Group 4, two lesser known Asian players shone through as Naoyuki Oi (Japan) and Vietnam's unknown Do Hong Quan won two from two to qualify. Quan, who won through a qualifying event in Malaysia a few weeks ago, beat Francisco Bustamante and Tyler Edey to make it probably the best day of his pool playing career.

Oi, who is one of the game's more colorful characters, took down England's Mark Gray and Oliver Ortmann of Germany to advance. The German, however, recovered to knock Bustamante out of the event to progress. Gray too regrouped as he got the better of Tyler Edey in a do-or-die encounter.

Play continues tomorrow (Thursday) with Groups 5 to 8 playing their matches. After that the Masters moves to single elimination with the round of 32 taking place on Friday 14th and then the event goes to the TV stages on Friday evening and the weekend. Seven previous winners - Ralf Souquet, Daryl Peach, Francisco Bustamante, Tony Drago, Raj Hundal, Alex Pagulayan and defending champion Darren Appleton - are among the players invited.

Television is produced by Matchroom Sport and will be seen as 15 one hour programs in 14 countries around the world with more to be added to the list. The prize fund is set at a guaranteed $100,000 with $20,000 going to the eventual champion.

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Starting this week players, vendors, and the industry press will be converging at the Riviera Hotel & Casino for two weeks of the best pool competition staged in the United States, the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships (May 14-22).

As in the past several years, two premier pro events will take place alongside the BCAPL Nationals, one of which is the much anticipated 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship which takes place May 17-22 in the Royale Pavilion Pro Arena of the Riviera. The event has attracted an astounding list of 128 players from all over North America and across the globe vying for the $89,000 purse...

The event, produced by CueSports International (CSI), is both a Billiard Congress of America (BCA) point event and recognized by the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA). The open coed tournament features some of the top names in pool. The event payouts can be viewed on the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship page of the BCAPL website, www.playbca.com.

Below is the full list of players for the 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. The player draw will be posted no later than Saturday, May 15. Real time Live Scoring of the event will be available via the CueSports Tournament System (CTS) which can be viewed at www.ctsondemand.com.

Yukio  Akagariyama
Ernesto Dominguez
Po-Cheng Kuo
Jason Robichaud
David Alcaide
Tony Drago
Toru Kuribayashi
Tony Robles
Ronnie Alcano
Bill Dunsmore
Al Lapena
Sarah Rousey
Darren Appleton
Max Eberle
Bob Lewis
Beau Runningen
Johnny Archer
Tyler Edey
Steve Lillis
John Schmidt
Glenn Atwell
Tron Engebakk
Melissa Little
Huidji See
James Baraks
Thomas Engert
Li-Wen Lo
Brandon Shuff
Jennifer Barretta
Kelly Fisher
Hunter Lombardo
Ryan Solleveld
Chris Bartram
Liz Ford
Dan Louie
Jeremy Sossei
Keith Bennett
Roberto Gomez
Fabian Louison
Ralf Souquet
Turk Berberoglu
Jayme Goodwin
Imran Majid
Bill Stock
Karl Boyes
David Grau
Rafael Martinez
Earl Strickland
Gus Briseno
Mark Gray
PJ Massicotte
Tommy Tokoph
Charlie Bryant
Mark Haddad
Veronique Menard
Stan Tourangeau
Francisco Bustamante
Greg Harada Jr.
Edwin Montal
Marco Tschudi
Sal Butera
Dennis Hatch
Stevie Moore
Kenichi Uchigaki
Carlos Cabello
Dan Heidrich
Rodney Morris
Louis Ulrich
Yu Ram Cha
Rory Hendrickson
Tommy Najar
Shane Van Boening
Marcus Chamat
Frankie Hernandez
Larry Nevel
Marc Vidal
Vince Chambers
Thorsten Hohmann
Kazuki Nishimura
Vivian Villarreal
Manny Chau
Allen Hopkins
Ben Nunan
James Wagner
Chieh Yu Chou
Raj Hundal
Sylver Ochoa
Robert Weimar
Karen Corr
Mika Immonen
Naoyuki Oi
Shaun Wilkie
Lee Van Corteza
Jeff Jimenez
Ryoko Onaga
Charlie Williams
Francis Crevier
Christian Johannenssen
Dennis Orcollo
Ronnie Wiseman
Brendan Crockett
Jeremy Jones
Oliver Ortmann
Youtarou Yamaguchi
Neil Cummins
Paul Juarez
Jasmin Ouschan
Ricky Yang
Kim Davenport
Warren Kiamco
Gabe Owen
Michael Yednak
Mike Davis
Adam Kielar
Jose Parica
Mike Dechaine
Ga Young Kim
Daryl Peach
Corey Deuel
Jason Klatt
Andrew Pinegar
Peter Dimmick
Pin-Yi Ko
Efren Reyes
Oscar Dominguez
Matt Krah
James Roberts

This is an event not to be missed. Spectator tickets will be available on site. For those who cannot attend in person, OB Cues and The Delta-13 are sponsoring the Action Report (TAR) live stream. The stream will start with the second day rounds, May 18 through to the finals May 22. The live stream can be viewed on a href="http://www.playbca.com">www.playbca.com

The U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship is sponsored by: Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith, Simonis, OB Cues, Delta-13, Billiards Digest, TAR, and BreakRAK.   CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League, the National Championship Series (NCS), and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com or a href="http://www.playbca.com">www.playbca.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.  

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The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) will host the annual Challenge the Stars benefit in conjunction with the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships and the 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 18th.

Diamond Billiard Products will provide the tables for the festivities which will take place in the Grande Ballroom of the Riviera Hotel & Casino at 8:00 pm. This benefit gives all players and spectators an opportunity to support youth billiard programs while mingling with and competing with top pros from all over the world.

Over 100 pros are invited to participate, including, Shane Van Boening (USA), Efren Reyes (PHI), Jasmin Ouschan (AUS), Ga Young (Korea), Kelly Fisher (ENG), John Schmidt (USA), Dennis Orcullo (PHI), Ralf Souquet (GER), Johnny Archer (USA), Charlie Williams (USA), Tony Robles (USA), Francisco Bustamante (PHI), Mika Immonen (FIN), Melissa Little (USA), Sarah Rousey (USA), Thorsten Hohmann (GER), Tom Rossman (USA) and many more.

Challengers can select three options of play: the BEF Challenge, $20 donation, challenger plays one game of 9-ball with designated pro, the Pro Challenge, $40 donation, shoot one game of 9-ball with one of your three top choices, based on availability, or the Ultimate Challenge, 100 donation, play three games of 9-ball with one of your three top choices, based on availability.

All challengers will receive an autographed certificate and a souvenir photo taken with their pro.

Spectators and amateur players can also share in the fun by bidding on an array of prizes and participating in the raffles. Whether you challenge a pro, participate in the auction or make a donation, you can make a difference in youth billiard programs. Admission is FREE. Step up to the challenge.

About Billiard Education Foundation The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a 501(c)(3 non-profit organization which is committed to promoting education and encourages the development of life skills through youth billiard programs. The BEF funds academic scholarships, produces the Junior National 9-Ball Championships, sponsors billiard athletes to attend the WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships and promotes, Pool In School programs. For more information, please visit www.BilliardEducation.org or call 303.926.1039.

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Eight qualifiers were held for the 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Produced by CueSports International (CSI), the main event is scheduled May 17-22, 2010 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino and attracted both men and women players from across the globe vying for the $89,000 purse.

The following eight qualifier winners will be among the 128 player field:

1. Gus Briseno qualified February 7th at a special stop of the Desert Classic Tour in Arizona 2. Manny Chau qualified April 11th at First Break Cage, Sterling, VA 3. Greg Harada Jr. qualified February 20th at Butera's, Moorpark, CA 4. Frankie Hernandez qualified in a points spot via Tony Robles' Predator 9-Ball Tour 5. Edwin Montal qualified April 25th at Sharks Billiards, Alberta, Canada 6. Andrew Pettenger qualified April 18th at The Wynkoop, Denver, CO 7. Bill Stock qualified April 4th at Pool Sharks, Las Vegas, NV 8. Marc Vidal qualified April 11th at The Golden Fleece, Kenmore, WA

Some of the more notable names confirmed for the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship are: Efren Reyes, Earl Strickland, Jasmin Ouschan, Mika Immonen, Ralf Souquet, Kelly Fisher, Ricky Yang, Yu Ram Cha, Dennis Hatch, Pin-Yi Ko, Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes just to name a few of the illustrious participants in the event. Players will be arriving from 18 countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United States.

This is an event not to be missed. For spectator ticket information and pricing contact Mark Estes at CSI (702) 719-7665 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it For those who cannot attend in person, OB Cues and The Delta-13 Rack will be sponsoring the Action Report (TAR) live stream of the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship for the duration of the 6 day event. Visit www.theactionreport.com for more information about the live stream.

The U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship is sponsored by: Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith, Simonis, OB Cues, Delta-13, Billiards Digest, TAR, and BreakRAK.

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League, the National Championship Series (NCS), and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

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"99" was a game Pool & Billiard Magazine created in the 90s for pool players to be able to develop a score in their pool and billiard games using innings.

Because of continued popular demand for the game's rules and printable score sheets, we've created a new page at our website with info about the game, plus downloadable rules and score sheets you can print and use where you play pool.

To visit the page and access the downloads: CLICK HERE!

Shoot straight, and let us know how you score!

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The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) announced that Northern Illinois University (NIU) will host the 22nd Annual Junior National 9-Ball Championships on July 7-11, 2010.

The Huskies Den in the Holmes Student Center, located on the NIU campus in DeKalb, IL, has seventeen (17) 9-foot billiard tables that will be the stage to an expected 150 young billiard athletes. Junior players will be competing for scholarships, prizes and an invitation to represent the United States at the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World Junior 9- Ball Championships.

To participate in the BEF Junior Nationals, players must earn an entry through a BEF qualifier or must be appointed by their local junior league. The national event features 4 divisions: 19 & Under Boys, 19 & Under Girls, 14 & Under Boys, and 14 & Under Girls. Qualifiers will be held throughout the United States through the month of June. The BEF is accepting nominations and offering player invitations for the girls' divisions. For more information about hosting a qualifier, league guidelines, or upcoming qualifier dates and locations, visit www.BilliardEducation.org.

The 2010 BEF Junior National 9-Ball Championship sponsors include Ozone Billiards, Simonis Cloth and Delta-13 Rack.

About Billiard Education Foundation
The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which is committed to promoting education and encourages the development of life skills through youth billiard programs. The BEF funds academic scholarships, produces the Junior National 9-Ball Championships, sponsors billiard athletes to attend the WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships and promotes 'Pool In School' programs. For more information, please visit www.BilliardEducation.org. or call 303.926.1039.

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The World 8-Ball Championships in the United Arab Emirates final started as a run-out fest between the Netherlands Niels Feijen and Great Britain's Karl Boyes. The First rack had a bit of back and forth action and was taken by Boyes. Then he broke and ran three consecutive racks to lead 4-0. When he came up dry on his next break Feijen ran the table and then broke and ran the next rack. 4-2...

Feijen suffered a dry break and Boyles cleared that table and broke and ran the next. Another dry break brought Feijen back to the table to clean up. With the score at 6-3 Feijen broke but the table came up tough. He missed his second shot at the table and Boyes returned the favor by missing his second shot attempt as well. Again Feijen came to the table and again his second shot failed. The table simply was not being at all generous with opportunities. Boyes studied the table for a while and jacked up for a nifty little nip shot into the corner that gave him the chance to clear the table. When he succeeded the score became 7-3 in our race to 13 and Feijen was in trouble deep.  

Two more break and runs for Boyes brought his lead to 9-3 before he had another dry break and Feijen did a marvelous job of breaking out two trouble balls in order to get himself the point and bring the score to 9-4. Feijen then broke and the balls again came apart poorly. It was a struggle to get through the rack and Feijen scratched on his fourth ball, giving ball in hand to Boyes. Boyes had no problem clearing the table to gain a 10-4 advantage. Another break and run brought Boyes to 11-4 but then his next break came dry and Feijen needed to get some momentum going. Feijen managed to clear that table and then put together some break and runs of his own. A great little nip shot on the final ball in game number 18 brought him hope as the score narrowed to 11-7.  Feijen followed with two more break and runs to bring the score to 11-9 but then broke dry.  

Boyes took that table but then broke dry himself. Feijen ran the table out. Then Feijen jumped the table on his break shot and Boyes had ball in hand to win the Championship. On his fifth shot he was off just enough so that the draw shot wound up with him snookered behind the two ball. He missed his attempt at a good hit and with the ball in hand Feijen ran out to take the score line to 12-11. Feijen made a ball on the break but the table was anything but easy. He studied his way from ball to ball and wound up with a tough cut on the 14. He took a lot of time to get comfortable with the shot and nailed it. He made the next shot but left himself a tough cut on the 11 to finish off his group of balls. He made it but came up just short of position. Another tough cut. But he dropped the 8 ball and we had a double-hill final with Feijen breaking.  

Feijen came to the table knowing that his break had failed him several times before. It failed again. Boyes came to an open table. You could see the tension of the moment robbing Boyes arm of its trustiness. He missed position on his first shot and only had one shot to choose from. But he made that and then looked good to clear it up for the win. The final four balls were fairly easy ones and Boyes confidence was coming back quickly. They all dropped and then Boyes began to feel it. He walked back to his chair, shook Feijen's hand and then gave us a double fist pump to celebrate moment. Karl Boyes, Champion of the World.

Watch for complete coverage in the next issue of Pool & Billiard Magazine!

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Highlights of the final eight in World 8-Ball Championships being held in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates: Ruslan Chinakhov led Jeff de Luna 5-1, Karl Boyes (pictured left) enjoyed the same lead over Vicenancio Tanio and Darren Appleton had a 4-1 gap over Joven Alba. Neils Feijen and Andreas Roschkowsky were being a bit more dramatic as Feijen led their match 3-2 at that point. None of the leaders faltered. Ruslan Chinakov and Karl Boyes both won their matches by score lines of 10-5, Darren Appleton got past Joven Alba 10-8 and Niels Feijen widened the gap over Roschkowsky until he won at 10-6...

In the semi-finals Ruslan Chinakhov faced Karl Boyes and Darren Appleton squared off aganst Niels Feijen (pictured right). Chinakhov it was mostly an evening spent as a spectator. Karl Boyes broke and ran the balls time and again and wound up putting on a completely dominating display of 8-Ball and winning their match 10-2.  Boyes would be the first player to make it to finals on Saturday.   Niels Feijen dominated his match as well.  Darren Appleton did his best to make a match of it when, at 9-4, Feijen suffered a dry break. Appleton took that rack to draw within 4 games. He then broke and ran the next to  pull within three. But the next break left him in difficult position and his first shot failed him, leaving a grand opportunity for Feijen. He took that to the bank and ran the tablet to win the match 10-6 and grab the second chair in the finals. 

Stay tuned to poolmag.com for ongoing photos and the final results from the World 8-Ball Championships in the United Arab Emirates.

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The World 8-Ball Championship in Fujairah, UAE, began the 32 player single elimination round today. It was a race to ten with the winner breaking.

The first player to be eliminated was Scott Higgins who ran into a very sharp Ronnie Alcano and got cut 10-3. Alcano had six break and run performances. Mika Immonen (US Open and World Ten Ball Champion) was the second eliminated to Russian superstar Ruslan Chinakhov 10-5. Then, Karl Boyes (pictured left) defeated Masaki Tanaka 10-3 while Stephan Cohen, the current World 14.1 Champion, dismantled Pei Wei Chang 10-5 and Vicencio Tanio faced an extremely tough Jalal Alsarisi and just kept edging his lead out there until he won the match 10-6...

Dennis Orcullo and his countryman Lee Van Corteza had a real nail-biter. It came down to a 9-9 game when Van Corteza cleared the table to claim the win 10-9. At about the same time Yukio Akakariyama finished off Francis Crevier 10-8.

The second half of the opening bracket found Ralf Souquet in top form. He ran seven racks to shut out Huidji See 10-0. Finishing quickly thereafter Ko Pin Yi beat Raymund Faraon 10-1 by running the last nine racks in a row and Joven Alba easily handled Oliver Medininilla 10-3. Marcus Chamat toasted American hero Shane Van Boening 10-1 to secure his place in the sweet sixteen and Darren Appleton showed no mercy as he blasted past John Morra 10-4 to grab his chair there as well.

Antonio Gabica was the next man to progress as he stormed past Marlon Manalo 10-6 and Niels Feijen did the same as he doubled the effort of Basher Hussein 10-5. The final player to move on was Andreas Roschkowsky who fought a close match with Matues Sniegocki to emerge victorious 10-7.

As the final TOP 16 round began, two giants of the game were the first to be eliminated. Ronnie Alcano lost 10-4 to Vicenio Tanio and Lee Van Corteza got ousted 10-2 by Jeff de Luna (pictured right). Ruslan Chinakhov continued his fine work by downing Yukio Akakariyama 10-7 while Karl Boyes stayed alive with a 10-6 win over Stephan Cohen.

Joven Alba, down 6-1 to Antonio Gabica, rallied to win their match 10-7. Andreas Roschkowski, in his match with Marcus Chamat, pulled ahead and won 10-6. Darren Appleton and Pin Yi Ko had a very long match lasting over two hours that saw Appleton winning 10-8 after Ko jumped the cue ball off of the table on his break shot.

The final Thursday match came after a marathon battle between Niels Feijen and Ralf Soquet that lasted nearly three and one-half hours. At double-hill, Feijen made a ball on the break and cleared the table to take the win and progress while our defending champion was left to wonder what might have been.

Stay tuned to poolmag.com for ongoing photos and results from the World 8-Ball Championships in the United Arab Emirates.

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The final day for making it into the Single Elimination Round of 32 players in Fujairah, United Arab Emerates, bore few surprises but some impressive comebacks. Marcus Chamat trailed 5-0 to Won Sik Ham but reached deep to come out 8-6 on top. The World top ranked player, Mika Immonen, was in trouble early, trailing Mohammed Hosani 5-1 and mounted an 8-7 victory. Scott Higgins escaped Saeed Al Mutawe 8-7 and John Morra bested Vincent Facquet 8-3...

The second round on Wednesday found Mehde Rasheki and Vecenancio Tanio at double-hill when Rasheki missed the eight. Tanio ran the table for the win.

Chang Pei-Wei and Dennis Orcullo had easier times with Chang eliminating Sandlie Madlala 8-5 and Orcullo beating Ismail Yaqab 8-3. David Alcaide led his match 5-3 against Oliver Medenillia but then Medenillia kicked it up a notch and came back to win the match 8-6.

Wednesday's Round Three saw a pair of near walkovers. Ko Pin-Yi demolished Kim Aquino 8-1 and Francis Crevier made easy work of Mustafa Hasan 8-3. Former World Champion Thorsten Hohmann found himself in a very tough match with Masaaki Tanaki that went to double-hill. Thorsten cleared his group of balls but then miscued on the eight and Tanaki took ball in hand to clear his group and drop the eight for the win 8-7. Closing out the round, Jeff de Luna defeated Kenny Kwok 8-3.

The last round found Marlon Manalo true to form as he easily got past Shaker Wahdan 8-3.  Huijdi See defeated Magid Al Azimi 8-6, Mattez Sniegocki (pictured) won over Rueben Bautista 8-4 and the final match found Basher Hussein besting Takhti Zarekani 8-5.

The single-elimination rounds begin Thursday at 3PM local UAE time. Stay tuned to poolmag.com for ongoing photos and results from the World 8-Ball Championships in the United Arab Emirates.

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