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| photo (c) seagames2015.com |
Three Filipinas led by former world champion Rubilen Amit will be vying for honors in the prestigious 2015 Women’s World 9-Ball Championship beginning today at the Guilin Museum in Guilin, China.
Amit, the 2009 and 2013 Women’s World 10-Ball titlist, will be playing in Group 6 along with Sara Miller, Szu-Ting Kuo, Olivia Czuprynska, Jennifer Barreta, Hoe Shu Wah, Jasmin Ouschan and Kelly Fisher.
Amit will face Miller in the first round of the group stage as she aims to surpass her runner-up finish in the 2007 edition held in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Joining Amit in the World Pool-Billiard Association-sanctioned tournament are Iris Ranola and teen sensation Czeska Centeno.
Ranola is in Group 7 with Yun Chen, Zhu Ting Wu, Choi Sollip, Jing Jia, Chihiro Kawahara, Kamila Khodjaeva and Angelina Magdalena Ticoalu while Centeno belongs to Group 2 with Chien Wei, Wu Jing, Ine Helvik, Line Kjorsvik, Gao Meng, Natalia Seroshtan and Yuan Chun Lin.
The former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Ranola battles Ticoalu and Centeno tackles Helvik in their opening round games.
The organizers employ a double elimination race-to-seven format in the eight-player group stage with the top four cue masters in each group will advance to the race-to-nine knockout stage.
A total of $170,000 cash prize is up for grabs with the champion gettinga whopping $42,000 and the runner-up taking home $20,000.
The Philippines has yet to win a title in the Women’s World 9-Ball tournament.
China has the most number of titles with six followed by England (5), Taiwan (3), US (3), South Korea (2), Ireland (1), Austria (1), Sweden (1) and Germany (1).
Source: Emil C. Noguera of The Manila Times
