Monday, September 29, 2008 Ready for the challenge
THE consensus among pool players is that double world champions Ralf Souquet of Germany and Wu Chia-Ching of Chinese Taipei as well as the Philippines’ Marlon Manalo and US Open titlist Shane Van Boening are the favorites to win the inaugural staging of the WPA World 10-Ball Championship which fires off today at the Philippine International Convention Center.
“They’re the players to watch in this tournament,” said Hans Lu, owner of Pool Fushion and interpreter of the Chinese-Taipei delegation.
Souquet won the World 8-Ball Championship in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates last April. However, despite being regarded as one of the most experienced among the 128 players in the main draw, the German ace considers the race as a free-for-all battle.
“Ten Ball is a lot different from 9-ball and the luck factor has lessened,” said Souquet. “This makes the game more exciting.”
Wu, who lost his cue stick worth P300,000 in the recent Guinness 9-Ball tournament in China, won the previous Puerto Princesa leg of the Philippine Pool Tour Ten Ball Championship and is also considered the best pool player in his country.
But Manalo, the newly-crowned BSCP Philippine Open Ten Ball titlist, believes Filipinos have a good chance of winning the prestigious WTBC crown in their home soil.
“We’ll be ready for the challenge,” said Manalo. “It will be a battle of strategies and Filipinos are known for that.”
Van Boening, another former 10-Ball winner in the United States, picks World Straight Ball champion Neils Feijen of the Netherlands as the player to beat.
Solid game
“He’s the most consistent and his performance is solid everywhere he goes,” said Van Boening. “But while I picked him as the favorites, his advantage won’t be overwhelming as everyone basically has a good chance in this tournament.”
Everyone, including the ladies invading the men’s turf.
Reigning World Women’s 9-ball champion Lin Yuan Chun of Chinese Taipei, her compatriot Doha Asian Games 9-Ball gold medalist Liu Shin-Mei and World Pool Association top-ranked women’s player Jasmin Ouschan of Austria are out to pull off a big surprise.
Even world junior champ Ko Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei, one of the youngest players in the cast, remains a solid foe. (PR)
