St.  Johann,  Austria:   Former  World  Champion  Oliver  Ortmann  (GER) defeated unheralded Steffen Wolff (NOR) in the second winner’s round with 9:5. Both  players  had  already  one  victory  under  the  belt.  Ortmann  won  over Roger  Lysholm  (NOR)  9:3  this  afternoon.  In  the  same round,  Wolff  took  the  match  over  Jorge  Tinoco  (POR) with  9:6.  On  paper,  Ortmann  was  the  clearly  favored player  in  this  match  though.  But  young  Steffen  Wolff tried to  keep  the pace  with the  experienced  Champion. That worked for him in the first racks. After seven racks, Ortmann was only  leading with one point  over Wolff; the score  was  4:3  in  favor  of  the  German.  Then  Ortmann suddenly  shifted  into  overdrive  and  before  Wolff  could do anything against  it,  Ortmann  was on  the  hill  leading 8:3. That obviously  impressed the young Norwegian but he still tried to keep  a foot  in the  door.  He managed to win another two racks before Ortmann ended the match, winning  9:5.  Ortmann  will now have  to  deal with Mario He (AUT)  tomorrow  in order to see who will get  straight to the single elimination and who will need to take the detour through the loser’s side.  Wolff  will also get  another chance.  He has to win his  next three matches in order to book a seat in the stage of the final 64 players of the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open Euro-Tour.

Oliver Ortmann

Beside the tournament, the Austrian Federation (represented by  Bernhard Kaserer and Gerald Gollnhuber) and the Vienna Sports  University  (represented by  Philipp Kornfeind) presented the results from  last year’s research here in St. Johann. 22 Elite players from  11 countries were wired and tested with high tech equipment  which  was   worth  over  430.000,-€.  High  speed  cameras,  infra-red equipment,  highly  sensitive sensors  were packed onto them and loads of  data was saved.
Philipp Kornfeind presented the results after the first year of research. As  a summary  it  can  be  stated  that  there  is  no  “perfect”  way  to  shoot  the  balls  in pool.  Players are very  much  unique  and  achieve the  same goal  with  different efforts.  However,  the  data  that  was   collected  is   far  from   being  completely evaluated. Bernhard Kaserer thinks that it will take up to six  more years to fully understand  the collected  data.  Whenever  new  information  is released,  we  will keep you posted. For further information contact the Austrian Federation ÖPBV at sekretaer@oepbv.at
The  event  is  hosted  by  the  European  Governing  Body  for  Pool,  the European  Pocket  Billiard  Federation  (EPBF)  and  organized  by  International Billiard Promotion (IBP).  For further information and reference please go to the federation website  www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

Gemeinsame Werte wie Design, Präzision und der Wille zum Sieg brachten Qpod und das Porsche Team um Walter Lechner zu dieser erfolgreichen Partnerschaft.

(Barcelona/Wien,  Mai 2013) Porsche-Teamchef  Walter  Lechner legte  für  seinen  Sponsor Qpod,  den Hersteller von Accessoires für den Billardsport, gleich zum Saisonauftakt des Porsche-Supercups 2013 in  Barcelona  einen  fulminanten  Start  hin.  Rennfahrer  Michael  Ammermüller  sicherte mit  seinem 460 PS Boliden dem österreichischen Team in einem spannenden Bewerb mit Rang drei einen Platz auf dem Podium und damit auch umfangreiche Präsenz für Qpod.  Die  2012 gegründete  Firma  Qpod  legte  bereits  bei  ihrem  Markteintritt selbst einen  schnellen  Start hin. Dazu  Qpod-Geschäftsführer Mag. Bernhard Braunegger: „Ziel dieser Partnerschaft  ist  es  unsere Marke  in  einer  Zielgruppe  bekannt  zu  machen,  die sogar  über  das  bestehende  Kundensegment hinaus  geht.  Dabei  haben Porsche-Rennwagen und  Qpod viele  gemeinsame  Werte  wie Design, Ästhetik und Stil – gemäß unserem Claim: Defining Elegance in Cue Sports – Make a difference to your Style. Das  bietet  neben  Bekanntmachung  der  Marke  Qpod gleichzeitig  auch  die  Möglichkeit den Billardsport für  neue  Zielgruppen  attraktiver  zu  machen  und  somit  unsere  Kundenbasis  zu vergrößern“. In der nächsten Etappe startet das Lechner-Racing Team am 26.05. in Monaco, am 30.05. findet das Rennen dann in Silverstone (UK) statt.

Über Qpod:
Qpod GmbH wurde 2012 mit Sitz in Wien, Österreich,  gegründet. Erfinder und „Mastermind“ von Qpod  ist  der  britische  Dokumentarfilmer,  Regisseur  und  Autor  Michael  White.
Zeitgemäßes  Design  kombiniert  mit  innovativem  Flair  spiegelt  sich  in  den  exklusiven  Produkten wider.   Der  mit  Präzision  gefertigte  Qpod  ist  mit  Inlays  aus  hochwertigen,  handpolierten  Edel-, Halbedelsteinen oder Perlmutt besetzt.

Über den Porsche Supercup:
Der Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup wird seit 1993 als einzige Gran-Turismo-Rennserie exklusiv im Rahmen der  Formel-1-Rennen  ausgetragen.  Interessant  ist  der  Porsche  Mobil  1  Supercup,  in  dem  in  dieser Saison der neue Porsche 911 GT3 Cup zum Einsatz kommt, nicht nur für die Fahrer, die sich mit guten Leistungen für eine Karriere im Tourenwagen- oder GT-Sport empfehlen können. Auch Partnern und Teams  bietet  er  eine  exzellente  Business-Plattform.  Insgesamt  werden  neun  Rennen  ausgetragen, der Auftakt fand am 12. Mai 2013 in Barcelona statt.

Rückfragen:
Mag. Erika Tomsich, MAS, Director Marketing & PR, erika.tomsich@qpod.at, Tel.: +43 1 3552099-80

St.  Johann,  Austria:   In  a  pretty  one-sided  match,  last  year’s  Austrian Open  Champion  Nikos   Ekonomopoulos  (GRE)  beat  Austrian  senior  player Johann Wallner with  9:3.
The  match  definitely  did  not  have  the  expected quality.  Probably  Wallner  was  too  nervous  and Ekonomopoulos  was  not  focussed  enough.  However, both  opponents  missed  several  shots  and  played second-class safety shots. That  kept the match open for quite some time. After eight racks, Ekonomopoulos was  expectedly  leading  6:2.

Nikos Ekonomopoulos

Everything  happened  as expected with Ekonomopoulos  not finding his break shot so  far.  Then,  suddenly  many  mistakes  occurred  during the  match.  In  the  7th  and  11th  rack  alone,
Ekonomopoulos missed  five shots  -  an amount  that  he normally  does  not  miss  in  an  entire  tournament. Probably  he  was  really  out  of  focus  by  then.  Sadly enough  though,  Wallner  could  not  capitalize  from  it. Instead  of  punishing  the  defending  Champion’s   poor  performance,  Wallner always  came  up  with  one  more  mistake.  Either  he  ran  out  of  position  or  he failed to pocket  the next shot. He always allowed Ekonomopoulos back into the table.  Unlike  Wallner,  the  Greek  shooter  took  his  chances  and  finished  the match with 9:3 after 75 minutes. In the next winner’s round, Ekonomopoulos will face  a  player  from   the  middle  east  -  either  Al-Hosani  (UAE)  or  Bouhaimed (KUW).  He definitely  needs  to improve his performance in order to stay  on the winner’s side.
Other  notable  results  include  Dominic  Jentsch  (GER)  saving  his  first victory  with  9:8  over  Sami  Ahola  (FIN).  Dutch  junior  player  Marco  Teutscher delivered  an  upset  by  sending  Nr.  3  ranked  player  Dimitri  Jungo (SUI)  to  the loser’s side with 9:8.
The  event  is  hosted  by  the  European  Governing  Body  for  Pool,  the European  Pocket  Billiard  Federation  (EPBF)  and  organized  by  International Billiard Promotion (IBP).  For further information and reference please go to the federation website  www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

St.  Johann,  Austria:   In  his  first  match  of  the  Dynamic  Billard  Austrian Open  2013,  Nr.  1  ranked  player  Albin  Ouschan  (AUT)  outclasses   Krzysztof Wrobel (POL) with 9:1.
In  Formula  One,  this  would  have  counted  as   a “start-to-finish”  victory.  Ouschan  dominated  the  match from the very  beginning.  He did  not  even have to  come up with his A-game. After  ten racks,  the clear result  was 9:1  to  the  Austrian  local  hero.  The  key  to  success  for Ouschan’s victory  was  obviously  his break shot  and the way  he controlled  his nerves  at  the table.  While Wrobel seemed to struggle with that, Ouschan played as  cold as ice.  He  succeeded  to  pocket  balls  in  80%  of  his  break shots  while Wrobel only scored 40% there. One could tell the  difference  in  experience  between  the  two contestants.  In  his  next  match  on  the  winner’s  side, Ouschan  will  take  on  Marek  Kudlik,  a  teammate  of
Wrobel.

Albin Ouschan (AUT)

Other  notable  results   from  the  first  rounds   include  Babken  Melkonyan (ROM)  defeating  Hanni  Al-Howri  (UAE)  with  9:6.  Christian  Reimering  (GER) took  his  first  match  with  9:5  over  Christopher  Koba  (SWE).  After  an  intense battle,  Berk  Mehmetcik  (TNC) continues  his  quest  on the winner’s  side having defeated Thomas Knittel (AUT) with 9:8.
Check out all action and more on  www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/
The  event  is  hosted  by  the  European  Governing  Body  for  Pool,  the European  Pocket  Billiard  Federation  (EPBF)  and  organized  by  International Billiard Promotion (IBP).  For further information and reference please go to the federation website  www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

Dynamic Austrian Open, Sankt Johann (AUT)

Follow the best european pool players make their way to the top LIVE on Kozoom. The Live video coverage starts on May 23rd. If you don’t have your Premium Pass yet, you can register here.

Get a chance to win a Predator BK3

The Predator BK3LW linen wrap cue will soon be available from the Kozoom Store. Take your chance to win one and enter the Predator BK3 cue giveaway. To participate, simply like the Kozoom Pool Facebook page and fill out the Sweepstakes form here The drawing will be done on July 1st.

St.  Johann,  Austria:  The  preparations for  the  Dynamic  Billard Austrian Open  Euro-Tour in St. Johann/Pg., Austria, are coming to an end soon. Outside,  the  sun  is  slowly  replaced  by dark clouds  and heavy  rain. This weather is  a perfectly  orchestrated  background  for  the dramatic  matches  that  are  about  to  take place here in Austria.

Final work done on the TV set

Final  work  is  done  on  the  TV  arena  setup  as  players  start  pouring  in, occupying the tournament tables and practicing for tomorrow’s  start of the Euro-Tour. The Alpina Sport-  and Wellness-Hotel is filling up with many  players from in and out of Europe who will have their share in fighting for the title during this week. Last year’s  winner Nikos  Ekonomopoulos (GRE) is  part of the field just as current  Euro-Tour  Nr.  1  player Albin  Ouschan  (AUT)  and  EPBF  Player  of  the Year 2012 Nick van den Berg (NED). The creme de la creme of  European pool is taking part in this second Euro-Tour stop in 2013. Originally,  it was  planned to show 15 out  of  20 tables in the LIVE stream throughout  the  tournament.  But  technical  problems   with  a  satellite  dish  that provides the organizer with limited upload were the reason why  the number of LIVE streamed tables  had to be reduced to nine. However, these nine tables will be shown during all days in the used high-end quality  on  www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/
The  event  will be  hosted  by  the  European  Governing  Body  for  Pool,  the European  Pocket  Billiard  Federation  (EPBF)  and  organized  by  International Billiard Promotion (IBP).  For further information and reference please go to the federation website  www.epconline.eu or contact our press office.

by Kimberly Spies (kim@WPBLtv.com)

The World Professional Billiard League has announced the final spot on the league’s roster will go to hall of famer Francisco “Django” Bustamante.

Francisco Bustamante – Photo: WPBL

Securing the 60^th and final spot in the league as an alternate, Bustamante becomes a member of one of the most star studded teams, the New York Pride. The team includes HOF member Earl “the Pearl” Strickland, Larry “the Truth” Nevel, and fellow Filipinos Warren “the Warrior” Kiamco and Santos “Little Giant” Sambajon.

League president Larry Chiborak was elated saying “We are excited to have him be a part of the league, he knows the game, he is a phenomenal player, and he is a Bonus Ball champion.” Bustamante defeated eight of the world’s best players during the league’s experimental “Super Series” tournament that was played back in May of 2010 at the McPhilips Station Casino in Winnipeg MB.Bustamantehad the honor of taking home the championship ring (pictured).

Bustamante was on the short list of players that were originally offered captaincy positions in the league, but unfortunately could not make a fulltime commitment for season one. Director of Player Relations and Social Media, Dave McColl had this to say “With the addition of another round of alternates, we were able to sign key players who previously were not available. Bustamante, WPBA player Jennifer Barretta, and 16 year old Billy Thorpe were a few of the highlights.” He went on to add “The buzz on social media has the New York Pride and the Chicago Rockets as the two teams to beat.”

The WPBL’s inaugural season beginswith a free broadcast Thursday May 30th at the all new WPBL Arena located in Las Vegas.  The first match features the New York Pride taking on the Atlanta Scorpions.  Please continue to follow the league for additional updates:

Web:  http://wpbltv.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wpbltvcom

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wpbltv

Austria Open 2013 (Offizielle Website), Kozoom (Livestream)

Women Euro Tour (Offizielle Website), Kozoom (Livestream

By Ted Lerner
WPA Press Officer

Photos Courtesy of Jin Li www.top147.com

(Shanghai)–Coming into Sunday’s finals of the 2013 China Open, Liu Shasha knew she was on the cusp of a golden opportunity to vault her way back to the upper echelons of not only the fiercely competitive world of Chinese women’s pool, but also the entire world of women’s professional pool.

Since coming out of nowhere and winning  the 2009 Women’s World 9-ball Championship held in Shenyang, China,  the diminutive and glamorous youngster has maintained her place on the Chinese national team, but she hadn’t won any tournaments.  In the lead up to this week’s tournament, with 48 top women players from all parts of the globe, Liu hadn’t been playing well in practice and was only hoping to at least reach the quarterfinals.

But suddenly she found herself in the finals of one of the biggest tournaments of the year. Indeed on Sunday,  in front of packed house at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium arena, Liu seized the moment , coming from behind in crunch time to overtake fellow teammate and young star Chen Siming to win the China Open by a nose, 9 – 8.

With the win, Liu can now claim two of the biggest prizes in women’s pool. She also joins her close friend and “sister” Fu Xiaofang who also has won these same two prestigious events.

For Chen, the loss had to be a massive disappointment.  The hard working and prodigious player, who many feel is China’s best natural talent, led the contest nearly the entire way only to see the dream die right when the finish line was in sight.

Chen was in stride early and jumped out to a 3 -1 lead in the alternate break match. Liu quickly got it together and tied up the match. But then Chen hit one of her high gears, which can be a thing of beauty to watch. Chen went up 5-3, then 6-4, then 7-4. She seemed to have an answer for everything Liu tried and appeared capable of fending off her opponent at will.

But as so often happens in pool, one mistake sends the momentum  over to the other player’s side. After a break and run by Liu to move to 7-5, Chen broke, but saw the cue ball get kicked into the pocket for a scratch. Lui made a calculated clear to close the gap to one, 7-6. Liu then stepped to the table and tied the match with a break and run out.

With the title down to a mere race to two, Liu got Chen once again as Chen left a safe open and allowed Liu to grab her first lead of the night, 8-7. Chen’s the consummate battler, however, and she broke serve in the 16^th frame after winning a nervy safety exchange to leave one final rack to decide the champion.

Chen broke and sent two balls down on the break. Position for the two ball was tricky and Chen bobbled the 1-ball in the jaws.  Liu came to the table with a look at the one and steadily picked off the colors. As she got down to the final 8 and 9 balls, she held her chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she stood on the cusp of victory. With raw nerves jangling, she potted the last two balls for the championship.

On the floor afterwards, Liu was greeted with warm hugs by a tearful Fu Xiaofang. The two are not really sisters, but they are practically inseparable, living together andplaying pool together every day.

As she drank in the accolades, Liu expressed surprise that she was even standing in the winner’s circle.

“I am very surprised that I won this tournament,” she said through an interpreter. “I have not been playing well lately. We had a practice tournament before this tournament and I got 8^th place. I was hoping to get at least to the quarterfinals in the China Open. I didn’t think I could win it. I’m very happy. This is my first championship in three years so this is something I am going to celebrate tonight.”

As usual with the Chinese women players, Chen, who also hasn’t won a big tournament in China in three year, was gracious to a fault in defeat.

“I think I played well. I missed one ball in the first half of the match. The second half I also played well but it was then that Liu didn’t miss a shot. When I missed she took that and played well. I’m happy that at least two Chinese players reached the finals.”

Liu won $30,000 while Chen took home $15,000.

*The World Pool-Billiard Association(WPA) is the governing body of the sport of pool.