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Ko Finally Fulfills The Dream

Taiwan’s Ko Pin Yi wins his first ever world title by capturing the 2015 World 10 Ball Championship with a dramatic 11-9 win over the Philippines Carlo Biado. By Ted Lerner/WPA Press Officer Photos Courtesy Dong Secuya/philboxing.com and Bob Guerrero (General Santos City, Philippines)–He’s always had plenty of promise. Now’s he’s reached the promised land. Ko Pin Yi, who twice in the mid-2000’s won the World Junior championship, today fulfilled the dream that everyone in the pool world knew was just a matter of time, capturing his first world title, the 2015 World 10-ball Championship, with a hard fought and dramatic 11-9 win over the Philippines Carlo Biado. A pool prodigy since his mid-teens, the 25 year old Taiwanese star has finally conquered the very best of the pool world, and now that he has his first world crown, nobody is in any doubt that he will soon grab plenty more. All week at the SM City mall in the southern Philippine city of General Santos, Ko displayed his amazing skills, combined with the kind […]

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Eight Gunning for The Big Prize

It’s a wide open race for glory as the final 8 sharpshooters do battle Saturday for the 2015 MP Cup World 10-ball Championship. By Ted Lerner/WPA Press Officer Photos Courtesy Dong Secuya/philboxing.com (General Santos City, Philippines)–After a long and tense day of duels at the highest levels of the professional game, the field at the 2015 MP Cup World 10-ball Championship in the southern Philippine city of General Santos has been whittled down to eight superb talents, all of whom have a solid shot at emerging with the title on the final day on Saturday. It’s nearly an all Asian-field, with three Filipinos, three Taiwanese, one Chinese and a Spaniard in the mix. It’s a heady cocktail of long time veterans and some of the great young players of the day. Interestingly, not a single one of the final eight players has ever one won a world title above the junior level. That, of course, will change for one deserving player come early evening on Saturday. Do you like your pool served up with a […]

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Just Like Old Times

Swedish veteran Marcus Chamat dominates world number 1 Chang Yu Lung to advance to the final 32 at the 2015 MP Cup World 10-ball Championship. By Ted Lerner/WPA Press Officer Photos Courtesy Bob Guerrero (General Santos City, Philippines)–From the late 1990’s to the late 2000’s, the name ‘Marcus Chamat’ regularly featured on pool leader boards, especially the biggest events in the sport. The affable Swede  twice reached the semi-finals of the World 9-ball Championship, and finished in the top ten six other times. The last few years, however, saw the man known affectionately as “Napoleon” stay closer to his home of Gavle, Sweden. As a single father to a young boy and a pool club to administer, the calling of the brutally tough international pool circuit had to take a back seat. But on Thursday night in General Santos City in the southern Philippines, the 39 year old Swede turned back the clock with one of the finest performances of his career. Matching up against world number 1 Chang Yu Lung in the single elimination […]

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Orcollo Pulls a Second Great Escape

The Philippines Dennis Orcollo wins his second straight 9-8 match in as many days to advance to the knockout stage of the 2015 World 10-ball Championship in General Santos City. By Ted Lerner/WPA Press Officer Photos Courtesy Dong Secuya/philboxing.com (General Santos City, Philippines)–Filipino pool players have a standard answer when asked by the media, “How did you play?” Even if they just played the greatest round of pool in the history of the sport, the comeback will invariably be a humble, “I’m just lucky.” World number 7 Dennis Orcollo is definitely not being humble today as he profusely thanks the pool gods for the good fortune he’s been the beneficiary of here in General Santos City in the southern Philippines. For the second straight day Orcollo pulled a great escape from what looked like sure defeat, winning 9-8 yet again, and advancing to the single elimination round of 64 at the 2015 World 10-ball Championship. Playing against Pampanga’s Roland Garcia, Orcollo looked to be cruising into the knockout stages with an 8-5 lead in the […]