Defending champion Ko off to a blazing start

Defending champion Ko Pin Yi started his WPA World 9-ball Championship in style, with a commanding win over Algeria’s Mohamed Elraousti 9-1, at the Al Arabi Sports Club yesterday.
Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei is making a return to Qatar after a dramatic 2015, which saw him win world titles in 9-ball and 10-ball.
Last year, the Taiwanese player cemented his status as pool’s true hardcore man, defeating America’s Shane Van Boening in the final, 13-11.
The win was the 26 year old Ko’s second world championship of the year, after capturing the 10-ball world title in the Philippines seven months earlier. The two world titles in one year put Ko onto that list of all time pool greats.
This is the seventh straight year that Qatar, through Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation(QBSF),  has put its full backing behind the sport of pool’s biggest and most important event.  Yesterday, 128 players from over 40 countries were in action on the opening day of the main event, even though the qualifying rounds were held from July 25.
Pin Yi was the star attraction as he put on a solid display against Elraousti. He next faces Australia’s Mario He of who beat Mazen Berjadi of Lebanon 9-5. Can Ko repeat his feat in 2016 in Doha remains to be seen. He certainly has the ability and experience. However, only Earl Strickland has won back to back titles (1990 and 1991) so the odds on Ko standing in the winner’s circle once again this year are long indeed.
Meanwhile, Qatar had three winners on the day. Bashar Hussain beat Abder Rehman Mebarki of Algeria 9-6, Gabica Antonio overcame Mohannad al-Ghumayz of Saudi Arabia 9-7, while Francisco Olita Felicilda put it past Teutscher Marco of Netherlands 9-7.
The Group stages will run till tomorrow, August 1. The players are broken up into 16 groups of 8 playing a race-to-9, alternate break, double elimination format. Four players from each group will make up the final 64, which marks the start of the always tense and dramatic single elimination phase of the tournament.  Matches will then become race to 11, alternate break. The final, which takes place on August 4, will be a race to 13.  The winner of the 2016 World 9-ball Championship will receive $40,000. The runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $200,000.

Results

Group 1
Ko Pin Yi (TPE) bt M  Elraousti (ALG) 9-1
M. Berjadi (LEB) lost to M. He (AUS) 5-9    
K. Shahbaz Adil (IND) lost to T. Hohmann (GER) 4-9
J. Young Hwa (KOR) bt W. Majid (QAT) 9-5
Group 2
Chang Jun Lin (TPE) bt Ho Sum (HKG) 9-5
J. Ignacio (Phi) bt K. Skowerski (Pol) 9-4    
P. Makkonen (FIN) bt A. Aziz Alawadhi (QAT) 9-0
F. Crevier (CAN) lost to J. Chua (PHI) 8-9
Group 3
D. Appleton (GBR) bt B. Muratore (ITA) 9-4
C. Hong Ming (TPE) bt H. Corriea (POR) 9-2
M. Almin (BAN) bt M. Chamat (SWE) 9-4
O. Al Shaheen (KUW) lost to R. Chinakhov (RUS) 4-9    
Group 4
A. Yapp (SIN) lost to F. Sanchez Ruiz (ESP) 8-9
D. Peach (GBR) lost to C. Tevez (PER) 6-9
M. Al Ghumayz (KSA) lost to A. Gabica (QAT) 7-9
R. Gomez (PHI) lost to A. Ouschan (AUT) 6-9
Group 5
J. Morra (CAN) bt A. Koshovoj (UKR) 9-5
L. Zhou (CHN) bt A. Ryoji (JPE) 9-2
A. Pagulayan (CAN) bt M. Al Kashawi (KUW) 9-5
L. Chi Dung (VIE) bt Y. Ching Shun (TPE)    9-8
Group 6
K. Boyes (GBR) bt M. Saeed (QAT) 9-5
N. OI (JPN) lost to H. Saeed Ali (ERI) 8-9
A. Mahmoudi (IRN) lost to H. Toh Lian (SIN) 5-9
J. De Luna (PHI) bt C. Wang (CHN) 9-6    
Group 7
D. Orcollo (PHI) bt A. Mohd Karmastaji (UAE) 9-5    
I. Majid (GBR) lost to R. Gallego (PHI) 6-9
I. Nasution (INA) bt A. Abdulhadi Almeri (QAT) 9-2    
C. Goetemann (GER) lost to D. Alcaide (ESP) 4-9    
Group 8
N. Ekomonopoulos (GRE) bt K. Juszczyszyn (POL) 9-3
J. Shaw (GBR) bt A. Karar (IRQ) 9-3
J. Campbell (AUS) lost to A. Rahman al-amar (KSA) 7-9
R. Hart (USA) lost to C. Ko Ping (TPE) 1-9    
Group 9
L. Haitao (CHN) bt Kong Bu Hong (HKG) 9-6
Y. Jalal (VEN) bt S. Wilke (USA) 9-6
N. Feijen (NED) bt Latif Fawal (Qat) 9-3
S. Kawabata (Jpn) lost to A. Kazakis (GRE) 7-9    
Group 10
J. Chu Bing (Chn) bt Okbani (ALG) 9-3
H. Takenaka (JPE) lost to R. Bautista (MEX) 5-9
H. Chia Chen (TPE) bt Fortu?ski (POL) 9-7
A. Maghsoud (IRN) bt M. Immonen (FIN) 9-8