Winning start for champ Appleton, Qatar’s Majed

Former world champion Francisco Bustamante (centre) poses with fans after winning his opening match against Canada’s Mario Morra in the 2013 World 9-Ball Championship at Al Arabi Indoor Hall here yesterday. Right:  Defending champion Darren Appleton.

By Mikhil Bhat/Doha

Defending champion Darren Appleton kick-started the proceedings at the 2013 World 9-Ball Championship with an easy 9-4 win over Dutchman Ivo Aarts at the Al Arabi Indoor Hall here yesterday.

Apart from the two-time US Open champion from Britain, seven other former world title holders will play tomorrow for their second wins and a chance to reach the last 64 from the winners’ side. These include Alex Pagulayan, Francisco Bustamante, Wu Chia Qing, Yukio Akagariyama, Ralf Souquet and Mika Immonen.

The biggest upset of the day, however, was caused by qualifier Hsu Kai Lun of Chinese Taipei who went past 1999 world champion Efren Reyes of Philippines. While the sizeable Filipino crowd present at the venue cheered for the 59-year-old, Hsu Kai Lun was able to eke out a 9-5 win over his seasoned opponent.

Reyes will now compete from the losers’ side for a chance in the final 64.

Reyes’ compatriot and 2010 world champion Bustamante won his match against Mario Morra 9-5. While Bustamante made a quick start to the match, having won five of the first six racks, his Canadian opponent pushed the match a bit too close for comfort.

“I have won but I am not really happy with the way I played,”Bustamante told Gulf Times after the match. “He made a few mistakes and hence I was able to pull off the match. On a different day, I don’t think I would have been able to pull it off. Hopefully, I will play differently and better in my next match.”

The presence of many former champions in the tournament and the tough competition they pose is not lost on the 49-year-old. “It’s a tough competition, not only because of the former champions but also because of the upcoming young players on the circuit. But I am here to do my best to win,” he said.

Qatar’s highest-ranked 9-ball player Waleed Majed gave the home crowd something to cheer about yesterday morning having won his opening match 9-7 against Kuwait’s Bader al-Awadi.

Rack-after-rack the match ran pretty close with 113th-ranked Majed showing enough spark to win the battle of nerves over world number 84 al-Awadi.

Majed’s was the only win for the hosts on day one as five other players from Qatar, including bronze medallist from 2013 Asian Indoor Games Ali al-Obaidly, Abdulatif Fawal, Saleh Ameen, Khamis al-Obaidly, and Mohamed Buainain, suffered defeats.

Antonio Gabica and Israel Rota, who now work at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation, managed wins over their respective opponents. While Gabica beat Poland’s Sniegocki Mateusz 9-7, Rota overcame China’s Han Hao Xiang 9-5.

While the winners need one more win to advance to the last 64 stage, yesterday’s losers go to losers’ side of their group bracket for another chance today.

Results

Group 1: Darren Appleton (GBR) 9 - 4 Ivo Aarts (NED); Jeong Young H(KOR) 9 – 5 Sayeem Hossain (BAN); Hsu Kai Lun (TPE) 9 – 5 Efren Reyes (PHL); So Shaw (GBR) 9 – 7 Shawn Wilke (USA)

Group 2: Antonio Gabica (PHL) 9 – 7 Sniegocki Mateusz (POL); Dominic Jentsch (GER) 9 – 5 Khaled A. Faraj (EGY); Omar Al Shahen (KUW) 9 – 3 Kwok Chi Ho (HKG); Marlon Manalo (PHL) 9 – 4 Hunter Lombardo (USA)

Group 3: Ko Pin Yi (TPE) 9 – 5 Roman Hybler (CZE); Waleed Majed (QAT) 9 – 7 Bader al-Awadi (KUW); Jalal Yousef (VEN) 9 – 3 Huidji See (NED); Imran Majid Jasem (GBR) 9 - 4 Al Hasawi (KUW)

Group 4: John Morra (CAN) 9 - 3 Mark Antony (PHL); Konstanin Stepanov (RUS) 9 – 6 Hori Ryoji (JPN); Chang Jung Lin (TPE) 9 – 1 Henrikas Stolis (LTU); Marc Claramunt (ESP) 9 – 8 Abdulatif Fawal (QAT)

Group 5: Ralf Souquet (GER) 9 – 6 Mohamed Elassal (EGY); Cheng Yu Hsuan (TPE) 9 – 7 Mark Gray (GBR); Yukio Akagariyama (JPN) 9 – 2 Meshari Albuqayli (KSA); Vilmos Foldes (HUN) 9 – 5 Hanni al-Howri (UAE)

Group 6: Jasson Klatt (CAN) 9 – 2 Kuo Po Cheng (TPE); Toh Lian Han (SIN) 9 – 4 Giorgio Margola (ITA); Chris Melling (GBR) 9 – 5 Carlo Biado (PHL); Cheng Yu Lung (TPE) 9 – 1 Saleh Ameen (QAT)

Group 7: Shane V. Boening (USA) 9 - 4 Mazen Berjawi (LEB); Nguyen Anh Tuan (VIE) 9 – 8 Hijikata Hayato (JPN); Dimitri Jungo (SUI) 9 – 0 Sibongiseni O. Gumede (RSA); Toru Korubaiyashi (JPN) 9 – 5 Liu Hai Tao (CHN)

Group 8: Wang Can (CHN) 9 – 3 Philip Reilly (AUS); Ramil Gallego (PHL) 9 - 3 Khamis Obaidly (QAT); Mika Immonen (FIN) 9 - 3 Naif Abdulafou (KUW); Jeffery De Luna (PHL) 9 – 5 Radoslaw Babica (POL)

Group 9: Karl Boyes (GBR) 9 – 3 Ali Maghsoud (IRI); Wu Chia Qing (CHN) 9 - 3 Nicolas Ottermann (GER); Ohi Naoyuki (JPN) 9 - 3 Nico Erasmus (RSA); Mohamed Zulfikri (INA) 9 – 6 Mohamad Abdullah (UAE)

Group 10: Israel Rota (PHL) 9 – 5 Han Hao Xiang (CHN); Abdullah al-Yousef (KUW) 9 – 7 Nick Philip Pera (AUS); Alex Pagulayan (CAN) 9 – 7 Phil Burford (GBR); Mario He (AUT) 9 – 6 Recky Boy Puro (PHL)

Group 11: Lo Li Wen (TPE) 9 – 4 Thorsten Hohmann (GER); Alexander Kazakis (GRE) 9 - 6 Mehdi Rasekhi (IRI); Francisco Bustamante (PHL) 9 - 5 Mario Morra (CAN); Manuel Gama (POR) 9 – 3 Ali al-Obaidly (QAT)

Group 12: Nick Van D. Berg (NED) 9 – 5 Corey Duel (USA); Raymund Faraon (PHL) 9 – 4 Mohd Buainain (QAT); Enrique Rojas (CHL) 9 – 6 Li Hewen (CHN); Aloysius Yapp (SIN) 9 -8 Bruno Muaratore (ITA)