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Posts Tagged ‘WPA World Nine-ball Championship’

The 9-Ball World Pool Championship is a yearly international event which is organized by the World Pool-Billiard Association. Both the Men’s and Women’s divisions are the most popular in the tournaments. For nine years, 1990 to 1999, the tournament was managed alone by the World Pool-Billiard Association or the WPA. In 1999, Matchroom Sports tried being involved in the tournament but failed to push through.

What Matchroom Sports did was to organize their own match which was called the World Professional Pool Championship, where The Magician Efren Bata Reyes emerged as the big winner of the competition. It was held in Cardiff, Wales but not sanctioned by the WPA.

When WPA the professionalism of the tournament that Matchroom Sport held, they decided to let it handle officially the WPA World Pool Championship in 2000. The tournament offers a total cash prize of $400,000 which also includes $100,000 for the receiving tournament champion.

Photo via insidepoolmag.com

We’ve seen, heard and admired most of the popular pool icons for their skill, affability, and charm. But one famous pool player seems to be misunderstood for his often-outspoken views and occasionally impulsive behaviors at tournaments, particularly his match with snooker star Steve Davis in 2003 World Pool Championships, where he engage in heated verbal arguments with fans and referee Michaela Tabb. Wandering who’s this controversial star pool player? The name is Earl Strickland, one of the best nine ball players of all time because of his numerous championship titles within his 25 years of pool playing career.

This cue artist from North Carolina started playing pool at the age of nine, and after intensive practice he entered his first pro tournament at 15. A winner of the prestigious Player of the Year Award, and his accolades include five wins at the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championships, and the WPA World Nine-ball Championships. Strickland is the only WPA World Nine-ball Champion ever to win the event in successive years.

He was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame in 2006 and in 2007; he was ranked #6 in the Pool & Billiard Magazine’s Top 20 Favorite Players.

(Photo via insidepool.com)

Wu Chia-ching at 17 years old is the youngest player ever to win the WPA World Nine-ball Championship. Also known as “Taisun” meaning “Little Genius” began playing the game of eight ball at the age of 10. He practiced his pool playing skills most of the time in their own pool hall. Wu’s grandmother raised him since age of 2, and she’s the one who would always escort Taisun to pool competitions or events happening within the community.

The young professional pool player became  a runner-up in 2004 Juniors Nine-ball World Championship and in 2005, he won the WPA World Eight-ball Championship. But it was not always a lucky day for Wu, when he lost to Ronato Alcano of the Philippines in a quarter final round of  the 2006 San Miguel Asian Tours.

He won 2^nd place in WPA World Ten-ball Championship in 2008, he was beaten by Darren Appleton. Wu Chia ching still the youngest pool champion player in the world.

(Photo via billiardstanloc.com)