Local players will be setting their sights on a third consecutive victory when the Amway WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Open begins in Taipei today with 48 players from 19 countries taking part.
The annual tournament, now in its 13th year, will be held from today through Sunday at the Living Mall in downtown Taipei.
The competitors are a mix of experienced veterans and talented youngsters, including defending champion Chou Chieh-yu, British veteran Allison Fisher, 14-year-old Kamila Khodjaeva of Uzbekistan, and China’s 17-year-old Liu Sha-sha, who is ranked No. 1 in the world.
Other notable players are Taiwan’s Lai Hui-shan, Chang Shu-han and Liu Shin-mei; South Korea’s Cha Yu-ram, Kim Ga-yong and Lim Yun-mi; Monica Webb and Vivian Villarreal of the US and Japan’s Chihiro Kawahara.
During the tournament, 24 of 48 players will advance from eight preliminary groups to the playoffs after a round robin “race to seven.”
A single-elimination format will be used in the playoffs, where players will match up in head-to-head battle. Semi-finalists will play in a “race to nine” competition, with winners meeting in a race-to-eleven title game.
Chou, 23, beat Ireland’s Karen Corr 11-9 in the final last year to take the title. Compatriot Lin Yuan-chun was the champion in 2008.
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