Wu Jiaqing in red, awaiting the presentation.
Picture courtesy of the China Billiard and Snooker Association
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Professional Pool - 2015 Guangzhou International 9 Ball Open
8th-11th July 2015 / Guangzhou, China
WU RETURNS TO THE MAJOR WINNERS CIRCLE
Wu Jiaqing is the 2015 International 9 Ball Open champion; his first major title for a number years.
In 2005 Wu made history, when as a 16 year old, he became the youngest ever winner of the World 9 ball Championship. In the same year he also conquered the World 8 Ball title, and narrowly missed out on the 10 ball version when losing to Darren Appleton in 2008.
Back then playing as a Taiwanese citizen and named Wu Chia-Ching, he has since switched representation to mainland China in 2011. This was in theory to make it easier competing in global events.
'The Boy Wonder', as he was affectionatly known in his younger days (although still only 26 now), has overcome a number of personal problems which have significantly hampered his cue career.
He was placed in the Taiwanese military for over a year where he didn't play a single shot of pool for the entire time.
After finishing his duties, he was then struck with the life threatening disease Leukaemia. Thankfully it was caught quick enough, and is still under control.
The competition had a strong line-up with a number of top players staying over from the recent China Open.
Players were initially divided into 8 groups of 8 under a double elimination format. 32 entrants then battled it out in the knockout stages to a winner.
Wu certainly had it tough on route to glory. After negotiating a tricky group section, he then had to beat world renowned legend Ralf Souquet of Germany in the last 32, and then Singapore's reigning world youth champion Aloysius Yapp straight afterwards.
There was 334,000RMB total prize money, of which the champion Wu took home 100,000.
2015 Guangzhou International 9 Ball Open
Results (from the last 32 onwards)
Ralf Souquet 6-11 Wu Jiaqing
Aloysius Yapp 11-6 Lin Dali
Kong Dejing 11-4 Wang Ming
Jeffrey De Luna 11-7 Ping-Chung Ko
Jung-Lin Chang 11-5 Ansen Lo
Cheng-Chieh Liu 8-11 Fu Jianbo
Kun-Fang L 6-11 Yang Fan
Chu Bingjje 11-8 Liu Haitao
Johann Chua 11-9 Chen Wenhua
Jang Moonseok 4-11 Yu-Lung
Cheng Yu Chung 11-3 Jui-An Hsu
Li Hewen 11-0 Zhu Xihe
Lo Liwen 11-7 Han Xaoxiang
Carlo Biado 11-3 Xue Zhenqi
Andrew Kong 8-11 Xu Xiaozong
Thorsten Hohmann 7-11 Dang Jinhu
(last 16)
Wu Jiaqing 11-9 Aloysius Yapp
Kong Dejing 11-6 Jeffrey De Luna
Jung-Lin Chang 11-9 Fu Jianbo
Yang Fan 9-11 Chu Bingjje
Johann Chua 9-11 Yu-Lung
Cheng Yu-Chung 9-11 Li Hewen
Lo Liwen 7-11 Carlo Biado
Xu Xiaozong 11-7 Dang Jinhu
(Quarter-Finals)
Wu Jiaqing 11-9 Kong Dejing
Jun-Lin Chang 11-7 Chu Bingjje
Cheng Yu-Chung 11-8 Li Hewen
Carlo Biado 10-11 Xu Xiaozong
(Semi-Finals)
Wu Jiaqing 11-4 Jun-Lin Chang
Cheng Yu-Chung 11-8 Xu Xiaozong
(Final)
Wu Jiaqing 13-7 Cheng Yu-Chung
written by Michael Day, published on 22nd July 2015