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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​