Chia Hua Chen was sailing along in her second-round match against Rubilen Amit, holding a decisive 5-0 advantage in a race-to-7, when she played a safety on the 2 ball after the break in the sixth game.
Needing some luck to get back into the match, Amit kicked at the ball and watched as it crossed the table twice then fell into the side pocket. The Filipino took full advantage of the fortuitous kick, clearing the table then winning six of the next seven racks to snatch a 7-6 victory and remain on the winner’s side of the Kamui World Women’s 9-Ball Championship at Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City.
Amit was both lucky and good throughout the second half of the match, breaking and running four consecutive racks to tie the score, then using a successful safety exchange on the 1 ball to take the lead for the first time in the match, 6-5. Chen was able to tie the match in the following rack when she locked down her opponent with a safety of her own but then failed to pocket a ball on the break in the deciding match. Amit worked her way through the balls and left a mild cut on the 9 ball into the corner pocket for the win which she missed but watched as the ball bounced two rails and dropped into the side pocket, leaving her stunned and also victorious.
Rubilen Amit｜©Pro Billiard Series
Margaret Fefilova Styer was in a similar situation in her opening round match against another Filipino, Chezka Centeno, on Thursday morning.
After the Filipino snagged the first game, she a missed 2 ball in the following rack and her opponent used the opportunity to take control of the match with five straight wins. At the table again with a chance to increase her lead in the seventh rack, Fefilova Styer missed a sharp cut on the 1 ball and the Filipino rallied, rattling off four straight wins to tie the match until a scratch on the break in the 11th game halted her momentum.
After the American used the unforced error to regain the lead, Centeno was able to use a victorious safety exchange to tie the match once more, then tacked on another break-and-run to close out the set and send her opponent to the one one-loss side of the bracket.
Centeno remained in stroke in the second round, defeating Dawn Hopkins, 7-4.
Chezka Centeno｜©Pro Billiard Series
Later in the evening, reigning Predator World 10-Ball champion Chieh-Yu Chou literally jumped into the third round with a 7-3 victory over South Korea’s Seoa Seo.
Thanks to the accuracy of her jump cue abilities, Chou was able to build an early 4-2 advantage but missed a long 2 ball in the seventh game. Seoa cleared the table to cut the deficit to a single game and had a chance to tie the match in the eighth rack but left the 3 ball in the corner pocket’s jaw. With the cue ball blocked by the 5 ball, Chou again picked up her trusty jump cue, pocketed the ball and cleared the table, then used a break-and-run and a safety exchange to secure the victory.
Seoa SEO 徐序亞 (KOR)｜©Pro Billiard Series
In other notable matches from the first day of play, reigning champion Kelly Fisher trailed early in her second-round match against Germany’s Ina Kaplan but survived, 7-5, and Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Karen Corr jumped out to an early leads of 4-0 and 5-1 in her second-round match against Jasmin Ouschan but the Austrian battled back to win the set, 7-6.
Play resumes tomorrow at 9 a.m. local time with the first round of play from the one-loss side, with American Jennifer Barretta taking on Canadian Brittany Bryant and Margaret Fefilova Styer meeting Elise Qiu.
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©Pro Billiard Series
周婕妤首日連勝 爭取晉級世錦賽16強
世界女子9號球錦標賽自 2009年以來一直於中國舉辦，最後一次則是在疫情大爆發前的2019年在海南三亞所舉行，細數女子9號球世錦賽在中國瀋陽、桂林、峨嵋山、澄邁以及三亞一共成功舉辦了11屆賽事。在2019年三亞女子9號球世錦賽上，最終 Kelly Fisher 在決賽中擊敗好友 Jasmin Ouschan 拿下個人第二座的女子9號球世錦賽冠軍。Fisher 說道: “自2019年以來因疫情停辦的關係，成功保住自己的冠軍頭銜三年了，我想繼續地保住它，希望能在本屆賽事捍衛她的世界女子9號球錦標賽冠軍頭銜。”
隨後因全球疫情大爆發而導致賽事的停辦，現今該賽事已由美洲豹集團 (Predator Group) 與 Cue Sports International (CSI) 取得舉辦權，作為其不斷增長的國際賽事中的一部分。此外也作為 CSI 聯賽-大西洋城錦標賽的一環。
新年伊始也代表著新賽季的到來，2023 KAMUI 世界女子9號球錦標賽昨晚於美國紐澤西州大西洋城的 Harrah’s 渡假村拉開序幕。第一階段採勝衝、搶七局制；衛冕冠軍 Kelly Fisher 首輪 7-1 輕鬆取勝於美國的 Katie Cool，緊接下場比賽再以 7-5 擊敗德國選手 Ina Kaplan，Fisher 將在次日的勝部資格賽對上韓國選手李梧靜 (Woojin Lee)。奧地利名將 Jasmin Ouschan 首戰在主桌以 7-1 擊敗澳洲代表洪夢霞取得開門勝，次場勝部比賽中再以 7-6 力克 BCA名人堂球員，愛爾蘭名將 Karen Corr，Ouschan 將在勝部資格賽中對陣德國選手 Melanie Sussenguth。
Amber Chen 陳佳樺｜©Pro Billiard Series
中華台北選手方面，陳佳樺在首輪 7-1 大比分擊敗江水淨後，下一場在主桌對戰菲律賓名將 Rubilen Amit，開賽後陳佳樺取得 5-0 領先，Amit 在第六局回到場上接手陳佳樺 2號球的安全球，Amit 解到球後，2號球一顆星幸運地進入中袋，緊接著 Amit 連拿 6局反超比數 (6-5)。陳佳樺憑藉著第12局中在3號球的安全球讓 Amit 解球後留下可繼續進攻的機會，進而扳平比數進入搶尾局。陳佳樺在決勝局的衝球無球落袋，Amit 上場接手，看似順暢沒有太大難度的局面，Amit 最後的9號球雖未進袋，但卻在碰到底袋角後幸運地進了中袋，拿下勝利。陳佳樺下場比賽的對手將來自於西班牙的 Amalia Matas 與德國選手 Veronika Ivanovskaia 之中的勝者。
“大眼妹” 周婕妤先是 7-2 輕取 April Larson (美國)，第二輪比賽對戰韓國年輕選手徐序亞 (Seo Seoa)。前六局過後，周婕妤取得4-2領先；第七局周婕妤在長距離的 2號球未能入袋，讓徐序亞 (Seo Seoa) 回到場上接手清光檯面，將落後局數縮小一局。徐序亞 (Seo Seoa) 在第八局的 3號球發生失誤，3號球留在洞口附近，而母球稍微地被5號球所擋住。周婕妤以 Messe 打進 5號球並順利拿下該局，取得 5-3 領先。周婕妤接下來憑靠著開局清台以及成功的安全球防守，最終以 7-3 擊敗韓國年輕選手徐序亞 (Seo Seoa)。將在接下來的勝部資格賽中對上日本小將谷田美奈 爭取晉級下一階段。另外，王婉菱首戰 7-3 打敗小將洪欣妤，第二場比賽又以 7-2 擊退魏子茜，取得二連勝。王婉菱下場比賽的對手將是日本新生代好手平口結貴。
比賽將繼續於美國時間20日上午9點 (台灣時間20日晚間10點，時差 -13 小時) 展開。直播方面，TV桌將於 World Billiard TV 頻道或 Billiard TV 上免費觀看，其他全部桌次則可於 Kozoom 平台上付費 (€19.99 歐元) 觀看。
對戰表/比分直播｜Draw and Live score / Match schedule
Rita Chou 周婕妤｜©Pro Billiard Series
首 日 賽 果
【首輪】
陳佳樺 7-1 江水淨
洪欣妤 3-7 王婉菱
陳禾耘 7-2 Janet Atwell (USA)
周婕妤 7-2 April Larson (USA)
魏子茜 7-3 Kaylee McIntosh (USA)
洪夢霞 1-7 Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
【勝部】
Rubilen Amit (PHI) 7-6 陳佳樺
Allison Fisher (GBR) 7-4 陳禾耘
Seo Seoa 徐序亞 (KOR) 3-7 周婕妤
王婉菱 7-2 魏子茜
次 日 賽 程
【敗部第一輪】
溫家琪 (HKG) v 江水淨
洪欣妤 v Kaylee McIntosh (USA)
【敗部第二輪】
Katie Cool (USA) / Denise Wilkinson (NZL) v 魏子茜
Mayte Ropero (ESP) / April Larson (USA) v 陳禾耘
Amalia Matas (ESP) / Veronika Ivanovskaia (GER) v 陳佳樺
【勝部資格】
谷田美奈 (JPN) v 周婕妤
平口結貴 (JPN) v 王婉菱