Three of the total seven gold medal decisions were on the schedule today in the billiards competitions at the World Games in Chengdu, China. Standing on the top step of the podium were Therese Klompenhouwer (The Netherlands/Women’s 3-Cushion), Yulu Bai (China/Women’s 6-Reds Snooker), and Yu Han (China/Women’s Pool).
Women’s 3-Cushion
Therese Klompenhouwer of the Netherlands entered the competition as the clear favorite and fully lived up to this role. In the final against Japan’s Ayaka Miyashita, she quickly took the lead and steadily extended it. After 21 innings, the final score stood at 25–12.
Jackeline Perez from Peru had already secured third place behind Miyashita on Tuesday.
Result:
Therese Klompenhouwer vs. Ayaka Miyashita 25–12
Women’s 6-Reds Snooker
The women’s snooker final was also a one-sided affair. In the 6-reds format, China’s Yulu Bai won the first frame in front of her home crowd against Narucha Phoemphul (Thailand) by 42–18. The second frame was closer, but Bai again prevailed 41–25, becoming the new World Games champion.
Bronze went to Ploychompoo Laokiattphong of Thailand, who had defeated Belgium’s Wendy Jans 2–1 on Tuesday.
Result:
Narucha Phoemphul vs. Yulu Bai 0–2
Women’s Pool
Yu Han of China is the new World Games champion in women’s 10-ball. In a nail-biting final, she edged out the Philippines’ Chezka Centeno 7–6.
Han had the better start, racing ahead 3–0, but Centeno stayed in the match and kept close. At 6–6, the score was tied and Centeno was at the table. However, a foul by Centeno gave Han the chance to seal the victory, which she took amid loud cheers from her supporters.
The bronze medal match earlier had also been a thriller. Shasha Liu (China) took a quick 4–1 lead against Germany’s Ina Kaplan, but the European number one fought back to level at 6–6. Kaplan’s final break was unsuccessful, allowing Liu to clear the table and take bronze.
In the morning semifinals, Chezka Centeno had beaten Shasha Liu 7–4, while Yu Han defeated Ina Kaplan more clearly, 7–3.
Results:
Semifinals:
Shasha Liu vs. Chezka Centeno 4–7
Yu Han vs. Ina Kaplan 7–3
3rd Place Match:
Shasha Liu vs. Ina Kaplan 7–6
Final:
Chezka Centeno vs. Yu Han 6–7
Men’s 3-Cushion
The finalists in the men’s 3-cushion event have been determined. South Korea’s Myungwoo Cho narrowly won his semifinal thriller against Vietnam’s Quyet Chien Tran 40–39, while the second semifinal between Germany’s Martin Horn and Sameh Sidhom went 40–32 to the Egyptian. Horn had been clearly ahead at the break.
Later, in the bronze medal match, Horn again built a comfortable lead, but struggled to close it out toward the end. Tran closed the gap point by point, but at 39–34, Horn took the match ball and secured third place.
Results:
Semifinal:
Myungwoo Cho vs. Quyet Chien Tran 40–39
Martin Horn vs. Sameh Sidhom 32–40
3rd Place Match:
Quyet Chien Tran vs. Martin Horn 34–40
Final on Thursday:
12:00 p.m.: Myungwoo Cho vs. Sameh Sidhom
Men’s Snooker
The bronze medal match between Muhammad Asif (Pakistan) and Germany’s Alexander Widau was a true nail-biter. Widau won the first frame with a 59-point break, but Asif responded with a brilliant 141 clearance, forcing a decider.
In the final frame, both players adopted a more defensive style, clearly avoiding mistakes. Small breaks and plenty of safety play followed. Widau collected some foul points and, after clearing up to the pink ball, seemed certain to win. Asif made another push despite trailing by 25 points, even gaining six more foul points, but Widau ultimately potted pink to claim bronze.
Earlier in the semifinals, Asif had lost 0–2 to China’s Guodong Xiao, while Widau, after leading 1–0, was beaten 1–2 by Michael Georgiou (Cyprus), who also impressed with a 118 break in frame two.
Results:
Semifinal:
Muhammad Asif vs. Guodong Xiao 0–2
Alexander Widau vs. Michael Georgiou 1–2
3rd Place Match:
Muhammad Asif vs. Alexander Widau 1–2
Final on Thursday:
06:00 p.m.: Guodong Xiao vs. Michael Georgiou
Men’s Pool
The day began with Germany’s Joshua Filler letting a 7–4 lead slip against Gerson Martinez (Peru). After a time-out, Martinez switched to a safety-heavy game, winning most exchanges. He leveled at 7–7, and when Filler let a near-certain game slip in the 15th rack, Martinez closed it out 9–7 to reach the final.
On Thursday, he will face Oliver Szolnoki, who claimed his fourth consecutive 9–8 victory in the semifinal against Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk. The two were neck-and-neck for most of the match, but at 8–8, Szewczyk scratched on the break. Szolnoki took advantage, playing a safety first, then holding his nerve to win.
In the bronze medal match, Szewczyk seemed to recover better from his semifinal loss, staying just ahead of Filler for most of the match. At 8–8, however, Filler capitalized after Szewczyk’s dry break, taking the match and the bronze medal.
Results:
Semifinal:
Joshua Filler vs. Gerson Martinez 7–9
Oliver Szolnoki vs. Wojciech Szewczyk 9–8
3rd Place Match:
Joshua Filler vs. Wojciech Szewczyk 9–8
Final on Thursday:
10:00 a.m.: Gerson Martinez vs. Oliver Szolnoki
Heyball
This competition featured both male and female players. In the first semifinal, China’s Chunxiao Tang faced South Africa’s Jason Theron. After trailing 0–3 and 1–4, she fought back to 3–4, but Theron ultimately prevailed 5–3.
In the final on Thursday, Theron will meet Tang’s compatriot Taiyi Zhang, who beat India’s Shivam Arora 5–3 in the other semifinal.
In the afternoon, the bronze medal match took place. At 4–4, neither Tang nor Arora could pull away. The final rack turned into a purely tactical battle, which Tang edged to claim bronze.
Results:
Semifinal:
Chunxiao Tang vs. Jason Theron 3–5
Taiyi Zhang vs. Shivam Arora 5–3
3rd Place Match:
Chunxiao Tang vs. Shivam Arora 5–4
Final on Thursday:
04:00 p.m.: Jason Theron vs. Taiyi Zhang
All Photos ©WCBS
