The Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) is proud to announce, for the 9th consecutive year, Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort will be hosting a “WPBA Grand Slam Event”, beginning Wednesday, January 3rd, running through Sunday, January 7th, featuring the greatest women pool players in the world.
Formerly a field of 48 players, this year an elite field of 64 players will compete for the prestigious title “2018 WPBA Grand Slam Champion”, a brand new title not yet earned by any WPBA player. The unfamiliar title represents the WPBA’s new “tiered” categories of events, with the “Grand Slam” category offering the highest number of ranking points that can be earned in a single event. Fans should get acquainted with the new format and match schedule, set for this exciting, new event category!
Wednesday, January 3rd, STAGE I – Players ranked 33 and below. Play begins at 5pm. Races to 7.
Thursday, January 4th, STAGE II – Players ranked 17-32. Play begins at 5pm. Races to 8.
Friday, January 5th, STAGE III – Players ranked 1-16. Play begins tentatively at 6pm. Races to 9.
Saturday, January 6th – Final 32 players. Play begins 9:30am. Races to 9.
Sunday, January 7th – Final 8 players. Play begins at 9:00am. Races to 9. Final match is one race to 11.
In addition to the new format and match schedule, the WPBA now offers live scoring at www.CompuSport.ca. Now, fans can track their favorite player’s progress from their computers and mobile devices. Coupled with free live streaming available at www.wpba.com, watching WPBA on-the-go is just a click away!
In addition to the professional event, there is the Soaring Eagle Open XIV, a $10,000 added singles amateur tournament open to both men and women. There is 8-ball and 9-ball, with numerous divisions. For more information about this amateur event, visit www.soaringeagleopen.com.
Sponsors for this year’s inaugural, Grand Slam Event, include Simonis Cloth (official cloth) www.simoniscloth.com, Aramith Balls (official balls) www.aramith.com, and Diamond Tables (official table) www.diamondbilliards.com, and RTB Solutions.
For those planning to attend in person, tickets are on sale now at E-TIX, 800.514.3849, or visit
www.SoaringEagleCasino.com. Free live streaming will be available at www.WPBA.com.
The WPBA is the governing body of women’s professional pool in the United States. Established in 1976 under “Women’s Billiard Alliance”, this member owned organization provides opportunities for aspiring female players to reach the pinnacle of the sport. There are hundreds of WPBA player members participating at the professional, and regional tour, grass roots level. In order to compete on the women’s professional billiard tour, a player must qualify through a WPBA Regional Tour which cultivates annually, the WPBA Regional Tour Championships and pro event qualifiers. The winners of these regional tour level events earn the opportunity to play with the best in the world. If you’ve ever considered professional competition, or perhaps running a WPBA Regional Tour in your area, please contact the WPBA Office at 1-800-FOR-WPBA.
第九屆WPBA大滿貫一月3日開打
由美國職業女子撞球協會 (WPBA)所舉辦的 WPBA Grand Slam Event 於美國當地時間1月3日-7日在 Soaring Eagle賭場和度假酒店展開。而這也是該賽是連續第9年舉辦賽事。賽事匯聚來自各地的優秀選手，如奧地利名將 Jasmin Ouschan、2位英國名將 Kelly Fisher & Allison Fisher、挪威名將 Line Kjørsvik、美國地主名將 Monica Webb、加拿大的 Brittany Bryant 及陳思明等，而台灣好手 目前世界排名第6的魏子茜也前往參加個人的第一個WPBA賽事。
該賽事前為48名選手，今年在新賽制登場後，參賽選手增為64名，選手們將同場競技，角逐新賽事的第一個WPBA大滿貫冠軍! 而 WPBA 於今年也同時也提供了比分直播 ( www.CompuSport.ca ) 與視頻直播 ( www.wpba.com )。
Alison