WPA World Nine-ball Championship
The WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual, international, professional nine-ball pool (pocket billiards) tournament, founded in 1990, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), and principally sponsored and organised by Matchroom Sport (who provide the event's official website, under the less specific name World Pool Championship). It is divided into men's, women's and wheelchair Divisions. Since 2010, it is held in Doha, Qatar.
History
In the summer of 1989, the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) began plans for a world championship tournament. The group sent invitations, rules, sports regulations and by-laws. Reception was positive, and a provisional Board was created.[1]
In March 1990, the inaugural WPA World Nine-ball Championship was held in Bergheim, Germany. The playing field included 32 men and 16 women in separate divisions, and has since become an annual event. The event was organised solely by the WPA from this inauguration through 1999.[2]
In July 1999, Matchroom Sport attempted to get involved with the organisation of the event, but their bid failed. The WPA event was played in Alicante, Spain, and won by Nick Varner of the United States. Broadcast on ESPN, it was the first pro nine-ball championship to be televised. Matchroom Sport, meanwhile, instead organised tournament called the "World Professional Pool Championship", a competing and non-WPA-sanctioned event in Cardiff, Wales, which was won by Efren Reyes of the Philippines.[3]
In 2000, the Matchroom and WPA agreed that tournaments would merge into a single official world championship. The WPA also agreed to recognise the results of the 1999 Matchroom event, meaning that official listings show both Varner and Reyes as 1999 world champions. Matchroom changed its promotional name for the event to the "World Pool Championship", dropping the word "professional" from the title. The event remained in Cardiff through 2003.[2]
In 2001, the number of competitors in the men's division was increased to 128 and a men's division first prize raised to $65,000.[2][4]
The 2004 and 2005 events were held in Taiwan, with a men's division first prize of $75,000 as of 2004.[2] The 2005 tournament saw two rules changes: last 64 and last 32 matches were extended to race-to-10 format, and the pockets on the tables were narrowed, to make the game more difficult.[5]
In the 2006 event, the Philippines became the host country for two years. All matches became alternating-break all the way from the group stages to the finals. Men's division first prize escalated to $100,000. In 2007, the event ran from November 3–11, and Daryl Peach of the England was the victor. Because of the global late-2000s recession the championship did not reappear on the calendar in 2008. For some time neither Matchroom nor the WPA released any predictions regarding its reinstatement, and no 2009 event was held, either.[6]
After this two-year hiatus, the tournament returned as the 2010 WPA World Nine-ball Championship in Doha, Qatar. Francisco Bustamante of the Philippines won the 2010 title.[7] Since then, the event has been held annually in Doha.[8]
Winners
The World Nine-ball Championships are held annually, and are sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association. Events have been held for boys and women, and for the main world championships since this time, with a girl's tournament being created in 2004. In 2013, the men's championship was changed from being inclusive for all[a] to a men's only event. From 2021, the main tournament became all inclusive once again, while the women's event was discontinued. In 1999, two men's tournaments were held, with one being run by the World Pool Association, held in Spain, and the other not recognised, held in Wales and known as the 1999 World Pool Championship.[9] However, both events were later recognised as official world championships for the year of 1999.[10]
Men's champions
Women's champions
Junior champions
The first Junior Championships played since 1992 for boys, and a girls' division played since 2004.[12]
Under-19
Boys
Girls
| Year | Dates | Location | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004[13] | November 1–5 | Adelaide, Australia |  Zhou Meng-meng
|
 Wu Ching
|
| 2005 | September 20–25 | Velden, Austria |  Jasmin Ouschan
|
 Helen Athanasiou
|
| 2006 | November 13–17 | Sydney, Australia |  Mary Rakin
|
Anna Kostanian
|
| 2007 | December 3–7 | Willingen, Germany | Mary Rakin (2)
|
 Tina Bühnen
|
| 2008 | December 1–3 | Reno, United States |  Brittany Bryant
|
 Konischi Samia
|
| 2009 | November 4–7 | Managua, Nicaragua | Keng Chun-lin
|
Anja Wagner
|
| 2010 | Nov. 29 – Dec 1 | Reno, United States | Brittany Bryant (2)
|
Briana Miller
|
| 2011 | Aug. 31 – Sep 4 | Kielce, Poland |  Oliwia Zalewska
|
 Anastasia Nechaeva
|
| 2012 | December 4–7 | Willingen, Germany |  Kamila Khodjaeva
|
Oliwia Zalewska
|
| 2013 | December 9–12 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Natasha Seroshtan
|
Yuki Hiraguchi
|
| 2014 | November 15–18 | Shanghai, China | Liu Yu Chen
|
Kamila Khodjaeva
|
| 2015 | November 14–17 | Shanghai, China |  Chezka Centeno
|
Xia Yu Ying
|
| 2016 | November 17–20 | Shanghai, China | Chen Chia-hua
|
Tsai Pei-chun
|
| 2017 | Oct. 30 – Nov 2 | Moscow, Russia | Kristina Tkach
|
 Lee Woo-jin
|
| 2018 | Oct. 31 – Nov 3 | Moscow, Russia | Chen Chia-hua (2)
|
Seo Seoa
|
| 2019 | November 21–23 | Nicosia, Cyprus | Lu Yi-hsuan
|
Tamami Okuda
|
| 2021 | October 4–10 | Klagenfurt, Austria | Lena Primus
|
Kim Hye-rim
|
| 2022 | October 19–21 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Xin Yu-Hong
|
Kim Hye-rim
|
| 2023 | October 19–22 | Klagenfurt, Austria | Xin Yu-Hong (2)
|
Sofia Mast
|
Under-17
Boys
| Year | Dates | Location | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | November 15–18 | Shanghai, China | De Jing Kong
|
Jeffrey Roda
|
| 2015 | November 14–17 | Shanghai, China | Daniel Maciol
|
Zheng Xiaohuai
|
| 2016 | November 17–20 | Shanghai, China | Zheng Xiaohuai
|
 Temuujin Enkhbold
|
| 2017 | Oct. 30 – Nov 2 | Moscow, Russia |  Sanjin Pehlivanovic
|
 Robbie Capito
|
| 2018 | Oct. 31 – Nov 3 | Moscow, Russia | Mahkeal Parris
|
 Emil Andre Gangflot
|
| 2019 | November 21–23 | Nicosia, Cyprus | Moritz Neuhausen
|
Fu Huan
|
| 2021 | October 4–10 | Klagenfurt, Austria | Dominik Jastrzab
|
 Yannick Pongers
|
| 2022 | October 19–21 | San Juan, Puerto Rico |  Karl Gnadeberg
|
Lang Yi Li
|
| 2023 | October 19–22 | Klagenfurt, Austria |  Derin Asaku Sitorus
|
Adrian Prasad
|
Wheelchair champions
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Bob Calderon
|
| 2000 |  Fred Dinsmore
|
| 2002 |  Jouni Tähti
|
| 2003 |  Henrik Larsson
|
| 2004[13] | Chu Shou-Wei
|
| 2005[13] | Emil Schranz
|
| 2007[13] | Henrik Larsson (2)
|
| 2008[13] | Aaron Aragon
|
| 2009[13] | Jouni Tähti (2)
|
| 2010[13] | Jouni Tähti (3)
|
| 2011[13] | Jouni Tähti (4)
|
| 2012[13] | Henrik Larsson (3)
|
| 2013[13] | Jouni Tähti (5)
|
| 2014[13] | Henrik Larsson (4)
|
| 2016[13] | Henrik Larsson (5)
|
| 2017[13] | Fred Dinsmore (2)
|
See also
References
- ^ Under 18s and Women were previously allowed to enter the competition
- ^ a b The title was decided over a series of sets rather than racks.
- ^ Due to the financial crisis of 2007–2008
- ^ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- ^ World Pool-Billiard Association – WPA history Archived January 31, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d World Pool Championships – Men's 9-Ball Archived September 29, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Reyes is world 9-ball champion! Archived January 22, 2011, at the Portuguese Web Archive Philippine Balita Today – July 26, 1999
- ^ Admiral WPA World Pool Championship 2001 Archived July 26, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ WPA World Pool Championship 2005 Archived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Economy Scratches Pool in the Side Archived September 30, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Francisco Bustamante Wins World Crown Archived September 30, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Pin-Yi makes it a World title double in Doha Archived September 30, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "World Pool Championships – Men's 9-Ball". csns.ca. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015.
- ^ "Table No. 1: Efren "The Magician" Reyes". Bata Bar & Billiards. February 12, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
This tournament was not recognized at the time by the WPA, but Reyes was later retrospectively acknowledged as the winner of one of two world championships held in 1999. Nick Varner won the "official" world title. The two tournaments were merged for the following year, with both men listed as the champion for 1999.
- ^ "World 9-Ball Championship". azbilliards.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ World Pool-Billiard Association
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Billiards 2011: The Official Rules & Records Book. Broomfield: Billiard Congress of America. 2010. pp. 168–176. ISBN 978-1878493194.
External links
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 Cue sports portalThe rules of games in italics are standardized by international sanctioning bodies. | ||
References
External links
World pool championships | |||||||||||||||||||
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| World Champions |
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| Pool games | | |
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| Carom billiards | ||
| Snooker | ||
| Other games | ||
| Resources | ||
| Major international tournaments |
| |
| Other events | ||
| Governing bodies | ||
| Categories | ||
| Cue sports portal The rules of games in italics are standardized by international sanctioning bodies. | ||
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