2012 WPA World Nine-ball Championship

The 2012 WPA World Nine-ball Championship was a professional nine-ball pocket billiards (pool) championship, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) and organised by Matchroom Sport. It was held from June 22 to 29 in Doha, Qatar, hosted by the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation. Qualifying tournaments were held from June 20 to 22, with the Al Sadd Sports Club hosting both qualifying and final tournaments.

WPA World 9-Ball Championship 2012
Tournament information
Sport9-ball
LocationQatar Billiards and Snooker Federation
Doha, Qatar
DatesJune 22, 2012–June 29, 2012
Tournament
format(s)
Double elimination / Single elimination
Host(s)WPA World Nine-ball Championship
Participants128
Final positions
ChampionEngland Darren Appleton
Runner-upChina Li Hewen
← 2012
2013 →

British Darren Appleton won the championship defeating China's Li Hewen 13–12 in the final.[1] It was Appleton's second world title after having won the 2008 10-ball World Championship and his first world title in 9-ball. Defending champion Yukio Akakariyama was defeated in the round of 32, by future champion Thorsten Hohmann. A total of US$276,000 in prize money was distributed for the tournament, with the World Champion receiving $40,000.[1]

Format

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Efren Reyes playing at the event.

The 128 participating players were divided into 16 groups, in which they competed in a double elimination tournament against each other. The remaining 64 players in each group qualified for the final round played in the knockout system.[2] The event was played under the alternating break format.[3]

Prize money

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The event's prize money stayed similar to that of the previous years, with winner Darren Appleton winning $40,000.[1]

Position Prize
First Place (champion) $40,000
Second Place (runner-up) $20,000
Third place (semi-finalist $12,000
Fifth place (quarter finalist) $8,000
Ninth place (loser in round of 16) $5,000
Seventeenth place (loser in round of 32) $3,500
Thirty Third (loser in round of 64) $2,000

Tournament summary

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The event was played in the alternating break format.[3] In the event's semi-finals, Li Hewen defeated Germany's Ralf Souquet, 11–6, whereas Darren Appleton defeated Japan's Naoyuki Ōi 11–7.[4] In the final, Appleton would take a heavy lead, moving to 9–2 in front, and later 11–3 in a race to 13. Li would make a comeback, to 12–6, before Appleton had the opportunity to win the tournament with an open table in the 19th rack.[5] Appleton would Snooker himself with just four balls left on the table, and Li would win the next 6 racks to make the tournament reach a decisive rack.[5]

Appleton would win the decisive frame, jump up onto the table, lifting his cue above his head. Appleton commented after the event that he was thinking "I can't lose, he needs a miracle" and, that at 12–10, he "started feeling the heat."[5]

Finals

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Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
  Ralf Souquet 11
  Nick Malai 4
  Ralf Souquet 11
  Jonny Martinez [de] 7
  Jonny Martinez [de] 11
  Takashi Uraoka 8
  Ralf Souquet 11
  Bruno Muratore [de] 4
  Fu Che-wei 11
  Andrea Klasovic 4
  Fu Che-wei 9
  Bruno Muratore [de] 11
  Jayson Shaw 6
  Bruno Muratore [de] 11
  Ralf Souquet 11
  Nick van den Berg 9
  Aki Heiskanen [de] 5
  Hsu Kai-lun [de] 11
  Hsu Kai-lun [de] 8
  Dennis Orcollo 11
  Andrew Kong 8
  Dennis Orcollo 11
  Dennis Orcollo 6
  Nick van den Berg 11
  Nick van den Berg 11
  Marlon Caneda 6
  Nick van den Berg 11
  Han Haoxiang [de] 9
  Han Haoxiang [de] 11
  Israel Rota 8
  Ralf Souquet 6
  Li Hewen 11
  Lee Van Corteza 11
  Serge Das [de] 4
  Lee Van Corteza 5
  Mika Immonen 11
  Tony Drago 10
  Mika Immonen 11
  Mika Immonen 9
  Antonio Gabica 11
  Antonio Gabica 11
  Mario He 7
  Antonio Gabica 11
  Yang Ching-shun 9
  Vincent Facquet [de] 4
  Yang Ching-shun 11
  Antonio Gabica 10
  Li Hewen 11
  Majed Alazmi 8
  Khaled al-Mutairi 11
  Khaled al-Mutairi 6
  Omar Al-Shaheen 11
  Chang Yu-Lung 10
  Omar Al-Shaheen 11
  Omar Al-Shaheen 9
  Li Hewen 11
  John Morra 11
  Elvis Calasang 7
  John Morra 8
  Li Hewen 11
  Jason Klatt 9
  Li Hewen 11
  Li Hewen 12
  Darren Appleton 13
  Carlo Biado 10
  Naoyuki Ōi 11
  Naoyuki Ōi 11
  Chang Jung-Lin 3
  Chang Jung-Lin 11
  Joven Alba 2
  Naoyuki Ōi 11
  Thorsten Hohmann 9
  Thorsten Hohmann 11
  Badr al-Awadi 4
  Thorsten Hohmann 11
  Yukio Akakariyama 9
  Thomas Engert 9
  Yukio Akakariyama 11
  Naoyuki Ōi 11
  Karl Boyes 9
  Karl Boyes 11
  Do The Kien 9
  Karl Boyes 11
  Chao Fong-Pang 8
  Francisco Bustamante 6
  Chao Fong-Pang 11
  Karl Boyes 11
  Dominic Jentsch 10
  Manuel Gama [de] 6
  Dominic Jentsch 11
  Dominic Jentsch 11
  Efren Reyes 10
  Efren Reyes 11
  Toh Lian Han [de] 6
  Naoyuki Ōi 7
  Darren Appleton 11
  Roberto Gomez 4
  Liu Haitao 11
  Liu Haitao 8
  N. Ekonomopoulos 11
  N. Ekonomopoulos 11
  Ryu Seung-woo 5
  N. Ekonomopoulos 8
  Darren Appleton 11
  Matt Edwards 11
  Tōru Kuribayashi [de] 7
  Matt Edwards 10
  Darren Appleton 11
  Darren Appleton 11
  Mateusz Śniegocki 5
  Darren Appleton 11
  Ko Pin-yi 9
  Konstantin Stepanov 11
  Ryoji Hori 5
  Konstantin Stepanov 3
  Jundel Mazon 11
  Ronato Alcano 9
  Jundel Mazon 11
  Jundel Mazon 9
  Ko Pin-yi 11
  Daryl Peach 9
  Lo Li-wen [de] 11
  Lo Li-wen [de] 10
  Ko Pin-yi 11
  Ko Pin-yi 11
  Huidji See 6

Grand Final

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Player Lag Rack Racks
won
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
  Darren Appleton                           13
  Li Hewen                         12

References

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  1. ^ a b c "WPA World 9-Ball Championship 2012". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  2. ^ "2002 WPA World Pool Championship" (PDF). csns.ca. Cue Sports Nova. July 18, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "The Gang of Four Goes for Glory at World 9-Ball Championship". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "Appleton and Lee Fight For World 9-Ball Supremacy". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Its Dynamite in Doha". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
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