2012 WPA World Nine-ball Championship

WPA World 9-Ball Championship 2012

Tournament information
Sport	9-ball
Location	Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation Doha, Qatar
Dates	June 22, 2012–June 29, 2012
Tournament format	Double elimination / Single elimination
Host	WPA World Nine-ball Championship
Participants	128
Final positions
Champion	Darren Appleton
Runner-up	Li Hewen
←  2012 2013  →

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.

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

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

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

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

	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

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

1. "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. "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. "Its Dynamite in Doha". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2018.

External links

• Tournament at azbilliards.com