World 9 Ball Pool Championships Day 2

WITH half the groups having completed their second day of play, the picture is starting to become a little clearer here at the 2004 Taiwan World Pool Championship in Taipei.

Phenomenal crowds at the World Trade Center, which is adjacent to Tower 101, the world’s tallest building, have witnessed some spectacular play including a string of 5–0 victories on the main television table.

If previous records are taken into account it looks like eight is the magic number of points required to secure a berth in the last 64 knock-out stages which get underway on Wednesday.

Ching-Shun Yang, one of the tournament favourites, opened the day's play with a straightforward win over Englishman Daryl Peach, but he later hit the rocks with a 5-3 defeat to Michael Schmidt of Germany.

Four players so far have hit the mark with a maximum four wins from four starts. In Group 6, 2001 champion Mika Immonen of Finland recorded comfortable wins over British duo Anthony Ginn and Michael Valentine to consolidate his position at the top.

Taiwanese national hero Fong-Pang Chao came out onto the TV table to a tumultuous reception and proceeded to dispatch outclassed Kiwi Jimmy Henry 5–1 to add to a 5-2 win over Japan’s Hiroshi Takenaka.

Chao, who took this title in 1993 and 2000, looks back to his magnificent best after a couple of years marred by illness. He is on top of Group 10 along with Pinoy hope Warren Kiamco who won both his games on Sunday.

Kiamco has often promised at the WPC but never yet delivered so hopefully he can improve his showing closer to home.

Another player who looks back to his best form is Germany’s Oliver Ortmann, the current European No.1. ‘The Machine’ was a winner in Taipei in 1995 but has never come close since then.

He recorded victories over compatriot Thorsten Schober and South Africa’s David Anderson to all but ensure his appearance in the knock-out stages.

At the other end of the scale, players with no wins to date include America’s Corey Harper and Shintaro Sugaya in Group 2 as well as Japanese qualifier Kazuo Furuta in Group 4. British duo Tommy Donlon and Kevin Hew are also pointless.

Matchroom Sport - 12/7/2004