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Asian 9 Ball Tour - Gandy Valle Wins the Singapore EventSingapore, 6 March... In the end, the new one outplayed the young one. Gandy Valle of the Philippines defeated 16-year old Wu Chia Ching of Chinese Taipei, 11 – 9, late Sunday evening to capture the inaugural leg of the 2005 San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour at the Suntec Exhibition Hall 404.  Valle, who made his maiden appearance in Asia’s premier 9-Ball tournament, rallied from a 6 – 4 deficit and won seven of the last nine racks en route to topping the competition and claiming the US $10,000 top prize.'I was so nervous. I didn’t feel I had the victory in my hands until the 9 ball finally dropped,' revealed Valle, a gold medalist in the 9-Ball doubles competition during the 1998 Asian Games. A native of Davao City in the Philippines, the 31-year old Valle also said that he dedicated his victory to God, his wife and 2-year son Ralph and the Filipinos who enthusiastically supported him at the venue. Wu, whose previous best finish was a quarter-final appearance in last year’s Manila leg, paid dearly when his break on 17th rack failed to drop any balls. Valle then capitalized as he took two straight racks to seize the upper hand, 10 – 8. The Taiwanese teenager managed to close the gap as he made it 10 – 9, but Valle didn’t let his foe get any closer as he finished the job in the 20th rack. Wu settled for the runner-up prize of US $5,000. Despite his victory, Valle had high praises for his opponent. 'He’s very young, but he’s so talented. He has a bright future ahead of him,' expressed Valle. Valle reached the finals after disposing Taiwanese Yang Ching Shun, 11 – 8, in the semi-finals, while Wu edged Filipino Antonio Gabica, 12 – 10. After Singapore, the next stops of the 9-ball tour will be Jakarta, Kaohsiung and Manila. The top 10 players on the Tour Order of Merit qualify into the World Professional Pool Championships. The San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union and organized by ESPN STAR Sports’ Event Management Group (EMG). San Miguel Beer is the title sponsor for the Tour. Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Brunswick Metro is the official pool table and the Marina Mandarin is the official hotel, Suntec Singapore is the official venue. STAR Sports is the official broadcaster. The 2005 Tour will go to Singapore, Jakarta, Kaohsiung and Manila. Besides the total prize money of US$200,000, the top 10 players on the Tour Order of Merit every year will directly qualify into the World Professional Pool Championships. ESPN Star - 7/3/2005 |
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