Doha: The 25th World 9-Ball Pool Championship got under way yesterday with several cueists taking part in the qualifying rounds at the Al Arabi Stadium in Doha.
The main round of the global competition tournament proper will start on July 30.
Chinese Taipei’s Ko Pin Yi is the defending champion of the World Pool-Billiards Association (WPBA) and Asian Pocket Billiards Union-sanctioned event, which will conclude on August 5.
The Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation has been hosting the major event since 2010.
Pin Yi had defeated USA’s Shane van Boening 13-11 in last year’s final.
Mishel Turkey gave the hosts something to cheer as he was the only Qatari player out of eight to reach the round of 64.
The best performance till date by a Qatari cueist at the WPBA event was Waleed Majed’s pre-quarterfinal appearance in 2014, when Dutchman Niels Feijen emerged as the winner.
The tournament will see 128 players compete for the most prestigious prize in men’s pool arena.
They will be split into 16 groups and play a race-to-9 double elimination format. Four players from each group will make it to the round of 64.
The tournament carries $200,000 in total prize money with the winner taking home $40,000 while the runner- up gets $20,000 for his effort.
The home challenge will be led by stars including Majid. Other Qatari players are Bashar Hussain, Ali al Obaidli, Ali Abdulhadi, Antonio Capica, Francisco, Abdulatif al Fawal and Mohammad Saeed.
The Peninsula
