source: Marc Anthony Reyes | inquirer.net

Southeast Asian Games bets Rubilen Amit and Iris Ranola tumbled out of the Women’s World 10-ball Championships Saturday night by dropping their matches to their Chinese Taipei foes at Robinsons Galleria.

Chen Tsai-pei ended Amit’s bid to regain the crown she won in 2009, ousting the top Filipino bet, 8-7, in the quarterfinals.

Ranola topped her bracket in the group stage but ran into the solid Lai Hui-shan, who prevailed, 8-4, in their round of 16 clash early in the day.

Chen tied the match at 6-6 but missed the 10-ball in the 13th rack. However, Amit bungled a bank shot to the corner as Chen went on the hill.

Amit made an incredible shot in the 14th rack to force a hill-hill finale that Chen clinched.

“I still feel happy. I’m glad to even reach 7-7 after having dry breaks all the time,” said Amit in Filipino. “Thank you very much for the support.”

Virtually climbing up the table for her shots, the diminutive Amit took the first two racks but Chen fought back to take the next two and level the race-to-8 match.

The tall and slender Chen went on to take a 5-3 lead but Amit rallied and finally regained the upperhand at 6-5.

“It’s a tough field and the favorites are falling one by one,” said the Southeast Asian Games double gold winner (9-ball and 8-ball singles) in 2009.

After booting out Ranola, Lai eliminated world No. 20 Allison Fisher of Great Britain, 8-4, in the round of 32.

Amit, the world’s No. 10 player, barged into the quarterfinals with an 8-4 demolition of Keiko Yukawa in the round of 16 played in the afternoon.

The 30-year-old Amit actually stormed to a 6-1 lead.

But she lost her focus in the 8th rack to allow the Japanese, who booted out defending champion Jasmin Ouschan, 8-7, in the round of 32, back in the match.

“I became too excited,” said Amit who could have finished the match earlier but missed the 10-ball using a bridge.

Yukawa stood up to take the rack for 7-3, and the next for 7-4, before Amit closed it out.

Chen made it to the quarters after an 8-6 upset of Doudou Zhou, the world No. 12 from China. Zhou had booted out Monica Webb of the United States, 8-6, who dealt Amit’s only loss in the group stage.

World No. 1 Simming Chen of China also had an early exit after losing to compatriot, No. 17, Sahsha Liu, 8-6, in the afternoon matches.

Also making it to the top 8 were world No. 3 Kim Ga-young, who eliminated Line Kjorsvik of Norway, 8-4, and World No. 7 Kelly Fisher of Great Britain, who routed Japanese No. 17 Akimi Kajitani, 8-2.

Chinese Yun Han and Zu Qing Bi gained the quarters by beating compatriots Xiao Fang Fu Chen, 8-6, and Jia Li, 8-4.

MANILA, Philippines – Rubilen Amit sustained her fiery form, romping off with two more victories to advance to the Last 24 of the 2011 Yalin Women’s World 10-ball Championship at the Robinson’s Galleria yesterday.

Amit, the inaugural champion of the tournament among the world’s leading players, nipped Shin Mei Liu of Chinese Taipei, 6-4, then followed it up with another 6-4 victory over Wu Jing of China to go undefeated after three matches in Group 1.

The win effectively sent the 30-year-old Amit to the knockout stage alongside Ga Young Kim of Korea and Kelly Fisher of Great Britain.

Kim disposed of compatriot Yun Mi Lim, 6-4, Miyuki Fuke of Japan, 6-3, and Emily Duddy of the US, 6-2, to seal a place in the next round in Group 4.

For her part, Fisher made her charge in Group 5, trouncing Eun Ji Park of Korea, 6-5, Elham Shakori of Japan, 6-0, and X Chen of Chinese-Taipei, 6-5.

Amit was slated to play Monica Webb of the US at presstime.

“Sana pumanig muli ang bola sa laban ko kay Monica (Webb) (I hope to get good ball position against Monica),” said Amit, a double gold medalist in the 2009 SEA Games in Laos.

Amit’s stablemate at Puyat Sports and fellow Indonesia Southeast Asian Games-bound bet Iris Ranola picked up her second win in Group 2 at the expense of H.C. Lin of Chinese-Taipei, 6-5.

A former US Open women’s 9-ball runner-up, Ranola got momentum from her 6-3 upset over reigning China 9-ball Open women’s champion Fu Xiao Fang of China, 6-3, in Wednesday’s opening round.

Also in Group 2, Fil-American Mary Rakin rebounded from her 2-6 loss to Lin with a 6-5 win over Fu. It was the second win in three matches for the Daly City-based cuemaster who traces her roots to Cavite.

A total of $75,000 in prize money, including $20,000 for the winner, is at stake in the tournament organized by Dragon Promotions, in cooperation with Puyat Sports and Star Billiards Center. Matches are aired by ABS-CBN on Studio 23 with The Philippines STAR as official media partner.

source: Cedelf P. Tupas | inquirer.net

Away from the limelight over the past year, former world champion Rubilen Amit hopes to make an impact in the 2011 Yalin World Women’s 10-Ball Championship starting Wednesday at the Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas.

The 30-year-old Amit, who ruled the inaugural event in 2009, leads a host of challengers out to dethrone defending champion Jasmin Ouschan of Austria.

Amit has seen little action after seeing her run in last year’s tournament end in the semifinals against Korean ace Ga Young Kim.

The many-time Southeast Asian Games champion sees the world championship as an opportunity to cement her status as one of the finest players in the world.
“I will do my very best for flag and country,” said Amit.

Among the 48 players seeing action are Kim, Yu Ram Cha and Erica Park of Korea, Allison and Kelly Fisher of England, Siming Chen and Xiaofang Fu of China.

Ouschan is relishing the opportunity to defend her title in Manila, where her popularity rose after her run to the crown last year.

“Coming to an event as the defending champion is never easy,” the Austrian said. “There is extra pressure but pressure is a privilege and that is how I see it.”