Fourteen of the world's top pool players are in town for the five-day Green Time Super Cup which concludes today. Nearly 400 spectators a day have been packing plywood stands in an arena housed in the basement of the Core Pacific Mall.
The line-up of competitors includes a trio of Philippine stars -- Effrem Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, and Marlon "Marvelous" Manalo. There's also the irascible American Earl "the Pearl" Strickland and German Ralf "The Kaiser" Souquet.
These colorful players have been overshadowed by the exploits of 16-year Taiwanese Wu Chia-ching, now known as the "Taishan Kid," whose recent victory last weekend at the World 8-ball Championships in Dubai made him the only person in history to hold both World 8-Ball and 9-Ball titles.
PHOTO: CTBA
Given Wu's sudden success, he is the favorite to walk away with the tournament's top prize of US$20,000.
Wu continued to tell reporters he planned to use his winnings to purchase an apartment for his grandmother in Taipei County, joking that some real-estate companies may like to consider offering him a discount in exchange for becoming a celebrity spokesperson for their agency.
"Right now we're living in a relative's place," Wu said. "Though I hope to buy a three or four bedroom apartment very soon."
Wu is not only a young-prodigy, but also something of an inspirational figure as he was raised by his grandmother after his mother left him at a young age. His doting grandmother allowed him to play pool even as his grades were suffering, eventually investing in a 20-table pool hall so her grandson could play free of charge.
"I began playing pool at the age of 6, though I started to take it seriously at the age of 9," Wu said. "When I was 10, my grandmother invested in a pool hall so I could play between 2-3 hours a day."
Wu said his childhood hero was Effrem Reyes -- a player he feels can create magical shots. Nevertheless, Wu says he is mainly self-taught, having little interaction with local or foreign players.
The Green Time Super Cup has been held in one form or another since 1990 -- beginning as the Taipei Open and then renamed the TIM Cup.
The Super Cup smaller than the 100-person field who turned out earlier this year at the World 9-Ball Pool Championships in Kaohsiung.
A smaller field is giving local audiences more chance to watch colorful performers such as Earl "The Pearl" Strickland.
Yesterday, Strickland ran the gamut of poor behavior, such as taunting his opponents, chastising the audience, booing himself, clapping his feet and even fouling on his last shot to concede defeat to opponent Ralf Souquet.
For all of his bad etiquette, some are enjoying Strickland's antics, reasoning that Strickland is simply trying to liven up a sport which has been perceived a dull and unemotional.
Strickland is also known for developing a diverse line of pool accessories, such as Velcro wrist wraps, pool gloves, and oversized pool grips, some of which have never been seen before this week in Taiwan.
Strickland's been critical of local referees -- a sentiment that may be born out of frustration after having won only one of his first five matches in the tournament.
One opponent, Marlon "Marvelous" Manalo, escaped Strickland's taunts and a late-match run to win 7:6.
Chang Rong-lin of Taiwan defeated Strickland in a late-afternoon match, tuning out distractions and showing good concentration.
This weekend's tournament is turning out to be more difficult than expected as the pockets on the tables have been set at 1.8 inches, which is the narrowest margin permitted by the World Pool Association, according to tournament manager Roger Huang.
"Pockets can be set between 1.8 and 2.2 inches," Huang said. "We chose 1.8 [inches], which is the approximate width of one and a half balls."
Local players have not voiced any criticism, Huang said, but then again, for many, the conditions at this tournament are noticeably better than the rest of the 3,700 pool halls and 70,000 pool tables in Taiwan.
The Ailex brand tables used at the tournament are Taiwan made and represent a domestic industry that is worth some NT$1 billion annually.
The Green Time Super Cup concludes this evening at 8pm. Admission to the tournament is on a first-come first-served basis, though the entire event is being televised live on Videoland.
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Cycling great Marianne Vos won the opening stage of the women’s Tour de France with a brilliant late attack on Saturday. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman overtook her Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot approaching the line, and then held off Mauritian rider Kim Le Court in the closing meters of a grueling uphill finish. Ferrand-Prevot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600m and could not withstand the late surge from Vos, who punched the air with her left fist as she crossed the line. Moments later, Vos hugged an exhausted-looking Ferrand-Prevot, the Paris-Roubaix winner. “I didn’t know if
US top seed Taylor Fritz dropped an early yesterday morning marathon to Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina of Spain, while the UK’s Emma Raducanu and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez reached the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA DC Open. World number four Fritz, two points from victory in the ninth game, dropped the last five games in falling to the 26th-ranked Spaniard 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5 after three hours and five minutes in a match ending just before 2am. Davidovich-Fokina advanced to the semi-final against US fourth seed Ben Shelton, who beat sixth-seeded hometown hero Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/2), 6-4. Fritz, who had 20 aces and six
RSS