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2016 WPA World 9-Ball Championships
Qatar Billiards & Snooker Federation
Al-Arabi Sports Club
Al Shaab Street
Doha
Qatar
www.qbsf.qa - facebook
www.alarabi.qa
www.wpa-pool.com - Twitter - facebook

Friday 29 July - Thursday 4 August 2016

All photography courtesy of �Richard Walker - used by Pro9 with express permission
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Expect plenty of drama and excitement as 128 of pool's best vie for the world title on the 25th anniversary of pool's biggest event.

The burning hot desert kingdom of Qatar is about to be set ablaze in sporting terms as the 25th edition of the WPA World 9-ball Championship breaks off July 30 at the Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha.

This will be the seventh straight year that the tiny Gulf country, through the government sanctioned Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation(QBSF), has put its full backing behind the sport of pool�s biggest and most important event. Once again 128 players from over 40 countries will clash to see who will be crowned the king of 9-ball pool.

In 24 previous editions dating back to 1990, the World 9-ball Championship has always provided the kind of nerve rattling drama that has captured the imagination of fans around the globe. It�s that kind of pressure cooker atmosphere that has always weeded out the pretenders to pool�s ultimate crown, and produced a veritable pantheon of pool greats.

On this silver anniversary of pool�s most anticipated event, we can take a moment to look back. A look down the list of past World 9-ball champions reads exactly like a who�s who of the sport. Multiple winners include the legendary Earl Strickland(1990, �91, �02), Johnny Archer(�92, �97), Taiwan�s Fong Pang Chao(�93, 2000), and Thorsten Hohmann(2003, �13).

Germany�s Ralf Souquet(�96) and Oliver Ortmann(�95), Finland�s Mika Immonen(�01), the Netherlands Niels Feijen(�14), the Philippines Alex Pagulayan(�04), Ronnie Alcano(�06), and Francisco Bustamante(�10) all cemented their status as giants of the game by winning the World 9-ball Championship.

The World 9-ball Championship is the event where Japan has often displayed it�s incredible pool talent with winners Takeshi Okumura (1994), Kunihiko Takahashi(1998 ) and Yukio Akagariyama(2011.)

And then there�s the incredible victories that have been etched into the minds of pool fans for all time; the Philippines Efren Reyes winning in 1999 and setting off a pool revolution in his home country; Taiwan�s Wu Chia Ching, only 16 years old, finding the courage to take 5 straight racks to win a seemingly impossible title(�05); England�s Daryl Peach somehow fending off an entire country in 2007, capturing glory in the Philippines against Filipino Roberto Gomez; England�s Darren Appleton blowing a seemingly insurmountable lead to China�s Li Heiwen, only to find the will to win a pressure packed one rack decider to win his first World 9-ball crown (2012.)

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