| MANILA—Filipina cue artist Rubilen Amit became the first ever two-time women’s world pool title holder on Monday evening, when she defeated 2011 champion Kelly Fisher from Britain.
With the win, Ms. Amit joins Efren Reyes and Ronnie Alcano as the Philippines’ only two-time world champions in pool, and emerges from a slump that had kept her from the limelight she basked in five years ago. That was when she won her first women’s world championship crown, in 2009, at the inaugural edition of the Yalin Women’s World 10-Ball Championship. The race-to-10 finals, which were held this year at Resorts World in Manila, saw Ms. Amit trailing Ms. Fisher 0-2 early in the match. She would have dropped 0-3 if not for a double-rail shot that sent the 9 ball – which was hidden behind the 10 ball – into to the corner pocket, a shot that she had to call as per 10-ball rules. The 30-year-old Ms. Amit, who has been playing since the mid-1990s, has racked up several gold medals for pool in the Southeast Asian Games. Despite the weak start on Monday and errors that gave Ms. Fisher a back two-game lead at 6-4, Ms. Amit eventually found the form that has produced her past victories. Eventually she leveled the score at 6-6, then won the last three games thanks in part to Ms. Fisher’s errors, which included her sinking the five ball in the corner instead of the side pocket, as she had called. Ms. Amit secured the crown with a 10-7 margin. “I’m very happy because I’ve been in a slump for the longest time,” Ms. Amit said during a post-match interview aired live on television. “I was thinking ‘Just give me a chance. If there’s a chance, I’ll do my best.’” Ms. Amit’s best earned her the title, and $21,000. Ms. Fisher pocketed $10,000. Forty-eight international players participated in the tournament. Ms. Amit was the only Filipino left in contention after the group stages and was wildly cheered on by Filipino fans. She reached the finals via a come-from-behind win over Taiwan’s Tsai Pei Chen in a semifinals match earlier on Monday. |
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