2012 WPA World Nine-ball Championship

The 2012 WPA World Nine-ball Championship (sometimes called the World Pool Championship 2012) was a professional nine-ball pocket billiards (pool) championship, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) and organised by Matchroom Sport. It was held from June 22 to 29 in Doha, Qatar, hosted by the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation. Qualifying tournaments were held from June 20 to 22, with the Al Sadd Sports Club hosting both qualifying and final tournaments.

WPA World 9-Ball Championship 2012
Tournament information
SportNine-ball
LocationQatar Billiards and Snooker Federation
Doha, Qatar
DatesJune 22, 2012–June 29, 2012
Tournament
format(s)
Double elimination / Single Elimination
Host(s)WPA World Nine-ball Championship
Participants128
Final positions
Champion Darren Appleton
Runner-up Li Hewen

British Darren Appleton won the championship defeating China's Li Hewen 13–12 in the final.[1] It was Appleton's second world title after having won the 2008 10-ball World Championship and his first world title in 9-ball. Defending champion Yukio Akakariyama was defeated in the round of 32, by future champion Thorsten Hohmann. A total of US$276,000 in prize money was distributed for the tournament, with the World Champion receiving $40,000.[1]

Format
Efren Reyes playing at the event.

The 128 participating players were divided into 16 groups, in which they competed in a double elimination tournamen against each other. The remaining 64 players in each group qualified for the final round played in the knockout system.[2] The event was played under the alternating break format.[3]

Prize Money

The event's prize money stayed similar to that of the previous years, with winner Darren Appleton winning $40,000.[1]

PositionPrize
First Place (Champion)$40,000
Second Place (Runner-Up)$20,000
Third Place (Semi-finalist$12,000
Fifth place (quarter finalist)$8,000
Ninth place (loser in round of 16)$5,000
Seventeenth place (loser in round of 32)$3,500
Thirty Third (loser in round of 64)$2,000

Tournament Summary

The event was played in the alternating break format.[3] In the event's semi-finals, Li Hewen defeated Germany's Ralf Souquet, 11-6, whereas Darren Appleton defeated Japan's Naoyuki Ōi 11-7.[4] In the final, Appleton would take a heavy lead, moving to 9-2 in front, and later 11-3 in a race to 13. Li would make a comeback, to 12-6, before Appleton had the opportunity to win the tournament with an open table in the 19th rack.[5] Appleton would Snooker himself with just four balls left on the table, and Li would win the next 6 racks to make the tournament reach a decisive rack.[5]

Appleton would win the decisive frame, jump up onto the table, lifting his cue above his head. Appleton commented after the event that he was thinking "I can't lose, he needs a miracle" and, that at 12-10, he "started feeling the heat."[5]

Finals
Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter Finals Semi Finals Final
            
Ralf Souquet 11
Nick Malai 4
Ralf Souquet 11
Jonny Martinez 7
Jonny Martinez 11
Takashi Uraoka 8
Ralf Souquet 11
Bruno Muratore 4
Fu Che-wei 11
Andrea Klasovic 4
Fu Che-wei 9
Bruno Muratore 11
Jayson Shaw 6
Bruno Muratore 11
Ralf Souquet 11
Nick van den Berg 9
Aki Heiskanen 5
Hsu Kai-lun 11
Hsu Kai-lun 8
Dennis Orcollo 11
Andrew Kong 8
Dennis Orcollo 11
Dennis Orcollo 6
Nick van den Berg 11
Nick van den Berg 11
Marlon Caneda 6
Nick van den Berg 11
Han Haoxiang 9
Han Haoxiang 11
Israel Rota 8
Ralf Souquet 6
Li Hewen 11
Lee Van Corteza 11
Serge Das 4
Lee Van Corteza 5
Mika Immonen 11
Tony Drago 10
Mika Immonen 11
Mika Immonen 9
Antonio Gabica 11
Antonio Gabica 11
Mario He 7
Antonio Gabica 11
Yang Ching-shun 9
Vincent Facquet 4
Yang Ching-shun 11
Antonio Gabica 10
Li Hewen 11
Majed Alazmi 8
Khaled al-Mutairi 11
Khaled al-Mutairi 6
Omar al-Shaheen 11
Chang Yu-Lung 10
Omar al-Shaheen 11
Omar al-Shaheen 9
Li Hewen 11
John Morra 11
Elvis Calasang 7
John Morra 8
Li Hewen 11
Jason Klatt 9
Li Hewen 11
Li Hewen 12
Darren Appleton 13
Carlo Biado 10
Naoyuki Ōi 11
Naoyuki Ōi 11
Chang Jung-Lin 3
Chang Jung-Lin 11
Joven Alba 2
Naoyuki Ōi 11
Thorsten Hohmann 9
Thorsten Hohmann 11
Badr al-Awadi 4
Thorsten Hohmann 11
Yukio Akakariyama 9
Thomas Engert 9
Yukio Akakariyama 11
Naoyuki Ōi 11
Karl Boyes 9
Karl Boyes 11
Do The Kien 9
Karl Boyes 11
Chao Fong-Pang 8
Francisco Bustamante 6
Chao Fong-Pang 11
Karl Boyes 11
Dominic Jentsch 10
Manuel Gama 6
Dominic Jentsch 11
Dominic Jentsch 11
Efren Reyes 10
Efren Reyes 11
Toh Lian Han 6
Naoyuki Ōi 7
Darren Appleton 11
Roberto Gomez 4
Liu Haitao (pool player) 11
Liu Haitao (pool player) 8
N. Ekonomopoulos 11
N. Ekonomopoulos 11
Ryu Seung-woo 5
N. Ekonomopoulos 8
Darren Appleton 11
Matthew Edwards 11
Tōru Kuribayashi 7
Matthew Edwards 10
Darren Appleton 11
Darren Appleton 11
Mateusz Śniegocki 5
Darren Appleton 11
Ko Pin-yi 9
Konstantin Stepanow 11
Ryoji Hori 5
Konstantin Stepanow 3
Jundel Mazon 11
Ronato Alcano 9
Jundel Mazon 11
Jundel Mazon 9
Ko Pin-yi 11
Daryl Peach 9
Lo Li-wen 11
Lo Li-wen 10
Ko Pin-yi 11
Ko Pin-yi 11
Huidji See 6

Grand Final
PlayerLagRackRacks
won
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
Darren Appleton•13
Li Hewen12

References
  1. "WPA World 9-Ball Championship 2012". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  2. "2002 WPA World Pool Championship" (PDF). csns.ca. Cue Sports Nova. July 18, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  3. "The Gang of Four Goes for Glory at World 9-Ball Championship". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  4. "Appleton and Lee Fight For World 9-Ball Supremacy". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  5. "Its Dynamite in Doha". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
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