Manila World 10-Ball tilt draws record 44 countries

A RECORD number of 44 countries, represented by 128 of the best pool players in the world, will take part in the 2011 WPA World Ten-Ball Championship which starts on May 10 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Aside from the traditional pool superpowers — Great Britain, Germany, the United States, China, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines — the WPA and the host country will also welcome several countries for the first time into the competition.

Among them are Peru, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Norway, Uruguay, Croatia, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

All 128 participants are either national champions, winners of regional and international tournaments, or reigning and former world champions.

Mika Immonen of Finland, who won the world 10-ball title in 2009, will defend his crown fresh from his victory in the US 10-ball Masters last March.

But he faces a formidable array of challengers that include Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines, winner of this year’s WPA World 8-ball Championship; Thorsten Hohmann of Germany, winner of the 2011 Philippine Open in April; Filipino Antonio Lining, No. 1 ranked billiards player in the world; Chang Jun Lin of Chinese Taipei, winner of the recent Beijing Open; Ralf Souquet, world champion in 8-ball and 9-ball; Darren Appleton, winner of the inaugural WTBC in Manila in 2008 and Wu Chia-Ching, double world champion in 8-ball and 9-ball. /Correspondent MARLON BERNARDINO