Women's World 10 Ball Championship Final

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Rubilen Amit(PHI) vs. Shin Mei Lu(TPE)

Well there couldn't have been a better final from the fan's point of view at the venue. The rivalry in the region between Taiwan and the Philippines as to which country produces better players is well known.

So a Filipina and a Taiwanese in the finals is an epic matchup. Especially the relatively inexperienced Rubilen Amit vs. double 9-ball World Champion Liu Shin Mei.

Right now Rubilen is running out to go up 6:2 but she ended up straight in on the 8. She plays with that Filipino trademark pump stroke - loose and deadly. I reported two years ago when she took second to China's Xiao Ting Pan in the Amway World Championships that she can PLAY.

Well Amit misses the nine ball trying to force the cue ball around the table. Shin Mei then misses the nine leaving Amit no shot - Amit plays a great safe banking the nine down table to hook Shin Mei. Shin Mei spin-kicks to leave Amit the sam shot on the other end of the table - Amit tries to play a soft safety and sells out. Shin Mei pockets the easy 9 and 10 to pull to 5:3 - that was a big swing game.

I am rooting for Rubilen this match and hope she holds it together. It's cool to see Bustamante in the front row rooting for his countrywoman.
 
Shin Mei breaks dry. Amit faces a tricky layout where the 5-7-9 are tied up. She gets an angle on the 4 to get to the cluster. But she is jacked up over the 8. Drains the four but loses speed so the cueball just drifts down to where she can see the five but has no shot.

She is jacking up to play a fouette safe. What is that you ask - just a tiny touch draw when jacked up. Amit locks it up. Shin Mei gives up ball in hand intentionally. Shin Mei didn't even try to get to the five and thought it didn't go anywhere. Amit shot it straight in. Looking good for the out here. Amit gets a good bump after shooting the seven, waves an apology to Shin Mei. As Jay said though nothign could have gone wrong on the shot anyway. Amit gets out for 6:3.
 
Amit makes a ball - has a shot on the one but the balls are clustered. - Amit has to stretch over the balls to shoot - they are playing that any touching of the balls is a foul. She makes the one and now can spin off the 2 with left spin to break up the cluster. She just nudges the cluster and may have just enough to make the three. It's close. Time is running out - makes the 3 but then comes up safe behind the seven. No she has to kick at the 4 - Amit soft kicks it and leaves Shin Mei a tricky cut that she drains to go around the table for shape on the 5.

Shin Mei is fairly straight on the 5 and has to force the cue ball forward and out for the 6 which she does and gets in line for the out. Gets straight in on the 8 and gets out easily.

6:4 Amit going to 10.
 
For the record a 30 second shot clock is pretty brutal in 10 ball. Everyone brags about how ten ball is harder and that the balls cluster more and yet they give them the same amount of time to figure out what to do as in nine ball. Pretty crappy to make the players labor under that constraint if you ask me.
 
Yes - watching it on Philiipine channel 23.

Shin Mei breaks dry and leaves Amit a shot but AMit overcuts it and leaves it long for Shin Mei. Shin Mei makes the one and breaks out the six and gets perfect position on the 2. The problems in the rack start with the six says Jay. Shin Mei comes up a little short on the 4 and is on the wrong side of it and can't avoid running into the 5. She moves the 7 and 9 into a combination position and comes up with a shot on the 5.

Wow - what kind of crap is this!!!! SHe shoots the five and the referee comes over AFTER she has shot the five and tells her that she took too long and gives Amit ball in hand.

30 seconds is way too short.
 
Amit misses the 7-9 combination and leaves Shin Mei with a tricky decision. She is going for a tough cut shot and misses it leaving Amit a bank on the 7 with a sidewall with the 9.

Amit dogs the bank very short - never threatens the pocket much less the nine - Shin Mei is jacked up over the eight with a long shot which she misses.

Amit is faced with a long 7-9 with the nine hanging and she makes it and gets shape on the 7. The rest should be easy - 10 ball in for a 7-4 lead.

7-4 Amit.
 
Amit to break - comes up dry and leaves a one four combo - not easy at this distance and Shin Mei flails at it and misses it. Amit shoot the 1 in the side and comes up where she can see the 2 - makes it in the corner and the the rack looks good from here - Amit looks like all the great Filipino players - calm and focused and lighthearted about it with a big flowing stroke.

Shin Mei looks a bit flustered

Amit is on the 7 makes it and lands a little too high on the 8 but she can make it - drains it and ends up long on the nine - needs to just roll the nine in and comes up perfect on the 10. GREAT OUT!!!

8-4 Amit.
 
Amit to break. Comes up dry on the break. Shin Mei is pushing out. Leaves the one ball long with the cue ball on the end rail. Very tough to make it and get position. Amit FIRES at it and misses leaving Shin Mei a hanger. Rubilen needs to take a lesson from One POcket and learn to PROTECT her lead. She could have played an easy safety instead of taking the low percentage shot.

Shin Mei makes the 1 and 2 and 3 and is facing a 5-8 combo if she makes the 4. Drills the four and forces the cue ball down table for the 5-8 - misses the combao but leaves the cueball and the five almost frozen.

Honestly I don't know when they start the shot clock but it seems as if the player barely gets to the table and the ref is calling "ten seconds left". Amit grazes the five to play safe. Shin Mei plays a half-masses and hooks Amit. Amit has to kick one-rail and try to play safe. Instead SHE calls the five in the side and KICKS TWO RAILS instead and make s it!!!!!

She apologizes to Shin Mei for making it but what a great call on Ruby's part. Now she is dead in line to get out. Man she comes up funny on the nine.

Off-angle and going away from the 10 - Amit drains it and has a very good shot on the 10 - deifinitely a nerve shot at this stage and she NAILS it!!!

9-4 Amit.
 
Amit makes the 6 on the break and has a shot on the 1. The table is fairly open and Amit gets shape on the 2 - still some work to do to get out here. She plays Efren pocket speed on the two - hits up the rail and still makes it so that she could hold the cue ball for shape on the 3 - 6 balls away from $20,000. Makes four and comes up middle of the table on the five. Got a backward cut on the seven - she needs to play a stop shot on the seven and drift over to the side rail - nails it perfectly - a little straight on the eight - she jacks up a little and over draws it to end up with a tough angle on the nine. Smiles like Efren!!!

Amit UNBELIEVEABLY drains a BACKWARD cut to thin the 9 into the side pocket and now id on the rail facing the match 10 ball! BREAK AND RUN OUT for the World Championships!

Congratulations RUBY!!!!
 
Great updates, thanks again!

Congrats Binkay on another Filipino(a) World Champion!
 
Congratulations also to her parents, Bobby and Amy who supported her all the way since she could hardly see the balls on the table. Congrats also to her coach Boyet Asonto and to all who had always believed in her.
 
Good job!

Congratulations Rubilen! Way to go girl! Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think Rubilen is now the first Filipina World Champion of billiards. Wow, she made history. Years of hard work and training has finally paid off.

She's maybe an unknown rookie in international competition BUT she is not a rookie on a pool table. She was born and raised in the pool halls of Manila with all the great champions and world beaters around her. She honed her skills playing against the best players in the world.
 
Thank you for all the great updates of this championship. When I was at the 9-Ball World's, the year that Julie Kelly won, I was impressed with Hsin Mei Liu's mastery of stroke and approach at the table like a man's.

However, she was off and on. We saw an upset in the making and some of my friends there (who shall remain nameless) called her She May Lose, which she certainly did.

With all her firepower, she was inconsistent and I would have loved to have seen her play Rubilen in these Finals. Sounds like it was a great match. I wish her every success in her bright future!
 
Hsin Mei didn't make too many mistakes. She didn't give it away - Rubilen took command and took the championship convincingly. Rubilen matched Hsin Mei safe for safe, jump for jump, and kick for kick, and when it came to the clutch run run outs she performed like a stone cold Champion.

Rubilen is very down to earth and humble and when she gets on the table she has the classic Filipino demeanor - loose, easy going, seemingly unflappable, like it's a walk in the park. I personally love to watch her play. She showed a lot of heart here to keep it together and calm her nerves and just flat out play some really great pool.
 
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