Yang Defends Hometown With Kaohsiung Victory

Yang Defends Hometown With Kaohsiung VictoryBy InsidePOOL StaffIf Ching-Shun Yang were relying on mathematics to predict when he might win a leg on the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour, then he knew that the third stop would be his for the taking. After finishing third/fourth in the tour's opener in Singapore, Yang came in second at Jakarta, and on May 1, he lassoed victory in his hometown of Kaohsiung.Yang's climb toward his third-career San Miguel win was aided by the upsets of
However, the second-round was less kind to the top competitors. The 50-year-old Reyes couldn't find his groove against Malaysian Ibrahim Bin Amir, who staked to a 3-0 lead out of the gates. Amir steadily grew his lead to five before Reyes staged his comeback. But down 7-6, the Jakarta leg champ blew an opportunity to set up a 9-ball combination, forcing him to play a safety. Amir countered by banking home the 4 and running out the rack to reach the hill at 8-6. In the fifteenth rack, the Malaysian closed out the match with a 4-9 combo, sending himself to the quarterfinals to face Kawabata. In the meantime, local favorites Yang and Pei-Wei Chang did not disappoint, as they both disposed of their second-round opponents to reach the final eight. Yang later said that the pressure was off once the top Filipinos were ousted. "After the Filipinos were eliminated, I was pretty confident that I could win the title."After victories in the quarterfinals, Yang, Kunihiko Takahashi, Chi-Wai Au, and Kawabata formed the final four of the third leg. Takahashi and Au matched up on one table, while Kawabata and Yang did battle on the other, and neither match did much to disappoint.Both matches were tight from the start, but Yang was able to run away with the win 11-6, while Au had to edge out his victory 11-9, setting up the final match. The 27-year-old Kaohsiung native came out firing, as he shot to a quick four-rack lead. "After going four to zero, I became more relaxed," he said.Au managed to cut into the lead, but scratches in Games 8, 10, and 11 seemed to spell the end for the Hong Kong player. Down 10-2, Au was able to tally one more rack, only delaying Yang's triumphant run to victory in the fourteenth rack. After his win, Yang said it was special to be able to do it at home. "I really wanted to win at home. I also appreciate the fans for not bothering me that much during the tournament so I was able to practice hard and focus," he shared. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

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