Women’s World 10-Ball: Rubilen Amit, Iris Ranola bow out

MANILA, Philippines—Southeast Asian Games bets Rubilen Amit and Iris Ranola tumbled out of the Women’s World 10-ball Championships Saturday night by dropping their matches to their Chinese Taipei foes at Robinsons Galleria.

Chen Tsai-pei ended Amit’s bid to regain the crown she won in 2009, ousting the top Filipino bet, 8-7, in the quarterfinals.

Ranola topped her bracket in the group stage but ran into the solid Lai Hui-shan, who prevailed, 8-4, in their round of 16 clash early in the day.

Chen tied the match at 6-6 but missed the 10-ball in the 13th rack. However, Amit bungled a bank shot to the corner as Chen went on the hill.

Amit made an incredible shot in the 14th rack to force a hill-hill finale that Chen clinched.

“I still feel happy. I’m glad to even reach 7-7 after having dry breaks all the time,” said Amit in Filipino. “Thank you very much for the support.”

Virtually climbing up the table for her shots, the diminutive Amit took the first two racks but Chen fought back to take the next two and level the race-to-8 match.

The tall and slender Chen went on to take a 5-3 lead but Amit rallied and finally regained the upperhand at 6-5.

“It’s a tough field and the favorites are falling one by one,” said the Southeast Asian Games double gold winner (9-ball and 8-ball singles) in 2009.

After booting out Ranola, Lai eliminated world No. 20 Allison Fisher of Great Britain, 8-4, in the round of 32.

Amit, the world’s No. 10 player, barged into the quarterfinals with an 8-4 demolition of Keiko Yukawa in the round of 16 played in the afternoon.

The 30-year-old Amit actually stormed to a 6-1 lead.

But she lost her focus in the 8th rack to allow the Japanese, who booted out defending champion Jasmin Ouschan, 8-7, in the round of 32, back in the match.

“I became too excited,” said Amit who could have finished the match earlier but missed the 10-ball using a bridge.

Yukawa stood up to take the rack for 7-3, and the next for 7-4, before Amit closed it out.

Chen made it to the quarters after an 8-6 upset of Doudou Zhou, the world No. 12 from China. Zhou had booted out Monica Webb of the United States, 8-6, who dealt Amit’s only loss in the group stage.

World No. 1 Simming Chen of China also had an early exit after losing to compatriot, No. 17, Sahsha Liu, 8-6, in the afternoon matches.

Also making it to the top 8 were world No. 3 Kim Ga-young, who eliminated Line Kjorsvik of Norway, 8-4, and World No. 7 Kelly Fisher of Great Britain, who routed Japanese No. 17 Akimi Kajitani, 8-2.

Chinese Yun Han and Zu Qing Bi gained the quarters by beating compatriots Xiao Fang Fu Chen, 8-6, and Jia Li, 8-4.