SINGAPORE – Local pool players and fans can look forward to a lot more table action in this part of the world, as Matchroom Pool and Asian Pool Promotions (APP) announced the launch of the 2023 Nineball Asian Tour on Wednesday.
The tour will feature events in Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, with Nineball World Ranking points on offer. The Singapore leg could take place in the third quarter of the year.
Calling it a ground-breaking initiative to bring ranking events to Asia, APP director Christopher Chuah said: “The Nineball Asian Tour will undoubtedly boost nine-ball in Asia, as it will make the game more accessible and affordable for Asian pool players, and provide a much-needed catalyst to spur the growth of the sport and raise the standards of play among Asian players.”
Each event will carry a minimum US$10,000 (S$13,500) prize purse, with the highlight of the tour being a new major event – the US$200,000 Asian Open.
It will sit alongside Matchroom’s other nine-ball multi-table open events: The US Open, UK Open and European Open.
Matchroom Multi Sport managing director Emily Frazer said: “After watching the success of the Asian 9-Ball Open earlier this year in Singapore, I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of players competing, live spectators watching and viewers watching the stream on their phones and tablets.
“There is a huge demand for more of these events in the Far East, the local players are hungry for an Asian Tour – a lot of the lower-ranked players are not able to participate in all the global events due to the length of travel, and those who do, carry further strain both financially and mentally of always having to travel the longest and adjust the quickest with jet lag.
“Our Nineball World Rankings have only just begun, with our schedule growing every minute. Asia was a huge market we wanted to reach, and I am pleased to be working alongside the professional and creative team at APP.”
The Asian 9-Ball Open, won by Taiwanese Ko Pin-yi, was held in Singapore in August and was the first ranking event in Asia on the Nineball World Rankings.
Singapore’s top pool player, world No. 20 Aloysius Yapp welcomed the new Nineball Asian Tour.
The 26-year-old former world No. 1 said: “Travelling to the United States and Europe is quite tiring and expensive. Having an Asian Tour would make high-level competitions more accessible to Singapore players who may not have the resources to go so far overseas.
“With ranking points at stake, it is also good for Asian players like myself to maintain or climb the rankings, because otherwise it is hard to stay at the top because we may not always be around in the US or Europe to compete in every tournament.
“It is also an exciting development to grow the sport in Singapore and the region as fans and youngsters will be able to go watch the top players and be inspired to pick up a cue.”
Cuesports Singapore president Justin Lee added: “With more top level tournaments in our region, not only will we be able to field more athletes but our athletes will also have access to more top-level competitions on a regular basis to play in and improve from.”
