After a somewhat disappointing year, Singapore pool player Aloysius Yapp has exceeded expectations by entering the quarter-finals of the World Nine-ball Championship in Doha, Qatar on Friday.

The 19-year-old, ranked 43rd in the world but unseeded for the elite tournament, edged out Greek Alexander Kazakis 11-10 in the last 16 and will face China's Wu Jiaqing next at Doha's Al Arabi Sports Club.

Compatriot Toh Lian Han lost to David Alcaide of Spain 7-11 in the round of 32 on Thursday, while another Singaporean Goh Chin Teck exited the competition on Wednesday after an 11-3 defeat by Finnish pro Mika Immonen in the last 64 - the first knockout round.

Yapp won the nine-ball World Junior Pool Championships in Shanghai last November but crashed out in the quarter-finals in the SEA Games on home ground in June.

He finished third at the Asian Nine-ball Championship in Taipei a month later.