World Cup of Pool 2015 Results: Tuesday Scores, Updated Schedule and More
Debutants Romania caused a massive shock on the opening day of the 2015 World Cup of Pool, beating eighth-seeded China 7-4 in the afternoon session at London's iconic York Hall. Korea narrowly beat Malaysia, while France produced a minor upset, eliminating Canada.
England A got their title defence off to a winning start during the evening session, beating Australia 7-5, but Germany followed China through the exit door with a shocking 7-3 loss against Indonesia. Meanwhile, Austria beat Peru 7-5.
The sport's biggest doubles tournament of the calendar is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a packed lineup filled with former champions. Teams will play Scotch doubles and race to nine racks, with the exception of the final, where more racks are required, and the first round, which is a race to seven.
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Here's a look at Tuesday's results, as well as the upcoming schedule:
| September 22 | Afternoon Session | Korea (16) | 7-6 | Malaysia |
| September 22 | Afternoon Session | China (8) | 4-7 | Romania |
| September 22 | Afternoon Session | Canada (12) | 6-7 | France |
| September 22 | Evening Session | Germany (9) | 3-7 | Indonesia |
| September 22 | Evening Session | England A (1) | 7-5 | Australia |
| September 22 | Evening Session | Austria (5) | 7-5 | Peru |
| September 23 | Afternoon Session | Poland (13) | TBD | New Zealand |
| September 23 | Afternoon Session | Taiwan (4) | TBD | Estonia |
| September 23 | Afternoon Session | Japan (14) | TBD | Italy |
| September 23 | Evening Session | USA (6) | TBD | Qatar |
| September 23 | Evening Session | Holland (3) | TBD | India |
| September 23 | Evening Session | Philippines (2) | TBD | Russia |
| September 24 | Afternoon Session | Spain (11) | TBD | Czech Republic |
| September 24 | Afternoon Session | Finland (10) | TBD | Belgium |
| September 24 | Afternoon Session | Greece (7) | TBD | Singapore |
| September 24 | Evening Session | England B (15) | TBD | Sweden |
Tuesday Recap
Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes nearly suffered a shock first-round exit during their evening session match against Australia, with Robby Foldvari and Chris Calabrese grabbing a quick 5-4 lead. The defending champions rallied in time to avoid becoming the third favourite to lose in the first round but gladly acknowledged they were “relieved” once the match was over:
Both teams were very solid when it came to potting the ball, but Appleton and Boyes eventually took control through superior ball placement, showing they know each other through and through.
Before England A took to the table, the evening session had already produced its first major upset. Former champions Germany couldn't get anything going, missing several easy pots and frequently losing control of the cue ball, and Indonesia took full advantage, comfortably advancing to the next round with a 7-3 win.
Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann were expected to contend for the title in 2015, but Indonesia's Muhammad Simanjuntak and Irsal Nasution played with remarkable aggression, and their tactics paid off early, as they managed to put together several impressive breaks.
Indonesia will face Romania in the next round in a battle of pool minnows, meaning at least one Cinderella story is set to continue until at least the final eight. In the evening session's final match, Peru lost to Austria 7-5.
Li Hewen and Liu Haitao of China entered the tournament among the favourites to win this year's title, which would have been the team's third in the last decade, but Romania's Babken Melkonyan and Ioan Ladanyi immediately caused one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history in the afternoon session, beating the Asian giants, 7-4.
As reported by sports writer John Dobson, Romania only made the tournament as qualifiers:
The debutants took a quick 4-0 lead, shocking the fans in attendance, and while Hewen and Haitao fought back late in the match, producing some of their finest pool, Melkonyan and Ladanyi kept their cool.
Melkonyan in particular impressed with his positional play, a key factor in Scotch doubles, and after the match, he told reporters how a lack of mistakes was key to the win:
Scotch doubles can move very fast, as a team can be severely hampered if one of the members struggles to control the cue ball, and nowhere was that more obvious than in the first match of the day.
Korea, the 16th seed, took a quick 5-0 lead over Malaysia and looked certain to progress in near-record time, but Jeong Young Hwa and Ryu Seung Wu lost their composure and allowed Malaysia back into the match.
Led by the prolific Ibrahim Bin Amir, unseeded Malaysia managed to close the gap entirely, to the delight of competitive wheelchair pool player Matthew Lester:
Korea would eventually pull through after a decider and will be joined in the next round by the French duo of Stephan Cohen and Alex Montpelier, who eliminated Canada's Jason Klatt and John Morra in a decider.
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