Stage Set For Singapore Finale
The 2017 Eden World Women’s Championship reaches its climax tomorrow with the semi-finals and final to be played in Singapore.
Following nearly a week of action at the Lagoon Billiard Room, the 32 players who began the week have now been reduced to just four, with three of last year’s semi-finalists making it through to the semi-finals again in 2017.
The top half of the draw will see a repeat of the 2014 and 2016 finals, with defending champion Reanne Evans and 2015 winner Ng On Yee to face each other in a blockbuster match.
The world’s top two ranked players made it through in contrasting styles, Evans first progressing as a 4-1 winner against Siriphaporn Nuanthakhamjan, despite a 51 break from the Thai in the second frame to level at 1-1. On Yee meanwhile had to come back from 3-2 down to win the last two frames against another player from Thailand’s Waratthanun Sukritthanes, a break of 64 in the sixth frame proving to be crucial as she turned the match around.
In the bottom section, Rebecca Granger is through to the semi-finals for the second time in her career following a 4-1 victory against India’s Varshaa Sanjeev. The Keighley potter made a fast start to take the opening two frames, before adding two of the next three to get over the line. Having joined the WLBS circuit little over a year ago, Granger is now set to break into the world’s top eight for the first time following this tournament and will now be eyeing a place in her first World Championship final.
If she is to make it there, she will have to overcome further opposition from India in the form of Vidya Pillai, who took out seventh seed Katrina Wan 4-1 in the quarter-finals. Wan made a fine clearance from the green to steal the third frame, but that was to be as good as it got for the Hong Kong player as Pillai took the remaining frames to set up a semi-final match with Granger.
On Saturday, Amee Kamani defeated Nutcharut Wongharuthai 4-2 to win the Challenge Cup event. Having come through their respective semi-finals against Tan Bee Yen (3-1), and Chitra Magimaraj (3-0), earlier in the day, the pair faced off to win the secondary competition in Singapore.
It was Kamani who made the stronger start by taking the opening two frames, before Wongharuthai responded to draw level at 2-2. The Thai however would ultimately have to settle for the silver medal as Kamani won the last two frames to seal a 4-2 victory and take home the trophy.
The semi-finals will take place simultaneously from 10:00am on Sunday morning, with the winners due to face off at 4:00pm over the best of 11 frames. You will be able to watch a live stream of the final here courtesy of Sport Singapore.
