Women’s world number three Wei Tzu-Chien won the inaugural staging of the Women’s Saigon 9-Ball Open in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam following a 2-1 sets victory over Rubilen Amit.
Taiwanese star Wei overturned a one-set deficit in the final against the reigning women’s world champion, pocketing the $22,500 top prize and adding to her Soaring Eagle Masters win earlier this year.
Amit of the Philippines dominated the opening set 4-1 and she subsequently had the opportunity to win in straight sets, although the one ball rattled the pocket in the deciding rack of set two and that allowed Wei to restore parity.
With scores level at two each in the all-important set, Amit missed position on the four ball and failed to make contact with a rail when attempting a safety. That gifted Wei ball-in-hand and she followed it with a five-nine combination to move onto the hill.
A more unfortunate error halted Amit’s hopes as she scratched after an impressive pot on the one ball, and Wei made the no mistakes in clearing the table to seal one of her biggest titles.
Wei had beaten Indonesia’s Desi Aristia and Chen Chia-Hua during the double elimination phase, before defeating two-time girls world champion Hong Xin-Yu in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.
There, she battled back from a set behind and emerged through a dramatic shootout to deny Xu Xiaofang, following that by beating another Chinese world champion in Han Yu in straight sets.
Amit, meanwhile, beat Carmille Buhat, Jasmin Ouschan, Savannah Easton and Liu Shasha all in straight sets, with her only dropped set on her way to the final coming against Japan’s Yuki Hiraguchi in the opening round.
Filipina newcomer Buhat was beaten in her opening match by Mayte Ropero, although she won six straight matches to reach the semi-finals, notably overcoming women’s world number one Kristina Tkach in the last 16.
Attentions now turn to the lucrative Women’s World 10-Ball Championship in Bali, Indonesia for the world’s elite female players, with Tkach defending her title from October 8-12.
