Defending champion Seo Seoa and 2023 winner Chou Chieh-Yu will collide in the 2026 Women’s World 9-Ball Championship final in Bali, Indonesia, having arranged a mouthwatering contest between two of the greatest female talents.
Whoever prevails on Sunday in the Emerald of the Equator will become the eighth multiple-time women’s world 9-ball champion, following in the footsteps of legendary figures that they once idolised and etching their names into the history books.
South Korean sensation Seoa could emulate Robin Bell, Allison Fisher, Liu Shasha and her fellow countrywoman Kim Ga-Young in successfully defending the prestigious title, while Chou would equal Liu Shin-Mei’s two titles and stake her claim of being Taiwan’s greatest female cueist.
Seoa was crowned world champion for the first time in December, narrowly denying Kristina Tkach in a shootout in a gripping final, and the 23-year-old has carried that momentum into her title defence, sweeping aside tough opposition with relative ease.
Having evolved into one of the finest female players, Seoa has showcased her capabilities during her path to the final. She has dropped just two sets in the whole tournament, dispatching opponents in the calibre of Chou Chia-Chia, Chiang Shui-Ching, Chezka Centeno and Wei Tzu-Chien.
Seoa’s semi-final performance was extraordinary as she compiled six break and runs in a tremendous 3-1 win over Wei, which followed her four break and runs in a resounding quarter-final win over two-time world 10-ball champion Centeno.
Chou will be conscious of how immaculately Seoa has been breaking the balls and clearing the table, although her safety play has been phenomenal and it certainly needed to be in gruelling business end wins over Huang Qingning and Chihiro Kawahara.
Despite Seoa having only lost a mere two sets, Chou has somehow bettered that, having only dropped a solitary set. Since surviving a shootout scare against local qualifier Kenny Chandra in her opening match, Chou has beaten Soledad Ayala, 2011 winner Bi Zhuqing, Silviana Lu, Huang and Kawahara in straight sets.
Former women’s number one Chou, the Women’s US Open champion in April, will have fond memories of encountering Seoa in major tournaments and has undoubtedly had her number in previous times, having won six of their eight meetings in significant events.
Chou inflicted two separate defeats on Seoa en route to winning this prestigious title for the first time in 2023 and most recently beat her in straight sets at the Saigon Open, with Seoa’s only wins coming during her title-winning Las Vegas Open and Spanish International Open campaigns.
Irrespective of her somewhat concerning record against the Taiwanese ace, Seoa will be a red-hot favourite to successfully defend her crown and follow in the footsteps of her mentor Kim Ga-Young in winning two world titles at just 23 years of age.
Prediction: 3-1 Seoa
