Kristina Tkach has been crowned a women’s world champion for the first time in her career following a five-set victory over Seo Seoa in a four-hour thriller in the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship final.
Having been a beaten semi-finalist in both recent editions of the Women’s World 9-Ball Championship, Tkach finally fulfilled her destiny, albeit in the 10-ball discipline, pocketing the lucrative $50,000 top prize in Puerto Rico.
It was South Korea’s Seoa who claimed a nervy opening set dominated by safety exchanges and she developed an opportunity to double her advantage, although a crucial scratch on the nine ball in the deciding rack of the second stanza allowed Tkach to restore parity.
All seven racks were played out in both the third and fourth sets, with Seoa capitalising on a missed one ball to lead 2-1 and move on the brink of success, only for 25-year-old Tkach to admirably overturn a two-rack deficit in the fourth to force a deciding set.
Moscow-born Tkach produced back-to-back break and runs on her way to winning the all-important set without response, before dropping to the floor with her head in her hands and releasing all the emotions from a gruelling battle.
Beforehand, Tkach had pulled off a 3-1 victory over former champion Jasmin Ouschan in the semi-finals, having already overcome Wei Tzu-Chien in straight sets and beaten Oliwia Zalewka, Mayte Ropero and Chiang Shui-Ching.
Seoa, meanwhile, achieved a statement semi-final victory over defending champion Chezka Centeno, having defeated Sofia Mast and Chihiro Kawahara in straight sets and edged past Kelly Fisher in winners’ qualification.
American teenager Mast enjoyed a breakthrough campaign on debut, beating Tina Vogelmann, Hung Meng-Hsia and Ouschan, before holding her nerve to win two sets in succession and deny Indonesia’s Silviana Lu and reach the quarter-finals.
