Kuwait’s Omar al-Shaheen stormed into the knockout stage of the World 9-ball Championship in Doha, after a massive upset of former champion Darren Appleton at the Al Arabi Sports Club yesterday.
Appleton, one of pool’s giants, was the heavy favourite, but the 23-year-old Kuwaiti played flawlessly and completely carefee, while the Brit couldn’t find the measure of the break shot and looked tight. Al-Shaheen won 9-5, putting Appleton out of the tournament, and himself in the money rounds of pool’s biggest event.
Al-Shaheen didn’t even have a spot in the tournament a few days ago. He entered the brutally tough qualifiers last week, reached the finals two times, only to lose to two top players. But as he was lamenting what could have been this year, he got the call that another player had dropped out and, as the leading point holder of the qualifiers, he got the very last spot in the World Championship.
Al-Shaheen then lost his very first match and was forced over to the losers’ side of his group bracket. But then the Kuwaiti found his groove, handily beating Sweden’s Marcus Chamat, to set up a showdown with Appleton. This time he was prepared for his moment.
“I think it’s good that I lost many times,” an ecstatic al-Shaheen said after disposing of Appleton. “In the qualifiers I lost three times, two of them in finals to very good players. In the group stages I lost my first match. So that’s four times. So now I can accept losing. And it was good practice. Today I just played my game and I was relaxed. Darren is a very good player and I feel very good right now.”
Another 31 players left the Al Arabi with similar wide grins yesterday as they booked their spots in the Final 64, which begins today. They join the 32 players who qualified on Sunday in what is a stellar field, ready to do battle over the next three days for pool’s most prestigious prize.
Leading the way, as usual, are the Taiwanese and the Filipinos. Taiwan brings 10 heavyweights into the knockout stages, including defending champion Ko Pin Yi, Chang Yu Lung and Chang Jun Lin. Filipino fans will have nine players to get behind including Dennis Orcollo, Warren Kiamco, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado, Jeffrey De Luna and Johann Chua. Filipino Alex Pagulayan, who won the World 9-ball crown in 2004, plays out of Canada and also made it through to the knockout rounds.
Play in the first day of the group stages begins today at 10am. All matches will now become race to 11, alternate break. The round of 64 and 32 will be played today itself. The round of 16 and quarter-finals will be played tomorrow. The semi-finals and final will be played on Thursday. The final will be a race to 13, alternate break.
The winner of the Championship will receive $40,000. The runner up will receive $20,000. The total prize fund is $200,000. The championship is being hosted by The Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation(QBSF), and is sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association, the governing body of the sport of pool.

Results
Group 1
Jeong Young Hwa (KOR) 9 – 1 Mazen Berjuai (LEB)
Mario He (AUT) 9 – 4 Waleed Majid (QAT)
Group 2
Karol Skowerski (POL) 9 – 8 Petri Makkonen (FIN)
Jeffrey Ignacio (PHL) 9 – 7 Francis Crevier (CAN)
Group 3
MD Alim (BAN) 9 – 8 Bruno Muratore (ITA)
Omar al-Shaheen (KUW) 9 – 5 Darren Appleton (GBR)
Group 4
Daryl Peach (GBR) 9 – 7 Antonio Gabica (PHL)
Roberto Gomez (PHL) 9 – 3 Francisco Sanchez (ESP)
Group 5
Artem Koshovoj (UKR)9 - 8 Luong Chi Dong (VIE)
Yang Ching Shun (TPE) 9 – 6 John Morra (CAN)
Group 6
Jeffrey De Luna (PHL) 9 – 1 Naoyuki Oi (JPN)
Ali M Saeed Hamzaa (ERI) 9 -7 Wang Can (CHN)
Group 7
Irsal Nasution (INA) 9 – 5 Imran Majid (GBR)
Dennis Orcollo (PHL)9 – 7 Christian Goetmann (GER)
Group 8
Abdul Rahman al-Amar (KSA) 9 – 8 Konard Juszczyszym (POL)
Jayson Shaw (GBR) 9 – 7 Justin Campbell (AUS)
Group 9
Niels Feijen (NED) 9 – 3 Shaun Wilke (USA)  
Satoshi Kawabata (JPE) 9- 7 Jalal Yousef (VEN)
Group 10
Ali Maghsoud (IRN) 9 – 7 Hiroshi Takenaka (JPN)
Mieszko Fortunski (POL) 9 - 5 Ruben Bautista (MEX)
Group 11
Wojciech Szewczyk (POL) 9 – 5 Skyler Woodward (USA)
Ralf Souquet (GER) 9 – 7 Oliver Ortmann (GER)
Group 12
Muhammad Bewi (INA) 9 – 4 Nick Van Den Berg (NED); Carlo Biado (PHL) 9 - 8 Hayato Hijikata (JPN)
Group 13
Oscar Dominguez (USA) 9 – 6 Ali al-Obaidli (QAT)
Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) 9 – 5 Ryu Ceung Woo (KOR)
Group 14
Yukio Akagariyama (JPN) 9 – 1 Marco Teutscher (NED); Shane Van Boening (USA) 9 - 3 Francisco Felicilda (QAT)
Group 15
Salah Eldeen al-Remawi (UAE) 9 – 5 Rogelio Selleca Sotero (PHL)
Chang Yu Lung (TPE) 9 – 3 Abdulla al-Shemmari (KSA)
Group 16
Cheng Yu Hsuan (TPE) 9 – 3 Joshua Filler (GER)
Ahmed Mohammad Salah (JOR) 9 – 5 Bashar
Hussain (QAT)