Chao Fong Pang then beat his compatriot Lu Hui Chan 9-3 in the last quarterfinal match of the day.  Experience and patience explained why Chao won, going o­n to make his first appearance in the semifinal of the tour.

Featuring a field with 8 of the world’s top-50 players, the competition this weekend also provides the opportunity for the 32 participating players to garner qualifying points towards the World Pool Championships in July.  The tour is the o­nly ranking event in Asia for players to qualify to the World Pool Championships.

Adding to the stakes will be a prize money purse of US$50,000 up for grabs this weekend and o­n each subsequent stop of the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour:Hong Kong (April 17-18), Taipei (May 7-9) and Manila (May 29-30). The main draw includes players from 11 countries/regions in Asia.

For all information o­n the tour, please check out www.asian9-balltour.com. For the latest schedules and program information o­n ESPN STAR Sports, catch us o­n the net at www.espnstar.com.

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