Amit survives first round grind

RP bet Rubilen Amit defeated one Japanese but fell to another although she remained in the hunt in the $30,000 Enerva Asian 9-ball Tour Ladies Championship which got underway at the Robinson’s Galleria yesterday.

Amit, 24, trounced former All-Japan champion Kyouko Sone, 9-3, in the first round but fell to Chihiro Kawahara, 4-9, two hours later in the first day of action of the three-day, 32-player double-elimination format participated in by some of the world’s top women cue artists.

"No excuses, she (Kawahara) played really good," said a dejected Amit, a double gold medallist in last year’s 23rd Southeast Asian Games, in Filipino.

"I committed errors that she converted into points. I was also unlucky with the ball," she added.

Another local bet, Iris Ranola, dropped a heartbreaking 7-9 first round setback to Pei Chun Lin of Chinese Taipei in a game she should have won.

Joining Amit in the main draw after surviving the tough qualifying round, Ranola took the first four racks behind superb shotmaking but crumbled under pressure that saw her drop nine of the next 13 racks to lose the match.

Ranola was playing with Suhana Dewi of Malaysia at presstime, needing a victory to stay in contention in the event which offers $10,000 (P550,000) for the champion.

Amit, who finished in 24th in the tough World Pool Championship in Chinese Taipei early in the year, was relegated to loser’s bracket and will take on another Japanese Akimi Kajitani in today’s resumption of play at the Fountain Area and Paeng’s Bowling Lanes.

"I’ll still play my usual game and play to win," said Amit.

Joining Kawahara in the group of unbeaten players were Chinese Taipei’s Jui Fang Fan and Yuan Chun Lin and Japan’s Masami Nouchi.

Jui trounced compatriot Hsiang Ling Tan, 9-4, to set up an interesting duel with Kawahara while Yuan smothered Shu Han Chang also of Chinese Taipei, 9-0, and Nouchi downed countrywomen Mika Muneta, 9-6, to set their own clash.

Back-to-back world champion Ga Young Kim had a sluggish start, edging Chinese Taipei’s Chieh Yu Chou, 9-7. Ga tackles Japanese Sakiko Namiki, a 9-8 winner over Singaporean Hoe Shu Wah.

The other undefeated players were Jennifer Chen, Shu Pin Kao and Ya Ling Chen of Chinese Taipei, Keiko Yukawa of Japan and Vuthidhan Kongkaket of Thailand.