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PLAYERS RESUME CAMPAIGN AS GUINNESS 9-BALL TOUR 2007 ACTION BEGINS IN SHANGHAI

Aug 02 2007, Shanghai:  Witness history in the making as ESPN STAR Sports, Asia's number one broadcaster, brings all the intense pool action and drama to the city known as the "Queen of the Orient". This will be the first time Shanghai will be hosting a leg of the 2007 Guinness 9Ball Tour to be held at the Excelle room of the majestic Shanghai Hotel on Aug 03 – 05, 2007 . Fans of the sport can expect the world class 9ball competition intensify with 24 of the region's best players raring to see action as they chase for points to qualify for the much-awaited Grand Final in Bali.

The players draw conducted today proved to be a preview of a great tournament weekend with the most pressure falling on the shoulders of reigning Philippine national champion Lee Vann Corteza, Japan 's top ranked cue artist Naoyuki Oi, and Hong Kong 's Au Chi Wai. The three players are currently tied for tenth place with 80 ranking points in the Tour Order of Merit – the final qualifying spot for the Bali Grand Final. Such a tightly contested position would mean neither one of them can afford any lapses in concentration during the three day tournament organized by ESPN STAR Sports.

Adding excitement to the mix is a list of determined Asian pool masters who still have a chance to shoot up the ranks given that they manage to orchestrate a flawless and consistent execution of their game.

Leading the charge for the Grand Final hopefuls and proudly representing the Chinese contingent is 2006 World Pool Championship semi-finalist Li He-Wen who has 50 points and is ranked 20th. Joining the bespectacled Li in the hunt is a rising star from the Philippines Roberto Gomez( 60 points), Jimmy Jusman of Indonesia (75 points), Singapore's 2003 SEA games 9ball gold medalist Chan Keng Kwang (70 points), and standout cueist from Malaysia Patrick Ooi (70 points).

Still, with the Shanghai leg champion christened with 70 tour points, even competitors in the lower brackets have a chance of making it to the much awaited finale which proves all the more that this weekend's competition will be tighter than ever as all competitors, including the seemingly untouchable Chinese-Taipei squad, are aiming to cement their right for the Bali inclusion.

Chinese-Taipei so far has dominated the 2007 edition of the annual nation hopping event with twin wins coming from the young Chang Jung-Lin at the inaugural leg in Jakarta and Genting Highlands leg and Yang Ching-Shun winning in front of his home crowd in Kaohsiung and at the recently concluded Singapore stop.

In Group E, Corteza will be in a fight for his life against former world champion Chao Fong Pang and Nitiwat Kanjanasri of Thailand. "KK" Chan, in Group H will need to be on top-form if he wants to advance past Taiwan's newest threat Chang Jung-Lin and Patrick Ooi while Naoyuki Oi of Japan will have his fate on his hands as he opens up his campaign against current double world champion Ronato Alcano in Group F. Likewise, Au Chi Wai needs to be at his best as he is bracketed together with Jusman and Taiwan's pool phenom Wu Chia-Ching. Li, China's best hope for the Top Ten, will be testing his pocketing skills against two players also looking to escape the bubble of elimination, Gomez and Bernard Tey of Singapore.

ESPN STAR Sports dedicates 15 hours of live and exclusive coverage for this thrilling leg. Telecast of Asia's premier pool competition will be carried LIVE on STAR Sports with fifteen hours of exhilarating competition from 3 to 5 August. Broadcast times are as follows:

Fri,  03 August, 2007                         from 5.00 pm (HKT)       Preliminaries (3 Matches)
Sat, 04 August, 2007                        from 12.00pm (HKT)      Quarterfinals (4 Matches)
Sun,05 August, 2007                         from 12:00pm (HKT)      Semi-finals & Finals (3 Matches)
(Competition on Friday will start at 11am; TV Schedules subject to change without prior notice)

For more information on the Tour, please check out www.guinness9balltour.com . For the latest schedules and program information on ESPN STAR Sports, catch us on the net at www.espnstar.com.

The Guinness 9Ball Tour is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU) and organized by ESPN STAR Sports' Event Management Group (EMG). Guinness is the title sponsor for the Tour. The local sanctioning body is the Chinese Billiards & Snooker Association. Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Brunswick Metro provides the official pool table while Predator is the official cue. The Official Venue is the Shanghai Hotel.STAR Sports is the official broadcaster while SMG is the official Broadcast Partner.

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