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THE 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters will see the strongest line-up of players in the tournament's 17-year history.

For the first time, 64 of the best male and female players from around the world will be competing over five days in a bid to win the $20,000 first prize.

Taking place at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from Wednesday, May 12 to Sunday, May 16 the Masters features 40 invited stars of the game as well as 24 qualifiers from around the world.

Collectively the field holds 27 WPA World Championships, 15 US Open titles and 15 Masters wins between them, and in addition there are 23 Mosconi Cup players in attendance.

“This is the strongest field imaginable and whoever wins the Masters this year will be carrying off a title every bit as impressive as a world championship,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn.

“All the big names from America, Europe and the Philippines will be there and there will also be qualifiers from some of the lesser pool nations who have fought tooth and nail to make it to Vegas.

“Darren Appleton will have a big job on his hands to defend his Masters title, and it is going to take a real fighter to win this tournament. Any one of about 35 players has a realistic chance of carrying it off."

The number of players has risen from 16 in previous years to 64 in 2010 and there are 11 players representing American hopes including the likes of Johnny Archer, Earl Strickland, Shane Van Boening, Dennis Hatch, Rodney Morris and Corey Deuel.

The next biggest contingent comes from the Philippines with possibly the strongest ever gathering of Pinoy sharpshooters on US soil. Reyes, Bustamante, Alcano, Orcollo and Pagulayan are just five of the eight Filipinos and no one would bet against a Masters win from one of them.

The third biggest representation comes from the country that has made the most ground over the past few years – England. Now arguably the strongest nation in Europe, they will be represented by reigning Masters Champion Darren Appleton, World 8 Ball Champ Karl Boyes and World 9 Ball Champion Daryl Peach who are just three of the big guns from across the water.

Elsewhere, Germany has Ralf Souquet, Thorsten Hohmann, Thomas Engert and Oliver Ortmann flying the flag, and there are plenty of strong players from across Europe and Asia vying for the title.

After 17 years as a 16-player invitational competition, the Masters, one of the longest established tournaments in pool, has moved to 64 players. The first two days of the main event in May feature double elimination play on a multi-table set-up as the field reduces down to 32.

The event then goes to single elimination and the last 16 is played out in a single table arena setting in front of the TV cameras, culminating in the final on the evening of Sunday, May 16. Television is produced by Matchroom Sport and will be seen as 15 x one hour programmes in 14 countries around the world with more to be added to the list.

The Masters offers a $100,000 prize-fund with $20,000 going to the eventual champion.

The players
Australia - Ben Nunan
Austria - Jasmin Ouschan
Belgium - Noel Bruynooghe
Brunei - Ahmad Taufiq
Canada - Tyler Edey, John Morra
England - Darren Appleton, Karl Boyes, Allison Fisher, Mark Gray, Imran Majid, Daryl Peach, Kevin Uzzell
Finland - Mika Immonen
Germany - Thomas Engert, Thorsten Hohmann, Oliver Ortmann, Ralf Souquet
Holland - Niels Feijen, Huidji See
India - Raj Hundal
Indonesia - Ricky Yang, Muhammad Zulfikri
Japan - Toru Kuribayashi, Naoyuki Oi
Korea - Yu Ram Cha, Ga Young Kim
Malta - Tony Drago
Norway - Tron Engebakk
Philippines - Ronnie Alcano, Francisco Bustamante, Roberto Gomez, Marlon Manalo, Dennis Orcollo, Alex Pagulayan, Efren Reyes, Lee Van Corteza
Poland - Radoslaw Babica, Bartosz Rozwadowski
Russia - Ruslan Chinakhov
Scotland - Jayson Shaw
Spain - David Alcaide, Carlos Cabello
Sweden - Marcus Chamat
Taiwan - Ko Pin-yi, Kuo Po Cheng, Lo Li-wen
Ukraine - Evgeni Novosad
USA - Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Ernesto Dominguez, Oscar Dominguez, David Grau, Dennis Hatch, Rodney Morris, John Schmidt, Earl Strickland, Shane Van Boening, Charlie Williams (USA)
Vietnam - Do Hoang Quan, Luong Chi Dung

There is one more wildcard to be invited and there are two more qualifying spots available in the all-day event at Pool Sharks in Las Vegas on Tuesday 11th May. Further details can be obtained from info@matchroom.com

Working in conjunction with Cuesports International, the Masters takes place during the annual BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships, which sees thousands of players and fans flock to the Riviera for a lengthy festival of pool.

Date posted: April 28, 2010

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