November 7, 2023
SINGAPORE – A new cue, as well as renewed focus, proved a winning combination for Singapore’s top pool player Aloysius Yapp, as he pocketed back-to-back titles on the World Nineball Tour (WNT) in a fortnight.
His first victories on the tour come amid the threat of a ban from World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) tournaments by the international governing body, which could result in him losing world ranking points and Sport Singapore’s Sport Excellence Scholarship.
That mattered little on the pool table, as the 27-year-old capped an outstanding stint in Virginia, the United States, first clinching the US$52,000 (S$70,170) Battle of the Bull tournament on Oct 29 before winning the US$114,000 International Open last Saturday.
Across 10 days of competition, he defeated several top-10 players from the feuding WPA and Matchroom’s WNT.
Yapp, who also finished joint-third in the 10-Ball Challenge at the International Open, told The Straits Times: “I’m happy and grateful to secure my first WNT titles with back-to-back wins.
“I’m not too concerned about the politics behind the scenes because my job is to play my best pool and try to win. It’s always nice to beat the big names but, at this level, everyone is tough.
“So, when I’m at the table, I’m focused on playing my own game instead of who I’m up against.”
At the Wolf’s Den Billiards in Roanoke, Yapp was in red-hot form at the inaugural Battle of the Bull event, beating Filipino Roberto Gomez 9-6 and illustrious Mosconi Cup players Skyler Woodward (9-7) and Shane Van Boening (9-4) – who are 15th and second in the WNT rankings respectively – en route to the final.
In the scrappy decider, he edged out Russia-born Fedor Gorst, third in the WNT list and fifth in the WPA ranking, for the US$16,000 winner’s cheque.
Buoyed by the triumph, he got off to a flyer at the International Open at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel in Norfolk.
But a 10-9 loss to Austrian Albin Ouschan saw Yapp drop to the loser’s bracket, where he battled past players like Germany’s former world champion Ralf Souquet (10-2), Poland’s WPA world No. 2 and WNT No. 10 Wiktor Zielinski (10-8). He beat Spain’s David Alcaide 13-7 for consecutive triumphs on the tour.
Yapp’s achievements are all the more impressive after being drawn into the sport’s table-side drama. Aside from the WNT events, he made deep runs in recent tournaments, reaching the Michigan Open final and US Open semi-final in September, and the Hanoi Open last 16 in October.
In October, the WPA said that all players will be given five months to choose between representing their national federations under WPA and participating in only non-WPA events such as those organised by Matchroom, an event promoter which was previously a WPA partner.
Those who compete in non-WPA tournaments from March 2024 will lose ranking points and will be barred from national, continental and global level events under the WPA.
Cuesports Singapore president Christopher Chuah said: “Amid the current controversy from recent rulings by the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports and WPA, Aloysius has managed to stay focused and his latest feats demonstrate his ability to compete with the best in the world.”
Yapp credited his mental fortitude and new cue for his victories – he switched from the first to the second generation of Mezz Cues’ Ace Series just a week before he left for the US.
He said: “It’s the first time I have changed cues since 2011, but the new cue is more powerful and hits a lot better. I still need to get used to the feel for finesse shots, but I’m looking forward to playing better with the new cues.”
The world No. 21 in the WNT rankings will next feature in the Nov 7-10 Puerto Rico Open, before embarking on the Asian competition swing in Taiwan, Japan and Singapore.
Success will see him edging closer to the top 16 of the WNT rankings, which will improve his chances of qualifying for the 2024 World Pool Masters. He said: “I was sixth in the 2021 rankings, so I want to play as many tournaments as I can to try to improve on that by the end of this year. All the travelling is exhausting, but I’m used to it and I’m ready to build on my momentum.”