Chou wins second women’s 9-ball world title in Bali

Taiwan’s Rita Chou on Sunday won the Women’s 9-Ball World Championship in Bali, Indonesia, securing the title for the second time.

Chou, 39, defeated defending champion Seo Seoa of South Korea three sets to one (4-1, 1-4, 4-1, 4-1) to claim US$55,000 in prize money.

After splitting the opening two sets on Sunday, Chou won the first three racks of the third. A scratch on the break allowed Seo to pull one back, but Chou capitalized on a failed safety to clear the table and take the set.

Taiwan’s gold-medal winner Rita Chou, right, and bronze winner Wei Tzu-chien pose for a photograph with their medals during the Women’s 9-Ball World Championship in Bali, Indonesia, on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Sports

In the fourth set, Chou recovered from a 1-0 deficit, winning four consecutive racks, after errors by her opponent, to seal the championship.

Chou reached the final with straight-set victories against China’s Huang Qingning in the quarter-finals and Japan’s Chihiro Kawahara in the semi-finals.

Seo, 23, had eliminated three Taiwanese players — Chou Chia-chia, Chiang Shui-ching and Wei Tzu-chien — on her way to the final.

Chou’s defeat of the defending champion marked the second time that a Taiwanese player secured two world titles in the women’s 9-ball competition.

Taiwan’s Liu Hsin-mei won the title in 1999 and 2002, becoming the first Taiwanese woman to do so twice.

Chou won her first title in 2023, when she also defeated Seo in the semi-finals and beat Britain’s Allison Fisher in the final.

This year’s tournament, held from Monday to Sunday last week featured 64 players, the organizers said.