Women Challenge Men in Phil Open

Jasmin Ouschan

Jasmin Ouschan started it at the WPA World Ten Ball Championship in Manila in October last year, where she mastered the likes of Thomas Engert of Germany in a live TV match seen around the world. Now more women are coming to the Philippines to test their stuff against top male players in the inaugural Philippine Open Pool Championship which starts on Wednesday, May 27, at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.

The pretty 23-year-old Austrian cue artist will be joined by five other crack women players in the WPA world-ranking tournament.

The other five are Karen Corr and Julie Kelly of Ireland, Kelly Fisher of Great Britain, and Melissa Little and Sarah Rousey of the United States.

Ouschan won the 2006 Billiards Congress of America Open 9-Ball Championship women’s division and finished third in the Women’s World Pool Championship the same year. She has also recorded impressive finishes against male players in major tournaments, like the world straight pool championship.

Corr is the top player in the women’s professional pool circuit today. She is also the winningest, being three-time World Snooker champion, three-time World English Billiard champion, European snooker champion, WPBA 9-Ball champion, WPBA US Open champion and two-time WPBA BCA champion.

“To me, success is picking up the trophy,” said Corr in one of her interviews.

Kelly Fisher won the 2000 World 9-Ball Women’s Championship and the 2008 US Women’s Open Championship. She has also won the European women’s championship three times.

Little was a former two-time amateur national champion in America while Rousey is currently ranked sixth in the WPBA.

These deadly lady cue artists will mix it up against some of the best male players in the world in the Philippine, which include include reigning World Ten Ball champion Darren Appleton of Great Britain, WPA world No.1 player Ralf Souquet of Germany, two-time World Junior champion Ko Pin Yi of Chinese-Taipei, current US open champion and former world champion Mika Immonen of Finland, current US No. 1 Shane Van Boening and Filipino bets like Jericho Banares, Jeffrey de Luna and the country’s newest teenage sensation Jonas Magpantay.