The final battle of the World Chinese Pool Masters 7th Grand Finals took place in Qinhuangdao on Januray 21st, where China’s Yu Haitao defeated Wang Yun in the final, and became the 4th player to win the title of World Chinese Pool Masters. (The previous six titles were won by Britain’s Gareth Potts and Chinese countrymen Yang Fan and Zheng Yubo.
Prize money of 1 million Chinese yuan was close at hand and both players looked nervous at the start. In the first rack, Yu Haitao took the lead with a beautiful trickshot, but Wang Yun fought back and won the following 2 racks. In the 6th rack, Wang Yun missed a bank shot on the 8-ball, but Haitao couldn’t convert the open table. Wang Yun won that game for a 3-3 scoreline and then capitalized on Wang Yun’s dry break for a 4-3 lead before the first time-out.
As the match went on both players were plagued by crucial mistakes. One rack saw Wang Yun miss a shot to the side pocket in a safety battle and leave an easy 8-ball to Haitao. Another saw Haitao fail to complete a table run that allowed Wang Yun to extend his lead. Haitao was able to claw back into the match and the score was knotted at 6-6 at the second break. With the finish line in sight, both players tightened up their game, refusing to allow their opponent any advantage at the table. With 15 minutes to play in this timed match, the score was tied at 8-8. There was 15 minutes before the end of the match. Under the huge pressure of playing for this title, both players displayed to the worldwide audience what top level Chinese pool looks like.
Yu Haitao saved his best for last as he broke and ran his first rack for a 9-8 lead. Wang Yun was unable to level the score in the following rack and time expired, with Yu Haitao defeating Wang Yun 9-8 and won the prize money of 1 million Yuan with honor
