After a hiatus of 16 years, the Huayun Cup 9-Ball Billiards Invitational Tournament resumed in Miaobida City on July 13 (last Saturday). On that day, 16 amateur players participated in the competition, with player Wu Yu ultimately winning the championship.
The opening ball ceremony of the invitational tournament was attended by various dignitaries, including Lai Mingqi, the head of the Taiwan Office in San Francisco, and his wife Yun Wenzhen; Zhuang Yashu, director of the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center; Lee Wenxiong, Wu Yiming, and his wife Lan Jiaxin from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission of the Republic of China; Lin Guixiang and her husband Lin Mengxiong, members of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Advisory Committee; Lu Yuzhen; as well as Chen Chaoquan, chairman of the San Francisco Bay Area Chinese Sports Conference, and his wife Lai Shuna.
The organizer of the Huayun Cup Billiards Invitational Tournament, Yang Zhichao, stated that this competition, the first since 2007, received support from the heads, directors, and various overseas Chinese leaders. This edition of the tournament invited 16 local amateur players to compete, including Chinese nationals, second-generation American-born Chinese, and American-Korean overseas Chinese. Many of them are top performers in the amateur points series in the Bay Area. He hopes that through this competition, the Chinese community can come together and enhance the image of Chinese people in mainstream society.
Head Lai Mingqi mentioned that participating in the billiards game opening ceremony brought back fond memories of his university days playing billiards, making him feel “a lot younger.” However, since graduating from university, he had not played billiards again. Today, he mainly came to support the Huayun Cup event, participate with everyone, and cheer them on.
Director Zhuang Yashu expressed her joy that the Huayun Cup organized a billiards competition again after a 16-year hiatus. Billiards is a memory of youth for everyone, and those present today are all outstanding among amateur players. She looks forward to the opportunity for Las Vegas players to come to the San Francisco Bay Area for exchange with the amateur players present.
Chairman Chen Chaoquan stated that the billiards competition had been suspended for 16 years, and now they have found an outstanding organizer who successfully put together this competition. He hopes everyone can enjoy the game to the fullest and looks forward to continuing it next year. He expressed deep appreciation for the hard work of the organizer.
At the billiards invitational tournament that day, Lai Mingqi and Wu Yiming kicked off the competition. The tournament followed a double elimination format, meaning a player would be eliminated after two losses. After several hours of intense competition, Wu Yu emerged as the champion, Jiang Bin took the runner-up position, and Xiang Cheng secured third place. Former President of the New Business Association, Wang Ruoyi, surprised everyone by defeating several experienced players but was stopped in the quarter-finals and did not advance.
It is reported that the champion of the billiards invitational tournament will receive a crystal trophy and a $100 cash prize, the runner-up will get a crystal trophy and $80, and the third-place winner will receive a medal and $40.