Rubilen Amit is the 2024 Women's World 9-Ball Champion!

Filipino pool fans are ecstatic and proud to congratulate Rubilen Amit for winning the 2024 Massé WPA Women's World 9-Ball Championship! She defeated Chinese star Siming Chen in 4 sets on Sunday morning in the tournament held in Hamilton, New Zealand. 

Amit is now a three-time WPA World Championship title holder after having won two World 10-Ball titles back in 2009 and 2013. She secured the coveted 9-Ball crown in a controversial format wherein matches are played in short sets. The preliminary rounds were best-of-three affairs, while the final was a best-of-five, with each player needing to secure 4 racks to win a set. 

Much has been said about the format, with some saying that the short race per set favors the weaker players. However, the names that got through to the latter stages of the tournament would prove otherwise. In the semis, Chen defeated Japan's Chihiro Kawahara before facing Amit in the final, while the eventual champion had to find her way through multiple European title holder Kristina Tkach in the other semi-final match.

Other former champions like Kelly Fisher, Jasmin Ouschan, Liu Shasha, Wei Tzu-Chien and Chezka Centeno also went fairly deep into the tournament. 

Amit has won the $50,000 top prize. A well-deserved reward after years of hard work. At this point, amid all the hype that surrounded the summer games, it's time to question once more why pool sports are not included in the Olympics. In any case, I can only hope that our freshly-minted 9-Ball champion will receive as much recognition as our Olympians. 

Kylian Mbappe finally shows up! Brace seals victory against Real Betis

Photographer: Antonio Villalba, Víctor Carretero y David S. Bustamante

REAL MADRID 2-0 REAL BETIS

After what can only be described as a disappointing opening to the 2024/25 La Liga season, Real Madrid CF fans were relieved to see the team beat Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium last Sunday.

The defending champions arrived with only two draws and one win from their opening three matches, and the victory on Sunday was crucial to get their campaign on track ahead of the international break. 

Los Blancos were not convincing in the opening half despite having being able to create a good number of scoring opportunities. The match remained goalless at the half, but the home side shifted gears after the break. They sealed the deal after French striker Kylian Mbappe finally made his presence felt. 

The massively hyped-up new arrival stole the show, scoring twice to record his first brace at home for his dream club. The Santiago Bernabeu crowd was extremely appreciative, giving him a standing ovation when he came off later in the match to give way for Luka Modrić. 

There were a lot of doubts about how well the Real Madrid squad would gel with the arrival of a superstar like Mbappe, but it seems like the rest of the squad are doing their best to figure out how to maximize his potential. 

Mbappe's first goal came at the 67th minute off a brilliant back-heel assist from Federico Valverde. Then, Brazilian forward Vini Jr. won a penalty, and the Frenchman was given the opportunity to take the spot. He took on the challenge and didn't waste the opportunity to score a brace. 

Meanwhile, Betis were not exactly sleeping in the sidelines throughout the Mbappe show. They created the first scoring opportunity after the tenth minute with a cross from Perraud which was headed wide by Abde. 

Apart from Mbappe's brace, Real Madrid players also created other scoring opportunities. Eder Militao forced a save out of Rui Silva with a header off Rodrygo's corner around the 20 minute mark. Soon after, Valverde made an attempt that was deflected off Natan straight to Silva's path. 

In the second half, Valverde was the architect of an attack that found Vini Jr., who managed to strike the post. 

Nearing the hour mark, Real Madrid appealed for a penalty after Sabaly fouled Dani Ceballos, but the pleas fell on deaf ears. Finally, Mbappe's opening goal in the 67the minute gave the home crowd and players some relief. 

The home team's confidence grew after the first goal, and the second came in the 75th minute after Vini was brought down by Silva. 

Referee Alberola Rojas called for offside, but VAR intervened. He consulted the monitor and eventually reversed his decision and pointed to the spot. Mbappé converted and made history with his first brace at home in the white shirt. 

Real Madrid remain unbeaten in La Liga thus far this season, but two wins at home and two draws away is not an ideal record. At least six injuries to the first team squad have already been recorded, and the international break is a welcome opportunity for the players to buy some time while recovering.