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.
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