“The Iceman” Mika Immonen Caps off the Best Year of His Career with a New Title 2009 World 10-Ball Champion… Plus a New Spotlight Video by NYC Grind!

On the last day of the WPA 10-Ball World Championships, there were only four players remaining out of the 128 that begun the event which took place in the Philippine capital city of Manila, from November 25-30th.  Players from 50 countries all had their eyes on the $60,000 first prize along with the trophy that had the engraved “2009 World 10-Ball Champion” insignia on it.

For those that are unfamiliar with the game, 10-Ball is played just like 9-ball, where a player must pocket balls from 1-10 in ascending order, however, all shots must be called in this format. If a player plays a safe and accidentally pockets another ball, his opponent has the option to let he shooter re-shoot. This takes a lot of the luck out of the game, and gives more credibility to the sport in the eyes of many top pros, as it is becoming the gold standard for pro pool today.

In early October, we published a story on Mika Immonen’s amazing run from being the 2008 US Open Champion straight through to snapping off the Galveston World 10-Ball Classic in September… click here to read the story. As I interviewed Mika for that spotlight… I personally would have no idea that the “Iceman” would continue to shock the world not only by winning his second straight US Open–matching a record only achieved by Nick Varner–but now also with the World 10-Ball Championships. The only word I can think of is “WOW.”

Read on for more details on the World 10-Ball Championships and to check out our brand-new spotlight video on Mika Immonen’s back-to-back US Open wins…

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With a star-studded field of virtually every breed of pool player from around the world, for Mika to be the last man standing would prove to be a challenge. Here is the rundown of a few notable player performances leading up to the finals.

Filipino Warren Kiamco defeated Jalal Yousef (9-8), Thorsten Hohmann (9-5), and Daryl Peach (9-7) before losing to Antonio Lining (9-8)–a hill-hill battle between two Filipino heavyweights delighted the crowd, who got the chance to sweat two hometown favorites at their best.

Daryl Peach would end up finishing tied for 9th place in this event, and has had recent notable wins in the Lugo International 9-ball Open in Lugo, Spain as well as the Euro Tour’s Portugal Open.

Meanwhile, Antonio Lining went through CSI American Grand Master team member Corey Deuel (9-4), N. Ooi (9-7), and Jomar De Ocampo (9-2), before finally defeating Warren for a chance to play Mika Immonen in the semifinal.

Mika was already a 9-Ball World Champion, but had been looking to complete his resumé by winning a World Championship in arguably one of the toughest disciplines in pool… 10-ball.

Antonio Lining fought hard, but came short of the “W” by the score of 9-7. With this win, Mika denied the chance for an “All-Filipino” final, which would have delighted the crowd in Manila.  Mika’s final opponent would be arguably the toughest young gun the Filipino contingent has to lead battle–Lee Van Corteza.

Lee Van Corteza (known as “Van Van” by fellow players and fans) fought hard through many tough battles, with the crowd’s support all the way through. After defeating Konstantin Stepanov (9-7), Yu Lung Chang (9-8), Thomas Engert (9-7), He Wen Li (9-7), and David Alcaide (9-7) in the semifinal, “Van Van” was matched up against the world’s hottest pool player for a chance at a world title.

Alcaide had an impressive run as well in the event including wins over Antonio Gabica (9-8), Fong Pang Chao, (9-5), Dennis Orcullo (9-6), and 2008 World 10-Ball Champion, Darren Appleton (9-6). After defeating Appleton and having gone through two other top Filipino champions, David Alcaide looked like a strong contender against Lee Van Corteza.  Ultimately, David couldn’t fade Lee Van Corteza’s firepower as he fell to the Filipino “Goliath”, 9-7.

After coming out of a strong semifinal match against Alcaide, it looked like Corteza was ready to upset Immonen in front of a hometown Manila crowd, as he jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. But, after going for a risky bank-carom on the one ball, he left Mika an open shot, which was surely a regrettable mistake, as Immonen ran out and started to turn the tables.

In the next game, Corteza tried to massé the cue ball slightly and to pocket the one, but didn’t spin the ball enough to make a good hit. Immmonen took advantage of the ball in hand and built some momentum to take control of tempo of the set.

Immonen took a 4-3 lead and never looked back, showing the crowd perfect breaks, including two break and runs to and end the set with the score at 11-6… closing out yet another “W” to earn the title of the World 10-ball Champion.

It is clear that “The Iceman” intends to continue his dominance while showcasing his talent in one of the largest sports landscapes on the planet, and it seems like only a matter of time before “Mika Immonen” becomes a household name, synonymous with playing pool at its highest level–while maintaining an entertaining and fast-moving swagger  around the table.

As he has continued to dominate this generation of pool, Mika will soon be recognized by the sports world in general through his athleticism and remarkable talent.  There is no question that Mika Immonen is an elite athlete who has risen above a sea of very talented players, and as he continues to surpass expectations.  It could be said that Immonen is reaching a level of accomplishment on par with the our generation’s sports superstars like Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.

Congratulations to a total athlete and competitor, Mika Immonen, on capturing the World 10-Ball Championships, as well as having a year of mind-boggling achievements…

- Jerry T / NYCgrind.com

Final Results:

1st: Mika Immonen: $60,000

2nd: Lee Van Corteza $30,000

3rd/4th: David Alcaide, Antonio Lining $15,00

5-8th: Darren Appleton, Hen Wen Li, Ruslan Chinakhov, Warren Kiamco $7,500

9-16th: Daryl Peach, Jomar De Ocampo, Nick Van De Berg, Thomas Engert, Wang Ming, Marcus Chamat, Dennis Orcullo, Elvis Calasang $4,000

17-32th: Yu Lung Chang, Imran Majid, Roman Hybier, Ralf Souqet, Stephan Cohen, Jin Hu Dang, Hayato Hijkata, Fong Pang Chao, Thorsten Hohmann, S. Kawabata, N. Ooi, Anh Tuan Nguyen, Marlon Manalo, Jonni Fulcher, Jundel Mazon, Alwi $2,500

33-64th: Jalai Yousef, Jericho Banares, Mario He, Radoslaw Babica, Corey Deuel, Adam Smith, Young Hwa Joeong, Karl Boyes, Niels Feijen, Jian Bo Fu, Ernesto Dominguez, Kenny Kwok, Alain Martel, Huidje See, Markus Juva, Johnny Archer, Konstantin Stepanov, Ben Nunan, Ronnie Alcano, Charlie Williams, Che Wei Fu, Ricky Yang, Ignacio Chavez, Christoph Reintjes, Chring Suan Yang, Erik Hjorliefson, Oscar Dominquez, Oliver Ortman, Antonio Gabica, Yukio Akakariyama, $1,000

Special Thanks go out to Raya Sports for their production of this year’s championship and the Republic of the Philippines for being such gracious hosts, along with WPA Press Officer, Jerry Forsyth AZbilliards.com

Looking ahead…

Following his Manila domination, Mika Immonen will undoubtedly be in full force at the Mosconi Cup on Team Europe, alongside teammates Ralf Souquet, Darren Appleton, Thorsten Hohmann, and Niels Feijen, providing more than enough challenge for Team USA.

On this year’s Team USA lineup, keep and eye out for 24-year-old Oscar Dominguez, who has had a breakthrough year resulting in a selection for the Mosconi Cup.  Spending time with teammates Johnny Archer, Shane Van Boening, and Corey Deuel in the Philippines will have given the rising star pro from a leg up as he gets set to battle in the Mosconi Cup.

Along with Dominguez, another American Mosconi Cup rookie, Dennis Hatch, will be joining them in Vegas, as he was recently voted in by fans from around the world to become the final player on the team. Best of luck to all the players at this year’s Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas.