Wei Tzu-chien takes WPA top spot as world No. 1 female pool player

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) After participating in the Indonesia 10-ball Open 2025 in mid-July, Taiwanese pool player Wei Tzu-chien (魏子茜) became the world No. 1 female player under the World Pool Association (WPA) in early August.

Following the event, the WPA currently rank Wei as world No. 1 with an accumulated 32,076 points after banking a total of 2,160 points from her appearance in Indonesia.

She is the fifth Taiwanese women in the history of the WPA to claim the top spot.

Speaking with CNA, Wei said she had been very aware of her recent climb up the rankings, but did not expect to grab the top spot so soon.

Wei noted that her performance this season started out quite average, but has since improved.

In addition, her rise to world No. 1 has been unconventional.

Unlike most athletes who began practicing at a young age, Wei did not start playing pool until the age of 18.

She revealed that the reality of financial responsibilities really hit her after college, making it clear that if she did not play well at international events, she would not be making enough to support herself.

Wei said she decided to work harder thanks to the many individuals who helped her along the way, such as chair of the Chinese Taipei Billiards Association women's division Tsou Ming-te (鄒明德) who gave her the opportunity to play abroad despite her low domestic ranking early in her career.

She also mentioned Taiwan's late billiards champion Chang Jung-lin (張榮麟) who passed away suddenly on July 14 this year.

Wei said Chang taught her many valuable lessons, adding that his way of encouraging her was always direct and to the point.