Taiwan's Chou wins second women's 9-ball world title

Taipei, Oct. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's Rita Chou (周婕妤) won the Women's 9-Ball World Championship in Bali, Indonesia, on Sunday, securing the title for the second time.

Chou, 39, defeated defending champion Seo Seoa of South Korea three sets to one (4-1, 1-4, 4-1, 4-1) to claim US$55,000 in prize money.

After splitting the opening two sets Sunday, Chou won the first three racks of the third. A scratch on the break allowed Seo to pull one back, but Chou capitalized on a failed safety to clear the table and take the set.

In the fourth set, Chou recovered from a 1-0 deficit, winning four consecutive racks, after errors by her opponent, to seal the championship.

Chou reached the final with straight-set victories over China's Huang Qingning (黃清寧) in the quarterfinals and Japan's Chihiro Kawahara in the semifinals.

Seo, 23, had eliminated three Taiwanese players -- Chou Chia-chia (周家嘉), Chiang Shui-ching (江水淨) and Wei Tzu-chien (魏子茜) -- on her way to the final.

Chou's defeat of the defending champion marked the second time that a Taiwanese player secured two world titles in the women's 9-ball competition.

Taiwan's Liu Hsin-mei (柳信美) won the title in 1999 and 2002, becoming the first Taiwanese woman to do so twice.

Chou won her first title in 2023, when she also defeated Seo in the semifinals and beat Britain's Allison Fisher in the final.

This year's tournament, held Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 in Bali, featured 64 players, according to the organizers.