SCANNING the formidable list of opponents at the 2024 Massé WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championship, Rubilen Amit knew she had a challenging road ahead.
However, the Philippines’ top lady cue artist kept her composure and adopted a mindset of taking the competition “one ball at a time.”
“I faced tough matchups against multi-titled players on the way to the finals,” Amit shared after her monumental victory. “I focused on playing one ball at a time and avoided forcing anything.”
Amit solidified her status as the face of Philippine women’s billiards, defeating China’s Siming Chen in a gripping final in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a 3-1 tally (1-4, 4-2, 4-2, 4-3).
It marked her first nine-ball world title and return to the global podium after winning the Women’s World 10-Ball Championships in 2009 and 2013.
Her victory comes just six months after compatriot Carlo Biado’s World 10-ball title in Las Vegas, further establishing Amit as an iconic figure in Philippine billiards.
Beyond her accomplishments on the pool tables, Amit is committed to growing the sport. She organizes the Amit Cup, a tournament exclusively for women, with the third season scheduled for Oct. 5-6. Amit hopes to discover and nurture young talents who could one day follow in her footsteps.
Other winners at the WPA World Championships include Germany’s Joshua Filler, who secured his first Men’s World 8-Ball title with a thrilling 10-8 victory over Taiwan’s Jui-An Hsu, along with a $75,000 top prize.
In the junior divisions, American Sofia Mast, known as the ‘Pink Dagger,’ claimed the 2024 Predator WPA Junior Girls Championship with a nail-biting 6-5 win over fellow American Savannah Easton. Estonian talent Revo Maimre also made his mark, winning the 2024 Predator WPA World Junior Championship Under-17 title after a dramatic 7-6 hill-hill battle against Sweden’s Walter Laikre.
