Fil-Am Jeannie Seaver Wins USA Qualifier for Women’s World 10-Ball Championship in Manila
By Sally Lee
USA held its first qualifiers in Orlando, Florida with ladies from around the USA participating in the qualifier for a chance to goto Manila to be the World 10-Ball Champion at SM Mall North Edsa June 2-6,2009. Filipina American Jeannie Seaver topped the field undefeated with a finals win over Guam’s sensational billiards beauty star Shanelle Loraine. Jeannie will join the 48 top women pros from around the world will enter the historic event produced by Dragon Promotions. The event is supported by JBETpoker.net, ABS-CBN, SM Mall North Edsa, Bugsy Promotions and recognized by the BMPAP and BSCP.
Seaver won her preliminary matches fairly easily before dispatching Loraine 7-2 in the winner’s bracket finals. The event was double elimination. Loraine bounced back with a win over Jeannie’s older sister Vanessa Seaver 5-3. The finals almost pitted two Fil-Am sisters before Loraine interrupted. Though the dramatically improved Loraine defeated several top amateurs vying for the spot, she was outmatched by Seaver in the 7-2 finale.
“Shanelle has gotten so much better. Before she was just a pretty face but no real threat. Now she is making great shots and winning matches. I’m really impressed”,commented Seaver of her finals opponent.
Loraine much improved took down all her opponents except for Seaver
“I’m super super excited about going to Manila for the World Championship! My whole family is thrilled and many of them might come with me”, exclaimed Seaver. Seaver failed to qualify the day before when she fell to Orlando’s Michell Monk, a rising regional pro player and was then knocked out by Kim Jones of Atlanta, Georgia. Seaver came back the following day with a vengeance.
The much improved Loraine took down all her opponents except for straight-shooting Seaver.
Seaver was a former top 20 ranked pro on the Women’s Pro Billiards Tour in the USA. She quit the tour a year ago to study nursing, but keeps up her game on weekend tournaments. She was a 3x Florida Women’s Pro Tour Player of the Year. She is currently the house pro and sponsored by Island Breakers in Merritt Island, Florida where she lives nearby.
There are now four Filipinas in the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship. Seaver will join fellow Fil-Am Zarah Del Rosario of Chicago, Illnois. US Open runner-up Iris Ranola and World 9-Ball Championship runner-up Rubilen Amit will round out the Filipina quartet in stage 2 of the event, with possibly more Filipinas joining if they qualify in stage 1. Open qualifiers for the event will be held May 31 and June 1 in Manila. May 31 location will be set soon while June 1 will be set at SM Mall North Edsa. All players are welcomed to join to try to qualify for the event. There will be three qualifiers over the two days with three winners entered into the main 48 women field. The event is sanctioned by the World Pool and Billiard Association . Players and fans traveling to Manila will get a special rate and may stay at the host hotel for the event Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila. For more info email womensworld10ball@gmail.com
“Billiards, the sport of the Philippines. The sport of the people.”
The historic event is considered to be the biggest women’s sporting event of the year for the Philippines, and will have massive media attention including 25 hours of live coverage on ABS-CBN, the leading TV channel of the Philippines. 48 women from around the globe will attend the event vying for $20,000 (1M) 1st place prize out of the $75,000 (3.75M) purse available. SM Mall North Edsa, Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila and JBETPOKER.net are some of the primary sponsors of the event.