How's this for pressure: You're in a country where you don't speak the language, competing in a single-elimination winner-take-all tournament for $50,000. You are playing against some of the best 9-ball players in the world, and if you can beat the likes of Oliver Ortmann, Roger Griffis, Mika Immonen and Ralf Souquet, among others, you will be able to take home $50,000. Only then will your airfare for the commute from Taiwan to Uncasville, Conn. be worth it, because if you lose, you get nothing.

This was the situation facing Taiwan's Kun-Fang Lee, at the 1998 Challenge of Champions tournament held at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville in July.

After defeating England's national champion Lee Kendell 7-5 in the first round, Lee faced defending champion Oliver Ortmann in the second round. While the first round was a race-to-seven single set, the semifinal and final rounds required the winner to take two sets in a race-to-five. Lee bested Ortmann handily, 5-1, 5-2.

Meanwhile,. Japan's Kunihiko Takahashi was heading toward the final with victories over Ralf Souquet and Roger Griffis, whom he beat in a sudden-death tie breaker after splitting sets 5-2 Takahashi, 5-3 Griffis.

In the final, both Takahashi and Lee were in top form; Lee, fought for a first-set win of 5-3. In the second set, Takahashi dominated from the beginning, taking the first game, then, after falling to Lee, rallying back to the hill to take the set. From there, the two men were forced into a tie breaker. Lee's strong position play enabled him to capture first.