Player: Aloysius Yapp
Event: World Pool Championship
Location: Kielce, Poland
Date: Feb 3, 2023



Back in June, Chris Melling turned in a Stroke of Genius that displayed his hefty stroke and uncanny creativity. His opponent in that match, which was the opening round in the 64-player single-elimination bracket at the 2023 World Pool Championships, was Alyosius Yapp. The 26-year-old Singapore native needed all of three racks to display his highlight-reel abilities.

Ahead 9-8 in the race-to-11, Yapp buried the 1 ball on the break while dropping the cue ball almost directly at center table. But the 2 ball, a few inches off the right long rail, proved a bit unlucky. The long, thin cut to the bottom left corner seemed like a possibility. Commentator Jeremy Jones also wondered if he'd attempt a long cross-corner bank into the lower right, playing position for a long attempt on a 3-9 combo.

Yapp had other ideas — like a tricky two-way offensive shot that could either extend his run or give him the rack. With a touch of high left English, he aimed to bank the 2 ball back into the side pocket while the cue ball ricocheted off the 2 into the long rail, and then into the left side of the 9. That 9 was far from a hanger, sitting nearly a full diamond off the bottom rail. But Yapp's cue ball control was on point as it clipped the game ball and sent it calmly into the bottom left corner. For what it's worth, Yapp also dropped the 2 ball, which rattled and fell in the side pocket after catching a bit of the bottom pocket point. Not a bad result for an aggressive two-way play to start the 18th rack.

Yapp went on to eliminate Melling, 11-8, before bowing out of the World Pool Championships in the next round for a 17th-place finish.


(Video clip provided by Accu-Stats Video Productions.)

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