CHAO MEANS GOODBYE FOR YOUNGER
Mike Panozzo
Friday, July 8, 12:53 PM CST

Fong-Pang Chao, the 1993 world 9-ball champion, blazed his way into the semifinals of the Victor Chandler World Pool Championship in Cardiff, Wales, with a nearly flawless 11-1 drubbing of 22-year-old Johl Younger of Australia Saturday afternoon.

Chao led from the start, opening a 4-1 lead, then rolling out seven straight games to finish off the overmatched Australian. Younger, the first Australian to reach the final eight in a world championship, had defeated England's Dominic Dale, Korea's Young-Hwa Jeong and Finland's Mika Immonen to earn his unexpected birth in the Elite Eight.

The 33-year-old Chao, who was accused of intentionally moving his head during his opponent's shot Thursday against German Oliver Ortmann, added to his infamy Friday by chatting on his cell phone between games, a move that left Younger steamming. "The telephone incident was just rude," said Younger, "but that's what you get sometimes." "Someone called, but when I picked up the phone, no one was there," defended Chao. "And I admit I moved my head against Ortmann, but it was unintentional.

Even so, the ball was right in the pocket and there is no excuse for a top player to miss that shot no matter what else happens." Chao will meet the winner of the Corey Deuel vs. Steve Davis matchup in Sunday's first semifinal tilt at the Cardiff International Arena. The winner of the $250,000 tournament will earn $60,000.

Can Steve Davis really win the world 9-ball championship? The conversion of doubters continued Friday night at the jam-packed Cardiff International Arena as Davis dispatched his third consecutive world champion to reach the Elite Eight of the Victor Chandler World Pool Championship in Cardiff, Wales.

The 43-year-old, six-time world snooker champion, who had ousted defending champion Efren Reyes of the Philippines and Ralf Souquet of Germany, coasted past the error-prone Takahashi, winner of the '98 world title. Davis led 4-2 when Takahashi drew the cue ball into the corner pocket playing from the 8 ball to the 9.

Davis held leads of 6-2, 8-3, 9-4 and 10-5, before closing out the match after Takahashi failed to make a ball on the break in the final game. "To be fair to myself, Takahashi played an awful match," admitted the surprised Davis. "This is the same player who ran nine straight games against Steve Knight. There was anxiety leading from the front.

"Still, I can't believe I've got this far. It's ruining my golf game!" Davis moves on to Saturday's quarterfinals, where he will meet American youngster Corey Deuel, who blew a 9-4 lead over countryman Jon Kucharo before eking out an 11-10 win in Friday's final match.

The semifinal and final matches will be played Sunday, with $60,000 from the $250,000 prize fund going to the new world champion.

Quarterfinal - July 8

Fong-Pang Chao (TAI) def. Johl Younger (AUST), 11-1