2005 WPA World 9-Ball Championship

Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Wu Jia-qing
2	Kuo Po-cheng

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

At age 16, Wu Chia-ching became the youngest men's player ever to win the WPA World Nine-ball Championship, defeating fellow Taiwanese player Kuo Po-cheng 17-16 in the final at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The July 2-10 tournament was the 16th edition of the world championship and featured an all-Taiwan finale.

Wu had been playing pool for just six years when he won the sport's most prestigious title. He began playing eight-ball at age 10 in his family-run pool hall and was raised by his grandmother from age two. His grandmother supported his competition schedule. He achieved this championship victory on home soil.

The tournament format featured 128 players divided into 16 round-robin groups, with the top four from each group advancing to a 64-player single-elimination bracket. Defending champion Alex Pagulayan was eliminated in the round of 32 by Hungary's Vilmos Földes, opening the competition to other competitors.

The final between Wu and Kuo featured both players representing Taiwanese pool talent and a new generation of competitors. Wu's victory earned him $75,000, while Kuo received $35,000 as runner-up. The semifinals included the Philippines' Marlon Manalo, America's Rodney Morris, and Finland's Mika Immonen, among other international competitors.

Wu's championship marked a significant moment for Asian players in world pool. He later switched to representing China in 2011. The 2005 championship in Kaohsiung established him as a major force in professional nine-ball competition and demonstrated the rising strength of Asian talent in the sport.

Sources: 2005 WPA World Nine-ball Championship – Wikipedia Wu Jia-qing – Wikipedia

This recap was compiled from public tournament records and tournament organizer communications. ForceFollow is not affiliated with the tournament organizer.