Kim Sang-ah (36), the winner of the 2018 Korean billiard king, has become the LPBA queen for the first time in about six years.
At the 24/25 Hana Card LPBA Championship finals held at KINTEX PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday night, Kim won the title by beating Kim Da-hee with a set score of 4:1 (11:8, 11:6, 5:11, 11:2, 11:7). It is the first championship for Kim Sang-ah, an original PBA member, in five years and one month.
On the other hand, Kim Da-hee, who defeated powerhouses one after another in this competition and reached the final, showed her lack of experience in big games and unfortunately had to be satisfied with the runner-up. 업소알바
Kim Min-young (Woori OneWibis) and Jung Soo-bin (NH Nonghyup Card Green Force) tied for third place, and the Well Bang Top Ranking Award (Best Everidge) went to Cha Yu-ram (Huons Healthcare Legend), who recorded Abidge 2.273 in the first qualifying round (PPQ).
In the final round, Kim led the game by displaying calm and stable play. In addition, he managed to make the game easier by banking on eight bank shots and one-point average (1.140).
Kim Sang-ah displayed strong attack strength from the first set. She was dragged 1:3 through the third inning, but scored seven high runs in the fourth inning by banking on two bank shots, and instantly turned the game around 8:5. She then reached 11 points in the eighth inning with a one-point lead (9:8) to win the first set.
In the second set as well, Kim engaged in a close game with Kim Da-hee, and secured victory with bank shots with high accuracy rate. Kim and Kim faced each other with 6:6 (six innings) by scoring two bank shots in the fourth and sixth innings. Afterwards, Kim widened the gap by 8:6 with bank shots again in the 10th inning and secured the second set by scoring three points including bank shots in the 11th inning. Set score 2:0 lead by Kim Sang-ah.
However, Kim Da-hee, who advanced to the finals by beating powerhouses such as Sakai, Lim Kyung-jin, Kang Ji-eun and Kim Min-young, did not just walk away. As she said, “I will not be intimidated and play my own game in the final,” she showed off aggressive play in the third set.
Kim Da-hee recovered a set at 11:5 by adding five high runs in five innings and three runs in six innings, trailing 3:5.
As Kim Da-hee’s attacks have revived, chances are high that the final match will become a prolonged one depending on the results of the fourth set. However, the fourth set was based on Kim Sang-ah’s experienced pace. In the seventh inning with a 4:2 lead, he garnered seven “finishing high runs” to secure the fourth set. Two bank shots were crucial again this time.
Is it because of the burden of winning her first championship? With only one set left until her victory, Kim had to throw balls at the beginning of the fifth set. She had to throw balls at six innings in a row. In contrast, Kim scored five points through four innings, leading the game 5:0 through six innings.
Since then, Kim Sang-ah has shown strong endurance. In the seventh inning, Kim scored four points by turning around and deflecting, and trailed the latter with a score of 4:5. He went on to add six more points to the eighth and 10th innings to create a match point. In contrast, Kim Da-hee failed to clearly hit the ball with two kisses and a Q-miss while leading 5:4. Eventually, Kim Sang-ah succeeded in turning the sides in a narrow space in the 11th inning, and won the trophy.
It was the result of five years, one month, and three days after his professional debut, which was exactly 1860 days.
Kim Sang-ah, who has been playing billiards with Lim Jung-sook (Crown Ha Tae-raon) since 2009, won the title by beating Yoon Kyung-nam (current LPBA) in the final of the 2018 “Korea Danggu King Wangjung Battle.” She debuted in the LPBA the following year with the inauguration of the pro baseball league, but failed to distinguish herself. However, she gradually adapted to the LPBA by advancing to the final in the fifth round of the last season and winning the runner-up prize (1:4 loss to Kim Ga-young).
