20th April, Bangkok: 2024 Hong Kong Open champion, James Lui of Hong Kong, China captured the Men's Open Masters title of the 50th MWA-Thailand International Open Bowling Championship while Nora Lyana Nastasia of Malaysia won her second Thailand Open Women's Masters crown.
Top-seed, Lui needed only one match to beat challenger and third-seed, Muhd Jaris Goh of Singapore, 109-183 in the Men's Open stepladder final match to captured his first-ever Thailand Open title. Lui got off with a brilliant start rolling three consecutive strike to open up a 37 pins lead.
Goh fought back after split in the third frame with four strikes-in-a-row to narrow the gap to just two pins. An unlucky split in the eighth frame allowed the Singaporean to draw level. Lui struck in the ninth frame, a spare in the tenth and ended with a strike to seal victory.
Goh had advanced to the title match after ousting second-seed, Lee Tak Man of Macau, China and winner of the first stepladder match, Tony Wong of Hong Kong, 202-190-201 in the second match.
Men's Open top 3 winners, Muhd Jaris Goh, James Lui and Tony Wong
Wong defeated two Malaysians, fifth-seed Syafiq Ridhwan and Izz Naqiuddin Petera, 226-193-188 in the opening stepladder match. Lui took home the top prize of 350,000 Thai baht (approx. US$10,900) as champion. Goh picked 180,000 baht and Wong 90,000 baht as first and second runners-up.
Meanwhile, 2023 champion and last year's second runner-up, Nora Lyana Nastasia forced top-seed, New Hui Fen of Singapore into a sudden-death decider after she beat the Singaporean, 217-171 in the title match. Nastasia ran away with her second Thailand Open title with a resounding 257-181 in the second match.
Nastasia advanced to the final after edging second-seed, Gillian Lim and winner of the first stepladder match, Qurratu'Ain Izdihar, 222-200-215 in an all-Malaysian second stepladder match. Qurratu'Ain defeated fourth-seed and team-mate, Adelia Nur and sixth-seed, Colleen Pee of Singapore, 213-209-162 in the opening match.
Nastasia won 130,000 Thai baht (approx. US$4,000) as champion. New settled for 65,000 baht and Qurratu'Ain earned 32,000 bhat as first and second runners-up.
New topped the earlier Women's Open Round 3 finals with 1368 to book her spot in the stepladder finals as top-seed. Lim took second with 1341 followed by Nastasia in third with 1297. Adelia, Qurratu'Ain and Pee finished fourth to sixth positions with 1261, 1257 and 1245 respectively.
Women's Open top 3 winners, New Hui Fen, Nora Nastasia and Qurratu'Ain Izdihar
Lui led the Men's Open Round 3 finals with 1372 to proceed to the stepladder finals as top-seed. Lee took second spot with 1336 ahead of Goh in third with 1318. Wong, Syafiq and Izz Naqiuddin finished fourth to sixth positions with 1307, 1272 and 1234 respectively.
204 men and 71 women participated in this year's championships. Participants bowled three blocks of five games each over three days. The top 35 men plus seven qualifiers from the desperado squad and the top 20 women plus six qualifiers from the desperado squad made the Masters finals.
Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok, Thailand.
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