Johann Gonzales Chua is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

professional

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky pool ...

player from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. His nickname is "Bad Koi".

Early life

Born and raised in

Bacolod Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidenta ...

in the central Philippines, Chua began playing pool at the age of nine. He was often accompanied to the local pool hall by his father who gave him the nickname "Bubwit" or little mouse due to the fact that he was too little to be seen behind the pool table. Chua quit schooling at 13 to pursue his passion and began playing professionally at the age of 19.

Career

In October 2011, Johann Chua was ninth at the BSCP National Open Pool Championships Overall. In December, he finished 17th at the Manny Pacquiao International 10-ball championship held in

General Santos General Santos, officially the City of General Santos,; hil, Dakbanwa sang Heneral Santos; Maguindanao language, Maguindanao: ''Ingud nu Heneral Santos''; Blaan language, Blaan: ''Banwe Dadiangas''; Tboli language, Tboli: ''Benwu Dadiangas'' ...

. In November 2012 he achieved his first major international success with third place at the Japan Open. In 2013, he finished 17th at the China Open. He was third again at the Japan Open 2013. In 2014, Chua managed to reach the final in the China Open. In the last 16 he lost against the Taiwanese Chang Jung-Lin. At the 2014 WPA World Nine-ball Championship that took place a few days later, he reached the final round of a world championship for the first time. In the quarter-finals, however, he parted with his countryman Elmer Haya. In September 2014 Chua was seventh in the Manny Pacquiao Cup. At the 2015 WPA World Ten-ball Championship, he reached the quarter-finals after defeating

Ralf Souquet Ralf Souquet ( ; born 29 November 1968) is a German professional pool player. His nickname is "The Kaiser". Since 1988, he has won more than 200 tournament titles, including 23 Euro Tour titles, 20 European Pool Championship and 12 German Pool C ...

, Wang Can and

Lee Van Corteza Lee Vann Corteza, also spelled Lee Van Corteza, (born 1 March 1979 in Davao City, Philippines) is a Filipino professional pool player.

, defeating

David Alcaide David Alcaide Bermúdez (born 14 December 1978) is a Spanish pool player. He is a two-time winner of the World Pool Masters, winning the 2017 event, defeating Jayson Shaw 8–7 in the final, and again in 2019 defeating Alexander Kazakis 9� ...

at 9–11. At the 2015 WPA World Nine-ball Championship he lost to Yukio Akakariyama in the round of the last 64. In November 2015, Chua defeated pool superstars Ralf Souquet, Lo Li-wen,

Shane Van Boening Shane Van Boening (; born July 14, 1983) is an American professional pool player from Rapid City, South Dakota. As of 2022, Van Boening is the number 1 ranked player in the "World Rankings" published by the Matchroom Pool and the "WPA Rankings ...

, and eventually fellow countryman

Ronato Alcano Ronato (Ronnie) Alcano (pronounced al-kah-no) (born 27 July 1972 in Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines), is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Ronnie ''Calamba''" and "the Volcano". He won both the 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Champion ...

7–11 in the finals to clinch the All Japan Championship title, his first international title. In 2017, Chua settled for bronze medal at the

Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...

held in Malaysia after falling behind Duong Quoc Hoang of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

in the semifinals. In September of that year, Chua, with partner

Warren Kiamco Warren Kiamco (born May 2, 1970) is a Filipino professional pool player from Cebu, Philippines. He is known for his performances in the Southeast Asian and Asian Games. Kiamco was a runner-up in three events of the Asian Nine-ball Tour but nev ...

, brought home the bronze medal from the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in

Ashgabat Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

. Before that year ended, Chua snatched his second All Japan Championship title after defeating compatriot Jundel Mazon, 11–2. He is currently ranked 13th by the

World Pool-Billiard Association The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pool (pocket billiards). It was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Australia, Americas ...

Titles

* 2022 Olongapo City 10-Ball Championship * 2022 Beasley Open 9-Ball * 2022 WPA World Mixed Teams 10-Ball Championship * 2022 Bayugan City 10-Ball Championship * 2021 Southeast Asian Games Nine-ball Singles * 2020

Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...

10-Ball Championship * 2018 Maryland 10-Ball Bar Table Championship * 2018 Philippines vs. Chinese Taipei Challenge Match * 2017 All Japan Championship 10-Ball * 2015 All Japan Championship 10-Ball * 2014 B52 10-Ball Championship * 2010

10-Ball Championship

References