Mika Immonen
Encyclopedia
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
player, nicknamed "the Ice Man."
He won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship
WPA World Nine-ball Championship
The WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual, international, professional nine-ball pool tournament, founded in 1990, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association , and principally sponsored and organised by Matchroom Sport...
in Cardiff, Wales in 2001. That same year, he was the runner-up to Corey Deuel in the US Open Nine-ball Championship
US Open Nine-ball Championship
The U.S. Open Championships is an annual professional pool tournament that began in 1976 at Q-Master Billiards in Norfolk, Virginia. Today, it is held in the Chesapeake Conference Center, Chesapeake, Virginia...
He has represented Team Europe on thirteen occasions in the Mosconi Cup
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested between teams representing Europe and the USA since 1994. The trophy is named after American player Willie Mosconi, and is modeled on and compared to the Ryder Cup in golf...
, most recently in 2010. During the 2008 event Mika was crowned MVP, forever banishing bad memories of a costly miss in the final game of the 2006 event.
In early 2009, Mika was awarded the title of Player of the Year. Subsequently, he also claimed that title for season 2009 and was awarded early 2010.
Mika was born in London, England, and is also an extremely accomplished snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player, having amassed more than 100 century breaks.
Mika is the current (2009) two-time Men's Division title-holder of the US Open Nine-ball Championship
US Open Nine-ball Championship
The U.S. Open Championships is an annual professional pool tournament that began in 1976 at Q-Master Billiards in Norfolk, Virginia. Today, it is held in the Chesapeake Conference Center, Chesapeake, Virginia...
, where the worlds top professional billiard players compete in Chesapeake, Virginia
Chesapeake, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...
. This year Mika won 14 straight matches, finishing with a close 13-10 victory over Ralf Souquet in the finals. In last years event, Mika claimed the 13-7 victory and pocketed the first-place prize of US$40,000 on October 26, 2008 against runner-up Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Ronato Alcano
Ronato Alcano
Ronato Alcano , is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Ronnie Calamba" and "the Volcano".-Career history:...
, who settled for $20,000.
Immonen nearly won his second world title at 2009 World Straight Pool Championship
World Straight Pool Championship
The World Straight Pool Championship is an annual pocket billiards competition held in New Brunswick, New Jersey, since 2006. It is the current global professional title for straight pool , and is organized by Dragon Promotions, in part to restore the game's popularity in the United States...
, but was defeated in the finals by Stephan Cohen of France. Also in 2009, Immonen bested Darren Appleton
Darren Appleton
Darren Appleton is a British pool player, nicknamed "Dynamite". He won the first WPA World Ten-ball Championship in 2008 against Wu Chia-ching, the former world champion in both nine-ball and eight-ball from Taiwan...
to win the International Challenge of Champions
International Challenge of Champions
The International Challenge of Champions is an annual nine-ball pool tournament held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has always been broadcast on ESPN and is sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association...
, a tournament where he once reached the finals in 2002 but lost the sudden-death rack to Efren Reyes
Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes is a Filipino professional pool player and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest all-around pool player in the history of the game. He is affectionately nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician".-Early life:Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954...
.
In Late November 2009 Mika finally won his second World Title in Manila at the WPA World Ten-ball Championships. He Dominated the Philippine hope Lee Van Corteza in the finals 11-6.
Titles
- 2000 Sudden Death Seven-ball Champion
- 2001 WPC 9-Ball Champion
- 2002 LG Flatron Challenge Champion
- 2003 On Cue; Philippines vs. Europe
- 2003 Philippine Open Champion
- 2004 Atlanta Open Champion
- 2004 UPA Pro Tour Champion
- 2005 Atlanta Open Champion
- 2006 Norway Open Champion
- 2006 Weert Open & invitational 7-ball Champion
- 2007 Derby City Straight Pool Champion
- 2007 Korean Pro Tour Champion
- 2008 US Open 9-Ball Champion
- 2008 IPT Pro-Am Champion
- 2008 Mosconi Cup MVP
- 2008 All Japan Champion
- 2009 Galveston World Classic 10-ball Champion
- 2009 US Open 9-Ball Champion
- 2009 World 10-Ball Champion