SEOUL – The 32 players who qualified in the regular tournament series will show up in the PBA men's and ladies World Championships these days. The schedule will be different and is played in groups, with the winners advancing and losers having a chance to advance in a losers' bracket. The top prize for the men is €120,000, while the women's is €60,000.
Semih Sayginer, the reigning champion, and Dani Sánchez started with a loss and will face each other in the next round for a spot in the next bracket. Sayginer lost 3-0 to Jong won Kim, while Sánchez was defeated 3-2 by Keon-hwi Cho. The European winners in the first rounds were Eddy Leppens 3-1 against Sang Dae Lee, Juan David Zapata 3-0 against Duc Anh Chien Nguyen, Lütfi Cenet 3-2 against Min-gu Kang, David Martinez 3-2 against Javier Palazon, and Murat Naci Coklu 3-2 against Hyun-woo Kim.
Notable results included the wins of young talent Young Won Kim over Jun Tae Kim 3-0, Robinson Morales 3-2 against Jae-ho Cho, and Phuong Linh Nguyen 3-0 against Sung Won Choi.
In the women's event, Ga-young Kim, Ayako Sako, who is playing her last tournament, and Mi-rae Lee all achieved their first wins, while Sruong Pheavy suffered a loss in the first round.