Angela Pan Xiaoting could be considered the Zhang Lianwei of the nine-ball set.
In much the same way China's number one golfer has had his hurdles to overcome, the 23-year-old Pan is navigating uncharted territory as she seeks to become the world's top female pool player in what is increasingly becoming a viable professional sport.
Her equal-third at last month's Nine-ball Women's World Championship in Rankweil, Austria, served notice that the Shanghai-based native of Shandong province could be on the verge of a breakout year in 2005 - provided she gets a few breaks.
Ranked 12th by the World Pool-Billiard Association, Pan, who started playing pool when her father opened a billiards hall when she was 16, said she hoped to build on her European debut when she competed in the All Japan Championship in Amagasaki from January 23 to 27.
'It was the first time I had attended a European event and I was a little bit nervous. But I just tried to relax and perform as well as I could. It is all a learning process,' said Pan, who was knocked out in the semi-final by eventual winner Jin Jia-ying of South Korea.
'I want to attend as many of these big events as possible because it will help me to learn how the top players keep calm and perform well. I really need to develop that mental toughness that all the top players have.
