| Johann Chua | |
| Birth Name: | Johann Gonzales Chua |
| Birth Date: | 31 May 1992 |
| Birth Place: | Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines |
| Occupation: | Professional pool player |
| Nickname: | Bad Koi |
Johann Gonzales Chua is a Filipino professional pool player[1] from Manila. His nickname is "Bad Koi". Chua is a two-time All Japan Championship winner[2] [3] and the champion of 2022 WPA World Team Championship with Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit and a 2023 World Cup of Pool winner alongside James Aranas.[4]
Born and raised in Bacolod in the central Philippines, Chua began playing pool at the age of nine.[5] 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.
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 Ten-ball championship held in General Santos. 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 top 16 in the China Open but would lose to the Taiwanese Chang Jung-Lin. At the 2014 WPA World Nine-ball Championship that took place a few days later, he reached the quarterfinal round of world championship for the first time; however, he was defeated by his countryman Elmer Haya. In September 2014 Chua was seventh place in the Manny Pacquiao Cup.
At the 2015 WPA World Ten-ball Championship, he reached the quarter-finals after defeating Ralf Souquet, Wang Can and Lee Van Corteza, defeating David Alcaide 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 Ralf Souquet, Lo Li-wen, Shane Van Boening, and fellow countryman Ronato Alcano 7–11 in the finals to clinch the All Japan Championship title, his first international title.[6]
In 2017, Chua settled for bronze medal at the Southeast Asian Games held in Malaysia after falling behind Duong Quoc Hoang of Vietnam in the semifinals.[7] In September of that year, Chua, with partner Warren Kiamco, brought home the bronze medal in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Before that year ended, Chua snatched his second All Japan Championship title after defeating compatriot Jundel Mazon, 11–2.[8] He is currently ranked 13th by the World Pool-Billiard Association.
In 2021, Chua won his first SEA games gold medal after beating compatriot Carlo Biado in the all-Filipino men's Nine-ball singles final, 9–6, at the Ha Dong District Sporting Hall in Hanoi Vietnam.[9]
“Sobra and kaba ko. First time ko lumaban sa finals dito sa SEA Games. Hindi ako maka-get over. Iba talaga pag flag and country” ("I was really nervous. It’s my first time to compete in the SEA Games finals. I can’t get over it. It’s really different playing for flag and country"), said Chua.[10]
In the same event, Carlo Biado defeated Chua 9–3 in the men’s Ten-ball singles event.[11]
In 2022, the trio of Johann Chua, Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit emerged triumphant in the 2022 WPA World Teams Championship after sweeping Great Britain, 3–0, in the final in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Great Britain was composed of Kelly Fisher, Jayson Shaw, and Darren Appleton.
With the win, they gave the Philippines its first World Team Ten-ball title after runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2014, the last time the tournament was held before it was revived in 2022.
On the road to the finals, team Philippines conquered team Poland, 3–1, in the quarterfinals, then outlasted team Germany, 3–2, in a shootout battle.[12] [13]
In 2023, Chua and James Aranas gave the Philippines a record fourth World Cup of Pool title after defeating Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen of Germany, 11–7, in the final at the Pazo de Feiras e Congresos de Lugo in Spain. Chua and Aranas won a $60,000 (P3.32 million) purse.
Coming out of the tournament, the Filipino duo had a Cinderella run, defeating highly rated teams along the way. They knocked out reigning champion Spain A, 7–5 in the opening round, dominated Spain B, 7–2 in the second round, survived gruelling hill-hill matches, winning 9–8 consecutively against former world cup champions Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals and Austria in the semifinals, and lastly, a triumphant 11–7 final against team Germany. The Philippines outstanding effort in the 2023 World Cup of Pool earned them another record by becoming the first nation to win the championship as an unseeded team.[14]
In 2024, Chua made his deepest run in the World Pool Championship, making it to the semifinals before losing 11–6 against Albania's Eklent Kaci. Chua took an early 6–2 lead before Kaci rallied back, recording nine consecutive racks in a row to overcome Chua and advance to the finals of the event.[15]
Also in 2024, Chua also made a deep run in the third edition of the European Open Championship, reaching the final before losing to Mickey Krause of Denmark by a score of 13–8 at Hotel Esperanto in Fulda, Germany.[16]
Chua's runner-up finish secures his spot as a second overall pick to represent team Asia in the inaugural Reyes Cup, which will be hosted in Manila, Philippines this year.[17]