Hsia Hui-kai

{{Infobox snooker player|name=Hsia Hui-kai|image=|image_size=|caption=|birth_date=1975|birth_place=|Sport country={{TWN}}|Professional=1992-2007|High ranking=|Official maximums=|Best finish=Winner|Ranking wins=4|Minor wins=0}}

Hsia Hui-kai ({{zh|s=|t=夏揮凱|p=Xià Huìkǎi}}) is a retired professional pool player from Taiwan. He has competed in various regional and international cue sports tournaments and is nicknamed "Assassin" and "Invincible Iron Man" by the Taiwanese media.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Vito |date=February 2006 |others=Translated by Christopher J. Findler |title=Taiwan - Island of Pool |url=https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=83eba3f8-9b9b-4f1f-8d83-1324de65dbcc&langId=3&CatId=7&postname=Taiwan-- |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=Taiwan Panorama Magazine |language=zh-Hant-TW}}

Biography

Hsia Hui-kai, born in 1975, first encountered billiards at the age of thirteen. Despite initial parental disapproval due to prevailing social stereotypes that unfairly associated billiards with academic underachievement and smoking, Hsia demonstrated exceptional talent for the sport. His early aptitude quickly translated into success in domestic competitions, leading his family to shift from opposition to active support. In 1992, at the age of sixteen, Hsia secured the World Cup Nine-Ball Junior Championship, a title he successfully defended in 1993. Upon graduating from high school, he committed to a professional billiards career. Distinguished by a muscular physique uncommon among billiard players, he earned the moniker "Invincible Iron Man". By the age of twenty-three, Hsia had attained a national ranking of second.{{Cite web |last=動誌編輯中心 |date=2022-11-03 |title=【還記得我嗎】他擁有運動史上最強稱號！被聽牌後上演絕地大逆轉的「無敵鐵金剛」 |url=https://sportz.im/hsia-hui-kai-202211/ |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=動誌 |language=zh-TW}}

After several international competition wins, retired in 2008 after enrolling in the Cheng Shiu University and later became a tutor.{{Cite news |last=自由時報電子報 |date=2009-05-10 |title=不當「刺客」夏揮凱路更廣 - 自由體育 |url=https://sports.ltn.com.tw/news/paper/302103 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240706040912/https://sports.ltn.com.tw/news/paper/302103 |archive-date=2024-07-06 |access-date=2025-02-19 |work=自由時報電子報 |language=zh-TW}}

Career

Hsia Hui-kai has competed in several professional pool tournaments, representing Taiwan several in international events.

He has attended Asian Games and numerous individual competitions while representing Taiwan. In 2002 he won the Men's eight-ball singles at the 2002 Asian Games and won Taiwan's first gold medal at the event.{{Cite web |date=2002-10-06 |title=Taiwan potting to the top at Games - Taipei Times |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2002/10/06/0000170987 |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=www.taipeitimes.com}}{{Cite web |date=2002 |title=14th Asian Games - Busan 2002 |url=http://www.busan.go.kr/data/01_cityhall/05/result.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005003505/http://www.busan.go.kr/data/01_cityhall/05/result.pdf |archive-date=5 October 2013}} In 2003, Hsia went to the final of the 2003 World Pool Masters losing 8-6 to Tony Drago of Malta.{{Cite web |last=Malta |first=Times of |date=2003-09-02 |title=Drago |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/drago.142061 |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=Times of Malta |language=en-gb}} In 2007, Hsai advanced to the quarter finals of the World Pool Championship but failed to progress any further.{{Cite web |date=2007-03-08 |title=Taiwan Sports Wrap - Taipei Times |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2007/03/08/2003351485 |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=www.taipeitimes.com}}

class="wikitable"

!Competition Name

!Year

!Placement

!Reference

2008 Intercollegiate Billiards Championship

|2008

|Unknown

World Pool Championship

|2007

|9th

|{{Cite web |date=2007-06-30 |title=AzBilliards.com - Tournament Results |url=http://www.azbilliards.com/thepros/2000showtourney2007.cfm?eventnum=88 |access-date=2025-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630200438/http://www.azbilliards.com/thepros/2000showtourney2007.cfm?eventnum=88 |archive-date=30 June 2007 }}