30th June, Macau: Macau national bowler, Lei Hok Hin claimed his first international title with victory in the Men's Open Masters finals of the 2024 Macao China International Open Bowling Championships while Chou Chia Chen ended a 11-year drought to win the Women's Open crown.

Fourth-seed, Lei won the first match against topseed, Park Taeyeon of KNSU, Korea 212-199 to force a sudden-death decider. The left-hander marked all his six frames while Park had two opened frames in the third and sixth despite rolling a double in the first two frames and the fourth and fifth frames.

Lei doubled in the seventh frame but stumbled in the eighth frame with a split. The Korean, who was trailing Lei by 14 pins, failed to string together the much needed strikes to overhaul his opponent.

Lei went on to end the match 203 against Park's 191 to claim his first-ever open title. He also become the first local bowler to win the Men's Open crown for Macau. Lei edged fifth-seed and fellow compatriot, Lee Tak Man and two-time Macau Open champion, Tomoyuki Sasaki of Japan, 198-191-189 in the first semi-final match.

Meanwhile, topseed Chou Chia Chen was fortunate to clinch the Women's crown after defending champion and challenger, Kang Hye Rim of KNSU, Korea failed to make a crucial spare in the tenth frame in the final match to give Chou a chance.

The Taiwanese made good with three strikes to edge the Korean 202-191 to end a 11-year title drought. Her last victory was back in 2013 when she won the Kaoshiung International Open. Kang, seeded second, ousted compatriot and third-seed, Kim So Hee and winner of the first semi-final match, So Cheng Lam of Macau, 216-196, 215 to advance to the final match.

So defeated fourth-seed, Sharon Limansantoso of Jawa Timur, Indonesia and sixth-seed, Huang Hsin Tsen of Chinese Taipei, 224-222-193 in the first match. Chou had in the morning topped the Round 2 finals with 1703, 20 pins ahead of Kang in second with 1683.

Kim finished third with 1638 followed by the Indonesian in fourth position with 1611. So and Huang made the stepladder finals in fifth and sixth positions with 1572 and 1570. Round 1 leader, Wong Son Ian of Macau was unluck to miss the cut by 20 pins after finishing seventh.