Women's Professional Billiard Association

Women's Professional Billiard Association
AbbreviationWPBA
Formation1976
TypeProfessional sports organization
HeadquartersUnited States
Region served
Worldwide (primarily United States)
Websitehttps://wpba.com

The Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) is a professional women's pool tour and sports organization based in the United States. It was founded in 1976 as the Women's Professional Billiard Alliance by players Madelyn Whitlow and Palmer Byrd, and by Larry Miller (editor of the National Billiard News) to provide a structured competitive circuit for female billiards players and has since become one of the leading tour organizations in women’s professional pool. The WPBA organizes ranked tour events, maintains player standings, and promotes women’s participation in cue sports.

History

The WPBA began in 1976 as the Women's Professional Billiard Alliance, formed by female players including Madelyn Whitlow and Palmer Byrd along with Larry Miller, editor of the National Billiard News. This group sought to create a professional tour and greater recognition for women in the sport.[1]

In its early years, the WPBA helped formalize competitive opportunities for women players and established a tour that drew talent from across the United States and internationally. The organization later expanded its activities to include major championship events such as the U.S. Open Nine‑Ball Championship and the WPBA Masters.[1]

Tour and Events

Main article: WPBA Tour

The WPBA organizes an annual tour season featuring ranked events. Player performances are tracked in year‑end rankings such as the “Top 32 Players” list, which highlights leading competitors based on their results throughout the season.[2]

In recent years, the WPBA has introduced events like the SemiPro series to provide competitive opportunities for emerging players and bridge the gap between regional competition and the main professional tour.[3]

Impact and Legacy

The WPBA has played a central role in the development of professional women’s cue sports in the U.S. and internationally by organizing competitive tours, showcasing top female talent, and promoting the sport through events, rankings, and media coverage.[4]

COVID-19

Main article: Women's Professional Billiard Association post‑COVID restructuring (2020–2023)

Like in many sports organizations, COVID-19 caused a significant decline and restructuring in the WPBA.[5][6]

Top 32 Players (2026)

January 1, 2026 Rankings:[2]

  1. Russia Kristina Tkach
  2. Germany Pia Filler
  3. Belarus Margarita Fefilova
  4. Bulgaria Kristina Zlateva
  5. England Kelly Fisher
  6. Taiwan Wei Tzu-chien
  7. United States Kaylee McIntosh
  8. United States Sofia Mast
  9. United States Savannah Easton
  10. England Allison Fisher
  11. United States Monica Webb
  12. TaiwanAustralia Hung Meng-hsia
  13. United States April Larson
  14. Canada Brittany Bryant
  15. Canada Véronique Ménard
  16. United States Kennedy Meyman
  17. United States Janet Atwell
  18. United States Caroline Pao
  19. United States Ashley Rice
  20. Turkey Eylül Kibaroğlu
  21. United States Briana Miller
  22. United States Ashley Benoit
  23. United States Tina Larsen
  24. United States LoreeJon Brown
  25. United States Susan Williams
  26. United States Olivia Cheng
  27. United States Teruko Macklin
  28. Spain Mayte Ropero
  29. United States Lonnie Fox‑Raymond
  30. United States Emily Duddy
  31. United States Stephanie Mitchell
  32. United States Angela Janic

Top 32 Players (2019)

2019 End of Year Rankings:[7]

  1. England Allison Fisher
  2. Canada Brittany Bryant
  3. United States Jennifer Barretta
  4. Taiwan Wei Tzu-chien
  5. England Kelly Fisher
  6. Norway Line Kjørsvik
  7. China Siming Chen
  8. United States Monica Webb
  9. China Jia Li
  10. United States Melissa Little
  11. United States Janet Atwell
  12. United States Caroline Pao
  13. Austria Gerda Gregerson
  14. United States Loree Jon Hasson
  15. United States Emily Duddy
  16. United States Teruko Cucculelli
  17. United States Gail Eaton
  18. United States Sara Miller
  19. Austria Jasmin Ouschan
  20. United States Jenna Bishoff
  21. South Korea Kim Ga-Young
  22. Russia Kristina Tkach
  23. United States April Larson
  24. United States Kim Newsome
  25. United States Bonnie Arnold
  26. United States Jessica Barnes
  27. Canada Maureen Seto
  28. Canada Cathy Metzinger
  29. United States Dawn Hopkins
  30. United States Ashley Burrows
  31. United States Eugenia Gyftopoulos
  32. United States Beth Fondell

References

  1. ^ a b "The History of the WPBA" (PDF). Women's Professional Billiard Association. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Meet your 2026 Top 32 Players!". Women's Professional Billiard Association. January 1, 2026. Archived from the original on January 1, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  3. ^ "Veronique Menard Wins Inaugural WPBA SemiPro Event". Here Bristol. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  4. ^ "Billiard TV Partners with the Women's Professional Billiards Association". AZ Billiards. May 2, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  5. ^ "Coronavirus updates: sports events affected by the pandemic". Olympics. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  6. ^ "Women's Professional Billiards Association Results (2020–2023)". AZ Billiards. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  7. ^ "2019 year end rankings". Women's Professional Billiard Association. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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