Defending men's champion Tommy Jones, United States, and Singapore's Shayna Ng (pictured) finished the semifinals at the International Bowling Championships 2013 supported by DHC atop the 24-player leaderboard en route to lead the top five players into the TV Eliminator Finals starting Saturday at noon and 3 p.m. JST at Inazawa Futsal Stadium.

Jones, a 13-time PBA champion and former PBA Player of the Year, started the men's semifinals with a big 280 game to overtake the lead and he never looked back. He added games of 220, 255, 201, 289 and 232 for 1477 six-game series and 3643 overall, an average of 242.87 for 15 games.

16-year-old Malaysian shooting star Rafiq Ismail finished the day with a 238 game to beat out 14-time PBA champion and multiple WTBA World Champion Chris Barnes, United States, for second place by one pin, 3575 to 3525.

L-R Jones, Barnes, Ismail, Suzuki and Rash.

Starting the final six-game block in eight place was Hiroki Suzuki of Japan. Suzuki toppled 1442 pins to leap four spots and to qualify for the finals in fourth place with 3516. His compatriot Shigeo Saito, who led the 136-player men's field after Round One, fell six pins short of Suzuki with 3510 after finishing with 220 game including a seven-count on the fill ball.

The JPBA professional maintained a slim lead over Mike Fagan, United States (7th, 3506), Jang Dong-Chul, Korea (8th, 3499), who had the field-best 1483 series, and Kengo Tagata, Japan (9th, 3491), but reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash closed out his set with a huge 268 game to overtake Saito by one pin and to capture the fifth and last spot for the TV finals with 3511.

Ng, who led the women's division since the first round, fired an 812 series in the semifinals to lead all players, men and women, with 3671 total or an average of 244.73. Two-time World Champion and former PWBA star Liz Johnson, United States, rolled three-game series of 705 and 720 to maintain second place with 3575.

L-R Ng, Johnson, Aziela, Kulick and Nishimura.

Zandra Aziela of Malaysia moved from sixth to third place thanks to a 1453 series and 3525 overall. PBA champion and reigning World Champion in Singles, Kelly Kulick, United States, toppled 1378 pins to stay in fourth place with 3501.

Fifth place actually belonged to Jazreel Tan of Singapore with 3442. However, as everybody knew before the tournament started, the tournament rules say that "in case there is no local bowler among the top 5 in each division, the best local bowler will be seeded fifth."

Ninth place Miki Nishimura of Japan was the best local bowler with 3311 and was seeded fifth.

The finals will be contested on Saturday, Jan. 19, on temporary lanes installed at Inazawa Futsal Stadium, which is located next door to the bowling center. The women start at noon and the men follow at 3.pm. Japanese Standard Time (CET -8 or EST -14). The show will be broadcasted by NHK BS1 on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 as a three-hour program.

As the finals will be held in an eliminator format similar to the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, all five finalists will have the same chance to win the title. Each player has secured a minimum prize of 600,000 Yen.

All five players bowl one game with the lowest two players eliminated. The remaining three players will bowl a second game with the lowest player eliminated. The two survivors will then bowl for the title and the 6 million Yen first prize.

The five finalists will have a chance for an even bigger payday as 10 million Yen will be awarded for EVERY 300 game bowled in the TV final eliminator rounds.

The best three local bowlers and the best three international bowlers outside the top five qualified for a Trios shoot-out match in Baker format. On the men side representing Japan are Shigeo Saito, Kengo Tagata and Obara Teruyuki. They will meet the international team featuring Mike Fagan, United States; Jang Dong-Chul, Korea and Ryan Ciminelli, United States.

On the women's side, Japan's Rina Asada, Shion Izumune and Shima Washizuka will square off with Jazreel Tan, Singapore; Jacqueline Sijore, Malaysia and Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia.

The winners of the one-game match split 200,000 Yen, while the other team receives 100,000 Yen.

Bowlingdigital will cover the International Bowling Championships 2013 supported by DHC live from Inazawa Grand Bowl in Inazawa City, Japan, including stories, results and photos commencing Tuesday, Jan. 15 with the international qualifying all the way through to the TV finals on Saturday, Jan. 19.

Click here for more details:
Main Event Information
Main Event Rules & Regulations
Main Event Schedule
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