Sofia Lövgren
Sofia Lövgren has just taken her seat in the event and is in strong company, joined by fellow fierce competitors Monika Hrabec, Lucía Martínez, and Jennifer Cassell, all of whom bought into Day 1 of the tournament.
Lövgren enters with an impressive USD 781,871 in live earnings, a figure boosted by her recent victory earlier in the series in the TWD 35,000 (~USD 1,155) Mystery Bounty Championship. In that event, she claimed an extraordinary 12 bounties, including the two largest pulls of the tournament, en route to the title. A full recap of her win can be found HERE
Both Lövgren and Monika Hrabec are familiar faces on the APT circuit, having competed at the previous APT stop in Jeju just a few months ago. Hrabec’s biggest live score came from her 42nd-place finish in the $25,000 WSOP Paradise Main Event for $140,900. She’s also riding an impressive APT final-table streak, placing 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd in her three cashes at APT Jeju 2025.
Lucía Martínez
Among the newer faces to the APT scene is Spanish pro Lucía Martínez. A seasoned competitor across Europe and the Americas, Martínez has been cashing in live events since 2012. She was seen in the 7-Max event a few days ago and is still hunting her first cash of the series. With plenty of action ahead, APT will be following her journey closely.
Japan's Shiina Okamoto just jumped into the field, a player who recently stamped her name in poker history. After finishing second in the WSOP 2023 $1,000 Ladies Championship, she came back in 2024 to win her first bracelet. Then, in 2025, she did the unthinkable: defended her title, outlasting a record 1,368-player field to win back-to-back and claim her second WSOP bracelet.
Kitty Kuo
Kitty Kuo also joins the lineup as one of the top live earners and ranks 4th on Taiwan's all time money list. Jennifer Cassell, Jieun Um, and Yu Han (Yuhan) Su have also taken their seats in the event. Cassell, who has been steadily growing her presence on the APT circuit, looks to build on her momentum in this freezeout event. Cassell is no stranger to final tables and took down the 2024 Womens Main event here in Taipei last year. Jieun Um, representing South Korea, has been carving out her own path on the regional circuit and brings a solid track record. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Yu Han (Yuhan) Su is one of the local hopefuls in the field.
Women have been taking the APT scene by storm recently, and their momentum makes the Natural8 National Cup one to watch.