Source: Jonas Terrado, Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines – Former world double champion Ronnie Alcano was supposed to play the role of a teacher and not his unheralded Korean rival.
To his surprise and to everybody’s amazement, it was Hwang Yong who made the clutch shots, enough to power him to a 9-7 win over the Filipino hotshot in the second day of the 2011 Philippine Open Pool Championships on Friday at the Megatrade Hall of SM Megamall.
With the loss, Alcano, the former 2006 World 9-Ball and 2007 World 8-Ball champion, was thrown into the loser’s bracket where he needs to win twice in a row to stay in contention.
"Naunahan niya ako tsaka maganda ang tira ng bata kaya na-surprise din ako," said Alcano, who played Yong for the first time.
Alcano trailed 6-2 halfway into the match but won five of the next six racks to forged a 7-all deadlock before falling in the end.
He will face either Abdullah Al-Yousif or Chan Keng Kwang of Singapore in the loser's bracket.
Another upset also marred Friday's action when unknown Jundel Mazon beat Marlon Manalo, 9-4, to forge a match with compatriot Antonio Lining in the winner's bracket.
Mazon, a 34-year-old native of Marinduque, overcame a 3-0 deficit by racking up eight straight games for the win.
Lining, on the other hand, drubbed Indonesian Muhammad Zulfikri, 9-1, to set up a meeting with Mazon.
At presstime, Dennis Orcollo, who beat fellow Filipino Demosthenes Pulpul, 9-7, the other night, is battling compatriot Allan Cuartero.
Source: Olmin Leyba, Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - A free-for-all battle is expected as the world’s top cuemasters, including local aces led by Dennis Orcullo, slug it out for the crown in the Philippine Open Pool Championships beginning today at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.
Fresh from capturing the world 8-ball title and the Derby City Classic 9-ball crown, Orcullo seeks to add a 10-ball diadem to his trophy room in the 64-man main draw of the $175,000 event.
A slew of tough foreign rivals are out to foil the pool whiz from Bislig, Surigao del Sur, headed by 2009 World 10-ball king Mika Immonen of Finland and 2008 World Ten Ball champ Darren Appleton of Great Britain, who both have won major pool events here.
Out to provide more fierce challenge are former double world champions Ralf Souquet of Germany and Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines, former US Open titlist Shane van Boening of the United States, and defending Phl Open champ Ricky Yang of Malaysia.
“It will be really, really hard because all the top players are here,” said Orcullo, one of three gold medalists for Team Phl in last year’s Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
Immonen, a familiar face to Filipino fans, feels good about his chances for the $30,000 champion’s purse in the double-elims format tournament, a ranking event of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA).
“I’m coming off a win in the Masters 10-ball Championship in Virginia and I feel I’m in top form. I’ll give it a good shot, especially since I have a very good record here (Philippines), having won four major tournaments,” Immonen said.
Souquet, for his part, looks for his breakthrough win in Manila. “I still haven’t won a tournament in the Philippines so yeah it’s on top of my list,” said the German ace who finished runner-up four times in previous outings in the country.
Also carrying the Phl flag are Antonio Lining, Jeff de Luna, Marlon Manalo, Lee Van Corteza Roberto Gomez and Ramil Gallego, among others. Interestingly absent is reigning world 9-ball champ and current world No. 1 Django Bustamante, who backed out at the last minute.
Gillian Go, Geona Christine Gregorio and Reggie Ann Biagcong will represent the Phl against a tough 32-player field led by World 10-Ball champ Jasmin Ouschan of Austria, defending World 9-Ball titlist Fu Xiao-Fang of China, and former Amway World 9-Ball champion and 2006 Asian Games 8-Ball women’s pool champion Lin Yuan Chun of Chinese Taipei.
The Philippine Open is organized and promoted by Raya Sports in cooperation with the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP). TV5 will broadcast the games via a block time slot in IBC-13, 2-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 12-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 2-7 p.m. on Monday.
Source: GMA News
-- Filipino ace Dennis Orcullo breezed through the quarterfinal round after an easy 8-1 decision over India’s Raj Hundal in the World Pool Masters at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Orcullo, who earned a Round of 16 spot after a 9-7 win over Sweden’s Marcus Chamat, capitalized on Hundal’s numerous mistakes to complete the one-sided win.
Even Hundal’s safety game failed to stop the sharp-shooting Filipino, who will next face John Morra of Canada in the quarterfinals.
Morra arranged a quarterfinal round meeting with Orcullo after dispatching American John Schmidt, 8-4.
Both players made errors in their game and Morra had to rely on his luck to slowly pull away, 5-1, and complete the win.
Joining Orcullo and Morra in the quarterfinals is five-time World Pool Masters champion Ralf Souquet of Germany after squeezing out an 8-6 victory against Ricky Yang of Indonesia.
Souquet awaits the winner of the Round of 16 match between Filipino bet Roberto Gomez and Jayson Shaw of Scotland for his Last 8 opponent.
Other Round of 16 matches will have Naoyuki Oi of Japan battling American Charlie Williams, England’s Daryl Peach taking on Japanese Toru Korubiyashi while Thorsten Hohman meets Oliver Ortman in an all-German contest.
A total of $100,000 in cash prizes are at stake with the champion earning the $20,000 top purse.
Source: GMA News
-- Great Britain frustrated the Philippines’ bid to win the first World Team Championship, posting a relatively easy 4-1 triumph in their championship showdown Sunday in Hannover, Germany (early Monday in Manila).
The Filipinos, among the foremost pool players in the world, actually got the head-start against the British as the pair of Dennis Orcollo and Warren Kiamco trampled Karl Boyles and 2007 world pool champ Darryl Peach in the opening 8-ball doubles, 6-1.
However, the British bets quickly equalized via Darren Appleton and Mark Gray’s 6-1 triumph over Ronnie Alcano and Marlon Manalo in the second 8-ball doubles then completely turned the tables around with a sweep of the next three sets.
Gray took only 45 minutes in disposing of Antonio Lining, 8-2, in the 9-ball singles before Boyes outclassed Lee Van Corteza in a closely-fought 9-ball singles duel, fighting back from a 6-7 deficit to eke out an 8-7 win.
Appleton, the 2009 World Pool Masters titlist, secured the title for Britain with a dominating 7-1 conquest of former world no. 1 Orcollo in the 10-ball competitions.
It was a sorry loss for the Filipinos, who looked quite invincible after winning all their previous assignments prior to the finale. The RP pool aces defeated Great Britain II, 4-0, and the Czech Republic, 4-1, in the first and second round then waylaid Norway (4-2 in the Last 16), Poland (4-2 in the quarterfinals) and Russia (4-1) to book a spot in the finals.
In contrast, the British had to go through the loser’s bracket after dropping a 2-4 loss to Sweden in the second round. Team Great Britain, though, drubbed Korea, 4-2, and Israel II, 4-0, in the loser’s side to advance into the knockout Last 16 stage and posted wins over Germany (4-0, Last 16), China (4-3, quarterfinals), and Greece (4-2, semis) for a finals slot.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
-- Ronato “Ronnie” Alcano, known in the pool world as the “Volcano,” led Team Philippines into the finals of the World Team Pool Cup Championship in Hannover, Germany.
The Calamba, Laguna native won his crucial battle against Russian Ruslan Chinahov, 7-1, at Hall 13 of the Hannover Exhibition Grounds.
The former World 9-ball and 8-ball champion helped the Nationals score a 4-1 victory over Russia by defeating Chinahov in the semifinals of the 1st 10-ball game late Saturday.
This paved the way for the Philippine team to secure a berth in the finals where they will face Great Britain on Sunday (Manila time).
Bannered by reigning World 9-ball champion Daryl Peach and former World 10-ball champion Darren Appleton, Great Britain eliminated Greece, 4-2, in the other semifinal duel.
Alcano was unshaken by his loss in his previous outing where he teamed up with ex-snooker champion Marlon “Marvelous” Manalo. They lost in the 1st 8-ball Scotch doubles event, 3-6.
“Parang panggising 'yong talo namin ni Marlon sa 8-ball Scotch Doubles,” Alcano told Bugsy Promotions President Ceferino “Perry” Mariano over the phone.
“Hindi ka talaga puwedeng maging over confident sa ganito kalaking event. Kahit sino puwede kang talunin,” added Alcano, a former US Open 9-ball finalist.
“We expect a tough battle against Great Britain, but kumpiyansa ako na magbibigay ng magandang laban ang mga player natin,” Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) chairman Florentino “Yen” Makabenta said.
Mariano, founder of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP), added: “Bagama't nakauna ang Russia sa atin ay tiwala akong makakabawi tayo at eventually ay matatalo din natin sila sa mga susunod na event. Gaya ng naunang nasabi ni Yen (Makabenta), malalim ang bench natin at puro malalakas ang kalibre ng mga player natin.”
Negros Billiards Stable (NBS) president and co-founder of BMPAP Jonathan “Bacolod” Sy also noted: “Lalo nating dagdagan ang panalangin natin. Malaking karangalan sa bayan ang hatid nilang tagumpay.”
After the Filipinos’ loss in the 1st 8-ball Scotch doubles event, the pair of Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Warren “Warrior” Kiamco and former world No. 1 Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo rebounded with a 6-4 win to level at 1-1 in the race-to-4 semifinal.
Two-time BSCP National Pool Championships ruler Lee Van “The Slayer” Corteza and Japan-based Antonio “Nikoy” Lining made it to 3-1 for the Philippines with similar 6-4 victories over Roman Pruchai and Egor Plishkin, respectively.
Alcano then stepped up by beating Chinahov for a 4-1 total output for Team Philippines. Orcollo was leading 2-0 against Konstantin Stepanov in the second 10-ball game but it was halted after Alcano triumphed in the 1st 10-ball game.
On the road to the finals, the undefeated Filipinos nipped England II (4-0), Czech Republic (4-1), Norway (4-2), Poland (4-2) and Russia (4-1).
Great Britain, on the other hand, downed Norway (5-1), lost to Sweden (4-2), blanked Israel (4-0) and Germany (4-0), and then edged China (4-3) and Greece (4-2).
The 48-nation tournament, the first of its kind and sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), stakes a total purse of $400,000. It uses a point-system scoring patterned after the Davis Cup event in international tennis where the champion team gets the lion’s share of $100,000 in the race-to-4 affair.
Source: GMA News
-- The Philippines entered the quarterfinal phase of the biggest world pool team event – the 1st World Team Championships in Hannover, Germany.
The Filipinos, showing their dominance in the 8-Ball event after both pairs won their respective matches, earned a spot in the Last 8 after a 4-2 win over Norway.
The duo of double world champion Ronnie Alcano and former Asian snooker king Marlon Manalo nipped their rivals, 6-5, while the pair of Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco scored a 6-3 win in the other match.
In 9-Ball, Alcano breezed to an 8-2 triumph over Vegar Kristiansen while Dennis Orcullo, one of Bugsy Promotions’ top bets by businessman-sports patron Perry Mariano, coasted to a 7-1 win over Tommy Wolf in the 10-Ball event to seal the Filipinos’ win.
The Philippines joined Poland, Russia, Great Britain, China, Switzerland, Greece and Germany II in the next round.
"Great Britain and China are our toughest rivals," Mariano told GMANews.TV. “Pero maganda ang tsansa natin. Pwede tayong mag-champion eh (But we have a good chance of winning the crown)."
In other results, Poland swept a Finland team led by reigning World 10-Ball champion and world’s No.1 player Mika Immonen, 4-0; Russia defeated Denmark, 4-2; Great Britain blanked host Germany beefed up by world champions Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann, 4-0; China crushed Serbia, 4-1; Switzerland ousted Japan, 4-1; Greece nipped the United States, 4-3; and Germany II edged Sweden, 4-3.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
-- Team Philippines is set to battle Norway for a quarter-final berth when the first-ever World Team Cup Championship resumes late Thursday (Manila time) at the Hall 13 Hannover Exhibition Grounds in Hannover, Germany.
The Nationals, led by former World no.1 Dennis Orcollo, WPA 9-ball and 8-ball ruler Ronato Alcano, 2-time National Pool champion Lee Vann Corteza, former snooker champ Marlon Manalo, Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Warren Kiamco, and Japan-based Antonio Lining, got a much needed rest on Wednesday after posting back-to-back victories in the first two rounds over Great Britain II (4-0) and Czech Republic (4-1).
Team Norway, composed of Malvin Bjelland, Vegar Kristiansen, Mats Schjetne and Tommy Wolff, is coming off a win over Iran, 4-1.
They lost their preliminary round match to Great Britain, 5-1, then bounced back to contention by eliminating Aruba, 4-2, in the loser’s brackets.
“If Nationals play correctly, I’m pretty confident they can beat Norway. Huwag lamang silang magiging over confident,” said Bugsy Promotions President Ceferino “Perry” Mariano.
The RP squad is backed up by the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP), Raya Sports, Bugsy Promotions and Negros Billiards Stable (NBS).
“Mahalaga makauna agad sila, cumulative kasi ang score sa tatlong disciplines (9-ball, 8-ball Scotch doubles and 10-ball),” said NBS.
“It’s now win or go home,” said BSCP chairman Florentino “Yen” Makabenta.
The Nationals are now assured of $10,000 (roughly P470,000) for making it to the “Sweet 16”.
The 48-nation tournament, the first of its kind and sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association (WPA), has a total purse of $400,000 (roughly P19.2 million) and uses a point-system scoring patterned after the famous Davis Cup of international tennis. The champion team will get $100,000 (roughly P4.7 million).
Source: ABS-CBN News
-- Ready and confident.
That was how RP pool team manager Edgar "Malabon" Acaba described the condition of the 6-man Philippine team that left the country Thursday to participate in the inaugural World Team Cup Championship in Hannover, Germany.
“I see our team being installed among the Top 10 favored teams in the tournament,” said Acaba, vice president of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP).
The RP team left Manila at 11:30am via KLM Airlines for the tournament which will take place from January 30 to February 7 at Hall 13 in the Hannover Exhibition Grounds, Hannover.
“Our team will be composed of six players, who have played impressively in the World Ten Ball Championship, the Philippine National Championship and other international tournaments,” said Acaba.
The team is composed of 2-time national pool titlist Lee Vann “The Slayer” Corteza, WPA 9-ball and 8-ball champion Ronato “Volcano” Alcano, former World No. 1 Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo, former Asian Snooker champion Marlon “Marvelous” Manalo, Villar Cup champion Warren Kiamco and Japan champion Antonio “Nikoy” Lining.
The team is backed by BSCP under the leadership of its president Sebastian “Baste” Chua and chairman Florentino “Yen” Makabenta.
They will play in a tough, point-system tournament patterned after the famous Davis Cup in international tennis.
“Germany, England, the United States, Japan, Chinese Taipei and China are touted as the favorites, but the teams of Mika Immonen [Finland], Marcus Chamat [Sweden] and Neils Feijen [Netherlands] may not get the support they need to make their teams more formidable,” said Acaba.
Teams will compete in three disciplines: 8-Ball, 9-Ball and 10-Ball. The 8-Ball will be played in a Double Scotch format and bears two points for every team. The 9-Ball and 10-Ball will have a point each.
Added attraction in the $400,000 total pot prize tournament is the participation of “Prince of Brunei”, Al Muhtadee Billah in the 200 player event.
