BACK IN FULL force after fruitful stints overseas, the country's top pool aces will converge in the 4th annual San Miguel Beer (SMB) RP 9-ball Open - Friday to Sunday, (September 14-16) at the Decagon Hall in Silvercity Mall, Julia Vargas Ave. Ortigas Center beside Alchemy and behind SM Shoemart and Tiendesitas near C5.
Reigning national open champion Lee Vann Corteza, Dennis Orcollo, and Ronato Alcano, all winners in tournaments abroad, are the top seeds in the Php1.3 million tournament organized by Solar Sports in close cooperation with Puyat Sports, where Php500,000 goes to the champion, and the runner-up gets Php250,000. Losing semi-finalists will each receive Php100,000.
Corteza, took two runner-up places in three major international tournaments recently, Orcollo, the 2007 BCA Enjoypool.com 9-ball ruler and Alcano, the WPA 9-ball and WPA 8-ball champion make up the elite group of invited players along with 1999 World 9-ball champion Efren "Bata" Reyes, 2004 World 9-ball Champion Alex Pagulayan, two-time defending champion Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Filipino legendary Jose "Amang" Parica, Marlon Manalo, and 2006 Doha Asian games 9-ball gold medalist Antonio Gabica, the 2004 inaugural champion.
"Ito na ang matagal na hinihintay ng sambayanang Pilipinas at magkaka-alamanan na din kung sino ang magiging hari ng SMB RP 9-ball Open sa taong ito." Said the 28-year-old Corteza, top player of Negros Billiard Stable (NBS) headed by Jonathan Sy and Christopher Palses.
The multiple- gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games Corteza who hails from Mintal, Davao City settled runner-up place in the International Challenge of Champion in Uncasville, Connecticut last August 10-12, Guinness 9-ball tour Grand Finale in Bali last August 31 to September 2, Indonesia and dominated the Turning Stone 9-ball in Verona, New York last August 16-17.
Their opening rivals will be known after the special drawing of lots at 1 p.m., according to Puyat Sports event manager Ish Caparras. Games start at 2 p.m. Joining them in the main draw in the three-day event sponsored by SMB are other seeded players, Leonardo Didal, Mike Takayama, and Carlo Biado.
Other Filipino pool sharks who successfully qualified for the tournament proper were the five city-leg qualifiers--- Ricky Zerna, Russian Petiza, Panfilo Damuag and Jundel Mazon (Galleria leg), Gandy Valle, Glendford Autor, Danny Otacan and Jech Jech Limen (Davao leg), Jharome Pena, Roberto Gomez, Rene Cruz and Eduardo Villanueva (Bacolod leg), Joven Bustamante, Johann Chua, Jay Jay Millares and Jeffrey De Luna (Baguio leg) and Warren Kiamco, Michael Feliciano, Eduardo Saracho and Elmer Kalaquian (Ever Gotesco, Commonwealth leg).
(Report from MARLON BERNARDINO)
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