ALCANO, BUSTAMANTE LEAD R.P. SURGE IN U.S. 9-BALL

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:34:00 10/22/2008


MANILA, Philippines—Former double world champion Ronnie Alcano and Former world No. 1Francisco “Django” Bustamante hurdled separate rivals Monday and towed five other Filipinos into the third round of the 33rd US Open 9-Ball Championship at the Chesapeake Convention Center in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Also keeping the Philippine bid rolling in the prestigious $250,000 event are veteran internationalist Rodolfo Luat, four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Warren Kiamco, Lee Vann Corteza, Ramil Gallego and United States-based Jose “Amang” Parica.

Determined to better his runner-up finish in last year’s edition, Alcano, stalwart of Bugsy Promotions, routed American Matt Clatterbuck, 11-4, while Bustamante of Puyat Sports subdued Keith Brinton, 11-8.

Kiamco trounced Jason Klatt, 11-5, while Luat dumped Don Polo, 11-2, for their second straight victories in the tournament that attracted 238 players from around the world.

Corteza, who drew a first-round bye, opened his campaign with an 11-5 blasting of Abdullah El-Yousef, while fellow Negros Billiards Stable standout Gallego followed up his 11-3 conquest of Sam Monday in the opening round by nipping former champion Gabe Owen, 11-9.

Save for Parica, who also drew a first-round bye before thwarting Aki Heiskanen, 11-9, all Filipino winners are members of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines.

The tournament, which dangles $40,000 for the champion, was won in 1999 by Efren “Bata” Reyes and in 2005 by Alex Pagulayan.

Not as fortunate were Leonardo Andam and Joven Alba. Andam bowed to Finn Markus Juva, 11-8, while Alba yielded to Englishman Chris Melling, in the first round.

Andam and Alba dropped to the losers’ bracket, where they need to sweep their remaining games to stay in contention.

Other big guns who barged into the third stage of the winners’ side are reigning world 9-ball titlist Darryl Peach of England, former world champion Mika Immonen of Finland, four-time US Open champion Earl Strickland, world No. 2 Niels Feijen of the Netherlands and Charlie Williams of the United States.

Peach downed Nasser Al-Musaible, 11-7; Immonen blanked Greg McAndrew 11-0; Strickland, beat Tariq Al-mulla, 11-5; Feijen drubbed Josh Ulrich, 11-4; and Williams thumped Elias Patrikas of Greece, 11-1.

Lifted without permission from the Philippines Daily Inquirer