REIGNING Sun.Star Superbalita champion Dennis Orcollo and former champion Ronato Alcano lead two other Pinoys in the quarterfinal round of the World 8-Ball Championship in Fujairah.
The four Pinoys’ win somehow doused the loss of former World 8-Ball champion, Efren Reyes after the Magician bowed to Marcus Chamat.
Reyes, last year’s biggest money earner in pool and the 2004 World 8-Ball champion, lost 4-10 to Chamat, who is a frequent Philippine visitor.
The Pinoy icon will join his friend Francisco Bustamante, who got eliminated by Thomas Engert, 9-10, in the first knockout phase, in the sideline.
On the other hand, Joven Bustamante bagged a quarterfinal seat after defeating Goran Mladenovic, 10-7, while Orcollo also advanced after beating Ralf Soquet, 10-8.
Alcano, the current World 9-Ball champion and 2005 Superbalita champion, is also a step closer to bagging another world crown after scoring an easy 10-3 win over Naif Al Jeweni.
Lesser-known Elvis Calasang also scored an upset over Hui-Kai Hsia, 10-6, to join the three Pinoys in the final eight.
Calasang will take on Alcano, while Orcollo will face Marcus Chamat. Bustamante will seek vengeance for his namesake Francisco when he takes on Engert.
The final pair will feature an all-Dutch match up with Nick Van Den Berg facing Niels Feiljen.
The Calasang-Alcano match will be the third all-Filipino match up in the knockout stages.
In the first round, Reyes defeated James Ortega, 10-2, while Calasang won against Joybe Vincente, 10-9.
Other Pinoys who faltered in the knockout rounds are Lee Van Corteza, who lost to Van Den Berg, 7-10, and Marito Tolentino, a 10-7 casualty to Feiljen. (ML)
