FROM a promising semifinal picture yesterday to an 0-for-4.
The Philippines’ top bets fell short and failed to capitalize in having two entries in the semifinal round of two big events as Pinoys lost the chance to take home the US Open and Guinness 9-Ball Tour crown.
Warren Kiamco and Ronato Alcano were two of the final four bets in the US Open, while Dennis Orcullo and Alex Pagulayan made it to the semifinal round of the Guinness event.
In the US Open, Alcano and Kiamco were one win away from an All Filipino finals as both won their first matches against Mika Immonen and Johnny Archer, respectively, with Alcano earning the first finals seat.
Since Kiamco, who won nine straight matches, was in the losers bracket, he had to meet Immonen for the right to face Alcano.
Level play
According to results posted at Azbilliards.com, Immonen and Kiamco fought evenly until 4-4 before Immonen won two straight racks for a 6-4 count. Immonen managed to get ahead 9-6 but Kiamco fought back to level the count at 9 racks.
However, Kiamco missed his chance to go ahead after an error on the two, giving Immonen an easy runout.
In the final, things started erratically for Alcano.
Immonen won the lag and had a run-out and got a gift in the next break. Azbilliards.com reported that while going for the push, Alcano instead hit the two, which then hit the nine for a 2-0 lead Immonen, which he increased to 9-2 before winning the title, 13-7.
Over in Jakarta, the Orcullo and Pagulayan crashed out of the semifinals after suffering losses against their respective opponents from Chinese Taipei in the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008 Grand Final yesterday at the Mal Taman Anggrek.
Pagulayan, who won the Singapore leg, bowed to 2004 World Pool champion Wu Chia Ching, 6–9, while Orcollo, who claimed the title in the Guangzhou leg, fell to Yang Ching Shun, 5–9.
Yang later defeated Wu, 11-9, for the title.
The two Filipinos settled for $5,400 each for reaching the semi-finals of the six-city tour.
In a battle of former World Pool champions, the 30-year old Pagulayan dug himself a hole early in his match as he trailed 1–4 following a miss on the seven in the fourth rack.
The Filipino–Canadian managed to get within one rack, 3–4, but a series of miscues on his part allowed Wu to win four straight racks. ML with PR
and be on the hill at 8–4.
Meanwhile, Orcollo, who is the current WPA world number one, failed to keep the country’s hopes alive as he faltered down the stretch against his long-time rival Yang.
Trailing by just one rack, 5–6, the Surigao-native’s game unraveled in the 12th rack as he missed an easy corner pocket shot on the three-ball. Yang pocketed the remaining balls in the rack then ran out the next rack to stretch his lead to three racks and keep within just one rack of the win.
“You have to give credit to Yang. His game was almost perfect and the breaks went his way. Even when he committed an error, he more than made up for it with good placing,” said Orcullo. (ML with PR)
