DENNIS Orcullo and Ronato Alcano, two of the country’s best hopes in the 2010 World 9-Ball Championship, fashioned out smashing victories last Thursday to secure berths in the knockout phase of the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation hall in Doha.
Orcullo, the World Pool Masters champion, defeated Chis Milling of Great Britain, 9-4, while Alcano beat David Spain, 9-5.
Orcollo, a former Sun.Star Superbalita 9-Ball champion, and Alcano, a former world 9-Ball and 8-Ball champion, joined countrymen Francisco Bustamante, Antonio Lining, Venancio Tanio, Oliver Medenilla, Francisco Felisilda, Raymund Faraon, Israel Rota and Allan Orcullo in the next round of the $250,000 tournament.
“I got lucky because the breaks went my way,” Alcano said.
Bustamante crushed Tohru Kuribayashi of Japan, 9-6; Lining beat Khalid Al Kamale, 9-5; Tanio beat Liu Haitao of China, 9-8; Medenilla trounced Fahad Al Barak of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 9-6; while Felisilda edged Cebuano Antonio Gabica, 9-8.
Faraon also scored an upset over Nick Van den Berg of the Netherlands, 9-8; Rota nipped Nguyen Phuc Long of Vietnam, 9-6; and Cuartero defeated Neils Feijen of the Netherlands, 9-6.
Marlon Manalo and Joven Alba also made it to the Round-of-64 through the losers bracket. (PR)