FILIPINO cue artists showcased their prowess on Tuesday night, July 22, in the 2025 World Pool Championship in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a near-sweep of their matches in the main bracket and some intense battles in the Losers’ Bracket.
In a display of national strength, 14 Filipino players emerged victorious in their respective matches.
Johann Chua delivered a dominant performance against host country’s Mohamed Al-Balkhi with a convincing 9-0 win, while Marvin Asis edged out David Alcaide of Spain 9-8 in a nail-biting encounter.
2017 champion Carlo Biado defeated the Netherland’s Jan Van Lierop 9-5 and Lee Vann “The Slayer” Corteza secured a 9-7 victory over Al Waleed Al-Mudayan of Saudi Arabia.
The winning streak for the Philippines continued with AJ Manas beating fellow countryman Alexis Ferrer 9-6, James Aranas drubbing Tunisia’s Wesam Hamamm 9-4 and Roland Garcia prevailing against Niels Feijen of the Netherlands 9-4.
The winning streak for the Philippines continued with Bernie Regalario beating Abdullah Alenzi of Kuwait 9-2, Michael Baoanan overcoming Serbia’s Aleksa Pecelj 9-5 and Jeffrey Ignacio prevailing against James Georgiadis of Australia 9-6.
Michael Feliciano added to the Filipino success, defeating Poland’s Konrad Juszczyn 9-3 in a lopsided match.
Other notable victories for the Philippines included Bernie Regalario’s 9-2 win over Abdullah Alenzi of Kuwait, Michael Baoanan’s 9-5 triumph against Serbia’s Aleksa Pecelj, Jeffrey Ignacio’s 9-6 victory over James Georgiadis of Australia and Patrick Gonzales’ 9-3 win against the Czech Republic’s Roman Hybler.
Ferrer, after his defeat to Manas, bounced back with a 9-6 win against Phuong Nam Pham of Vietnam in the Losers’ Bracket to keep his hopes alive.
Mark Kalagayan also secured a 9-7 victory over host country’s Abdulaziz Al-Amoudi in the Losers’ Bracket, which saw some tough breaks for other Filipino players.
Marlon Cañeda fell to Sam Henderson of the US 7-9 and Rogelio Sotero was defeated by American player Shane Van Boening 5-9. / via 77.Billiards