UNHERALDED Jonas Magpantay completed a stunning breakthrough run by winning the WPA Qatar World Cup 10-Ball championship in Doha late Sunday night, Nov. 2, 2025 (PH time).
Magpantay downed Polish youngster Szymon Kural 13-9 in the final to take the title and bring home the well-deserved, life-changing $100,000 (P5.8 million) champion’s purse — the biggest in his pool career that started two decades ago.
It was an impressive run for the 31-year-old pride of Mindoro, who made it to the tournament through the qualifiers before his upset spree in the knockout rounds.
He looked practically unbeatable throughout the event — showing elite-level shot making, precise cue ball control, unrelenting safety shots and the confidence of a
top-seeded player.
Known in the billiards circles as “The Silent Killer”, Magpantay blanked Abdullatif Alfawal of the host country 9-0 in Round 1, then won 9-6 over Japan’s Naoyuki Oi, before stunning World Games gold medalist Oliver Szolnoki of Hungary 11-7 in the
Last 64.
Perhaps the most remarkable facet to Magpantay’s streak came in the Round of 32 last Friday, Oct. 31, when he pulled off an 11-8 upset over world champion
Carlo Biado.
Coincidentally, Biado was celebrating his birthday that day, and his wish was simple: “I hope a Filipino will be crowned champion in Qatar.” In a poetic twist, that wish came true — just not in the way anyone expected.
Magpantay continued his historic run by shocking two-time European champion Wojciech Szewczyk of Poland 11-5 in the Last 16, multi-world titlist Niels Feijen of the Netherlands 11-7 in the quarters, and former world junior champion Moritz Neuhausen of Germany 11-6 in the semis. / RP2 SPORTS / 77.BILLIARDS