Carlo Biado of the Philippines crowned himself the new Predator WPA Men's World 10-Ball champion after securing a 3-1 set victory over Japanese Naoyuki Oi in their title showdown at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on Sunday (Philippine time).
The 40-year-old Biado, dubbed the "Black Tiger," dominated the first set with a 4-1 win over Oi.
In the closely contested second set, Oi edged the Filipino 4-3, leveling the championship match at 1-all.
However, Biado staged a remarkable comeback, clinching the third and fourth sets, 4-2, 4-1, to secure the champion's trophy, a gold medal, and the top purse of $75,000 (roughly P4.2 million). Oi settled for the $45,000 runner-up prize.
In a statement to the Predator Pro Billiards Series, Biado expressed his joy, saying, "I’m overwhelmed, I’m very very happy to finally get the World 10-Ball championship, I want to thank God for this wonderful victory."
He dedicated his victory to his wife, acknowledging her unwavering support. A photo posted on the Predator Pro Billiards Series official Facebook page captured Biado placing his gold medal around his wife's neck.
He faced tough competition on his way to the finals.
In the semifinals, Biado rebounded from a 1-4 first-set loss to Russian-born American player Fedor Gorst, claiming the next three sets (4-3, 4-2, 4-2), to arrange a title showdown with Oi. The latter, in turn, survived a thrilling five-set match against Denis Grabe of Estonia (4-2, 3-4, 3-4, 4-2, 4-0).
Biado also escaped with a 3-2 win (4-1, 0-4, 4-1, 3-4, 4-1) over seasoned Chinese Taipei pool player Ko Ping Chung in the quarterfinals after securing a 3-0 shutout victory over Jung-Lin Chang of Chinese Taipei.
The new world 10-ball champion had previously been a runner-up to Davao City's Lee Vann Corteza, who claimed the 2024 Las Vegas Open men's title early last week.
Biado boasts an impressive resume, securing championship titles in the 2017 World 9-Ball, 2017 World Games 9-Ball singles, 2021 US Open Pool Championships, and the 2022 WPA World Team 10-Ball Championships alongside Johann Chua and Rubilen Amit.
His collection includes three gold medals, two silvers, and three bronzes from previous Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, along with a bronze from the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
Another Filipino, Chezka Centeno, secured the Las Vegas Open women's title.
Other Predator Pro Billiards Series champions included Chie Yu-Chou (PBA women showdown) and Chieh-Yu Chou and Jung-Lin Chang (Apex mixed doubles). MLSA