FORMER world champion Dennis Orcollo of Surigao City became the lone Filipino standing after crushing compatriot Warren Kiamco of Cebu City, 11-2, in losers' round 9 of the 41st Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Virginia, U.S.A.
Orcollo, thus, set up a showdown with Corteza's winners' side 11-8 tormentor Pin-Yi Ko of Chinese Taipei who absorbed a heartbreaking loss to Jayson Shaw of Great Britain to be relegated the losers' group.
Before meeting Kiamco, Orcollo bested American J. Bergman, 11-9, following an 11-4 rout of Chinese Taipei's KL Wu. The Surigao native also outlasted Dabawenyo Lee Vann Corteza, 11-9, after winning on the same note over NielsFeijen of The Netherlands.
Orcollo whipped VilmosFoldes, 11-6, in his first losers' bracket match.
Kiamco, for his part, took a three-game winning streak in the losers' side before succumbing to Orcollo and bowing out of the over US$200,000 tournament. He overwhelmed MD Dudanets, 11-3, then eked out an 11-6 victory over RodoslawBabica of Poland before thrashing K.L. Hsu of Chinese Taipei, 11-4.
Filipino Carlo Biado also won three matches in the losers' bracket only to fall at the hands of Y.L. Cheng of Chinese Taipei, 4-11.
Biado overcame lone Philippines' female entry 17-year-old Chezka Centeno, 11-2, before escaping past Mika Immonen of Finland, 11-10, F. Sanchez-Ruiz, 11-10.
The champion will take home US$50,000.