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Ronnie Alcano trounced reigning World 9-Ball
titlist Darryl Peach, 10-5, Wednesday night to stay on
course toward a back-to-back title romp in the World
8-Ball Championship at the
Amir
Billiards
Center
in Fujairah City, United Arab Emirates.
Alcano,
the top bet of the star-studded Bugsy Promotions and the
Billiards Managers and Players Association of the
Philippines (BMPAP), moved three victories shy of
becoming the first cue artists in 17 years to
successfully retain a world crown.
Two
other Filipinos—current world No.1 Dennis Orcollo
and Warren Kiamco, also both BMPAP
bets—also remained in contention.
Orcollo,
also a Bugsy boy who lost to Alcano in last year’s
finals, subdued Chinese Fu Jianbo, 10-7, in the Last 32,
and then took the scalp of Taiwanese Wang Hung-hsiang,
10-6, in the round-of-16.
Kiamco,
the lone qualifier from Jonathan Sy’s Negros Billiards
Stable, kept his unbeaten run going by blanking local
bet Hanni Al Howri, 10-0, in the Last 32 and Poland’s
Radoslaw Babica, 10-7, in the Last 16.
“Yes,
it’s only three wins, but I’m not looking at that. My
focus is one game at a time. All I can say is that I’m
happy with where I am now and with the way I’m playing,”
said the 35-year-old former double world champion.
Before
ending Peach’s chance at becoming just the third player
to hold both the world 9-ball and 8-ball titles in the
same year, Alcano had earlier eliminated compatriot and
fellow Bugsy boy Roberto Gomez, 10-8, at the start of
the knockout stage.
“Too
bad, I drew Ronnie this early,” said Gomez, the 2007
World Pool runner-up. “I just hope that Ronnie could go
all the way. I’m confident on his chances.”
Alcano
was to play Italian Bruno Muratore in the quarterfinals
slated late Thursday night, while Orcollo and Kiamco
were pitted against each other, ensuring that at least
one Filipino will advance to the semifinals.
Muratore
advanced after upending reigning world 10-ball ruler
Shane Van Boening of the United States, 10-7, in the
Last 16.
The
other quarterfinals matches pit Sweden’s Marcus Chamat
and Switzerland’s Dimitri Jungo, and former world
champion Ralf Souquet of Germany against England’s Chris
Melling.
Jungo
ended the giant-killing spree of Middle East-based
Filipino Alan Cuartero with a 10-8 decision. Cuartero’s
victims include former double world champion Wu
Chia-ching of Chinese-Taipei, 10-8, in the Last 32.
Chamat
made it by beating Kasper Kristoffersen of Norway, 10-5,
in the round of 16, where Souquet also edged world No. 2
Neils Feijen of the Netherlands, 10-9, and Melling
outpointed Marcus Westen of
Germany,
10-8.
The
semifinals was also scheduled late Thursday night, while
the finals will be played Friday night. |
