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Benjie
Guevarra once again proved that he is, indeed, one of
the rising stars of Philippine billiards as he scored a
stunning 8-4 upset of former double world champion
Ronnie Alcano at the start of the First Senate President
Manny Villar Cup billiards tournament Tuesday at the
Sports Center of the StarMall-Alabang in Muntinlupa
City.
The
30-year-old Guevarra, a member of the elite Bugsy
Promotions, showed his superb pocketing skills by taking
control of the cue ball and catching Alcano flatfooted
on the road to victory, a result highlighted the opening
day of this P1-million-plus tournament, organized by the
Billiards Managers and Players Association of the
Philippines (BMPAP).
“I’m
very happy that I won, as I was really determined to
prove that I can be one of them,” said Guevarra, once
the country’s top snooker player before shifting his
focus to billiards.
SENATE
President Manny Villar (above) poses for the ceremonial
break of the tournament named after him. Nine-year-old
Michael Savage, meanwhile, answers the tournament’s call
for youth participation, part of the sport’s development
of future talents. Savage, who is based in Cebu and has
American lineage, is the youngest player in the
tournament. --ROY
DOMINGO
He was
elevated to compete with the country’s top cue artists
in the Top Guns Challenge only after winning the fourth
leg of the Search for the New Billiards Idol.
“I was
not intimidated by Ronnie, because I’ve already faced
him a number of times before. I actually felt lucky I
drew him this early, because he is more dangerous when
facing elimination,” added the 2007 Southeast Asian
Games bronze medalist.
Guevarra
actually started the match on a wrong foot, winning the
lag but surrendered the first two racks against his
heavily favored opponent.
But as
soon as Alcano committed the first of his many
uncharacteristic mistakes, Guevarra readily seized the
opportunity and pocketed seven of the next eight racks
to turn the tide in his favor and reach the hill with
plenty to spare.
A dry
break on the 11th rack allowed Alcano to notch his
fourth point, but this proved to be his last as his poor
safety shot of the yellow-1 in the succeeding rack gave
the table back to Guevarra, who wasted no time in
closing the match.
The win
put Guevarra in a second-round encounter with fellow
rising star Elmer Haya of the Negros Billiards Stable.
Haya drew a first-round bye.
Alcano,
on the other hand, dropped to the complicated one-loss
side, where he must avoid another defeat to keep his bid
alive for the title and the P400,000 that goes with it.
Also
winning the first matches were current world No. 1
Dennis Orcollo, reigning national champion Lee Van
Corteza, former Asian Games gold medalist Antonio Lining
and another top young prospect in Russian Petiza.
Orcollo,
who won the
Quezon City 9-Ball Championship in March, made mincemeat of Ricky Zerna,
8-3; Corteza trounced Mary Ann Basas, 8-4; and Lining
downed 2007 national juniors titlist Mark Mendoza, 8-5.
Petiza demolished Panfilo Damuag, 8-2.
In the
Billiards Idol Sipag at Tiyaga Edition, Bugsy boys Mike
Takayama, Emil Martinez, Michael Feliciano and Renemar
David won their respective opening matches to show the
way in the 120-man field of third-tiered players who
flocked to vie for the P200,000 top purse and the Manny
Villar Sipag at Tiyaga trophy.
Takayama
blanked Ferdinand Villanueva, 5-0; Martinez edged
stablemate Egie Geronimo, 5-4; Feliciano shutout Jireh
Pugayo, 5-0; and David, the 2006 World Juniors
campaigner, outlasted Ryan Cimafranca, 5-3.
A short
and simple opening ceremony ushered in the start of the
competition. There, Villar declared his all-out support
to billiards, which he called “as the sport Filipinos
can call their own.”
“Billiards is already one of the most popular sports in
the world, and we should take advantage of having the
top players and continue to develop the sport,” said
Villar, who was joined by BMPAP president and lawyer Vic
Rodriguez, Games and Amusement Board chairman Eric
Buhain, as well as the heads of different billiards
stables. |
