Asian Pool Asserts Its Might

11th November 2006

TWENTY-ONE Filipino players carried the colors of the Philippines at the start of the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship. Now, there are only two left.

Rodolfo Luat and Ronato Alcano kept Filipino hearts burning and believing that a compatriot would win the world title with victories in the Last 16 yesterday.

Luat, for so long one of the battle-hardened band of Filipino pool stars, was the first home player through to the quarter-finals as he edged past Spain ’s David Alcaide in a 11-10 thriller on the main table at the PICC in Manila .

Often in the shadow of his more illustrious countrymen, Luat showed tremendous fortitude under immense pressure and he will surely enjoy his spell in the limelight.
Luat entered into the WPC following some impressive showings on the Asian 9 Ball Tour and made his way into the knock-out stages, winning Group 21 with three wins from three and then dumped out American Jeremy Jones in the last 64. On Thursday, he beat unknown Indonesian Roy Apancho to set up a mouth-watering clash with the in-form David Alcaide for a place in the quarter-finals.

Any notions that home interest in the championship may have diminished with yesterday’s Reyes exit, were quickly dispelled as the arena filled to bursting with the most enthusiastic crowd of the week.

With the alternate break format, it was always going to be a close run thing and at 6-6, the ball was in anyone’s court.

Alcaide, 28, took the 13th game to take the lead but a bad miss on the5 ball in the next put Luat right under the cosh as Alcaide dished up to put some space between them as he lead 8-6.

With the break Luat, was forced to play safe in the next and he left Alcaide in a tight snooker. The Spaniard escaped and to knock the 2 ball safe. Luat though was too loose trying to lay another snooker but Alcaide could not capitalize with a failed bank shot.

Both players were feeling the heat as the safety battle dragged on. It was Alcaide who cracked first as he left the 2 on for Luat. He made it and with an open table he cleared to get to 8-7.

Alcaide though fought back in the next to maintain his two rack lead as he completed a trick y run out to get to 9-7.

Luat took the next with his break to stay on the Spaniards heels and it was a failed kick shot on the 2 ball that gave the Filipino the chance to run out and square the match at 9-9.

The atmosphere in the arena was palpable as Luat lost control of the cue ball in the next and nearly scratched. Both players then had shots on the 1 ball as the tension really started to show. Alcaide jumped out of a snooker but left a slight chance on for Luat but he left the yellow 1 hanging in the jaws of the pocket.

It was the opportunity Alcaide was looking for and he cleared the table to get to the hill at 10-9.

The Spaniard had a half chance on the bank shot but missed as the balls rolled seemingly safe. Luat though pulled out a stunner to pot the 1 with the tightest of cuts and get perfect on the 2 ball.

Cueing as confidently as a man could under the circumstances, Luat ran the table to take the match to hill-hill.

The sell-out crowd was going wild at this stage and when Luat made a ball on the break and gained shape on the 1 ball, a roar went up.

However, he badly missed the 1 ball and left a simple cross table bank for Alcaide. He made it but lost position going from 4 to 5 and failed to roll the 5 into the middle pocket.

The balls looked to have gone safe but the Filipino played a majestic shot to gently swerve the cueball around the 7 and nudge the 5 ball in. He then composed himself to clear the table as the arena jumped to their feet in sheer joy.

“I missed the 1 ball when the score was 5-3 and everything changed. If I had made that I would have gone away with the game,” said Luat at the post-match press conference.

“I hope I go to the final – there’s a lot of pressure and you have more pressure here as this is my home country. But it was a nice match and good for television,” he added.

For his part, Alcaide said, “I’m very proud to have played so well throughout this tournament and to play in the cradle of pool – the Philippines – against one of the best players in the world. Of course, I’m disappointed to lose but on the day the best man won.”

Alcano became the second Filipino to advance into the quarter-finals when he clobbered 2005 runner-up Kuo Po-cheng 11-5. The unseeded Filipino is enjoying his best performance in the World Championships where he had only previously reached the Last 64.

But knock-out victories against Roberto Gomez, Efren Reyes and now Kuo have seen Alcano make the final eight and with a great chance of securing the most prestigious prize in world pool.

After defeating Reyes 10-7 in yesterday's last 32 encounter, 'Calamba' was placed on table two and backed by a partisan home crowd, desperate to see a home player lift the trophy.

Alcano soon took control of the match as he raced into a 4-2 lead and then extended his advantage to three racks by winning the seventh.

The eighth rack saw two rare mistakes from the Filipino as he firstly left a chance at the 1-ball and then, after Kuo could not take full advantage, 'Calamba' missed a shot at the pink and the player from Chinese Taipei made him pay for that mistake.

However, the three-rack lead was soon restored as Alcano ran through the ninth before it was Kuo's turn to make an error.

Despite potting four balls on the break, Kuo had no shot on the blue 2 and had to push out but then left the same ball near the pocket. Alcano still had a lot of work to do but potted the 2-ball, banked the red three into the centre pocket and then sunk the green, brown and 9-balls to move four ahead.

The advantage became five shortly afterwards as the Filipino broke and ran through the 11th as he closed in on an encounter with either Scotland's Pat Holtz or defending champion Wu Chia-ching.

Kuo sealed the 12th rack but a 4-9 combination kept Alcano on course for victory as he moved into a 9-4 lead. He nearly got lucky in the next with a kick-shot on the blue 2 that cannoned into the 9-ball and rolled towards the pocket, but stayed hanging on the edge as Kuo kept his slim hopes alive, trailing 9-5.

A mistake from Kuo saw him scratch after a kick-shot on the pink 4 to move Alcano to the hill. The match was over minutes later as a missed orange from Kuo was his last shot in the competition.

Modest Alcano refused to get carried away with his performance so far. He said: "This was not an easy match and I was lucky for the first rack and the last three games.