FIVE FORMER FILIPINO WORLD CHAMPIONS DEFEND TURF AGAINST WORLD'S BEST IN WPA 10-BALL TOURNEY
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 14 Feb 2015
Eleven Filipino pool sharks, five of them former world champions, have been seeded to the main draw of the Fourth World Pool Association 10-Ball championship, which opens shop today at the SM General Santos City.
World 9-Ball kingpin of 1999 and 2004 8-Ball champ Efren "Bata" Reyes, will lead their country's hopefuls in the 12-day series that will see 128 of the planet's top cue artists battling brains and wits for the $300,000 total purse, put up by eight-division world boxing champion and Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao, $40,000 of which goes to the winners of the singles and doubles events each.
Carrying the country's colors, besides Reyes, are Dennis Orcullo, Carlo Biado, Warren Kiamco, teener Raymundo Faraon and Jeffrey Ignacio, who all earned their seedings as among the top 24 world-ranked campaigners given the privilege.
Like Reyes, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Ronnie Alcano and Alex Pagulayan have earned their tickets as wild cards being former world titleholders. Pagulayan, a Fil-Canadaian, will be carrying Canada's colors in the tournament.
Joining them in the tournament proper are Antonio Gabica, Lee Van Corteza, Ramil Gallego and Antonio Gabica, who, although no longer ranked in the Wolrld Pool Association rating, still belongs to the host country's top campaigners and money-earners, making them categorized also as wild cards.
Non-ranking artists who are nominated by their respective countries as still their top players are seeded in the championships, organized by BobSlu Foundation and sanctioned by WPA.
Several more Filipinos, who will emerged from a two-day qualifying phase today and tomorrow, are expected to make it to the tournament proper set Feb. 17-21.
The MP International 10-Ball doubles event will follow from Feb. 22-26, also at the activity center of SM GenSan, according to tournament directress Ishi Caparrras.
"We expect some 15 to 20 Filipinos to vie for honors and money because that's precisely the reason why CongManny is bankrolling the championships, to give as many Filipinos the chance to earn money and at the same time gain fame," Ms. Caparras said.
Taiwanese Cahng Yu Lung, currently ranked first by the WPA leads the top 24 given automatic tickets to the main draw.
Among those in the list are former no. 1 Niels Feijen of The Netherlands, Shane Van Boening of the United States, Li Hewen of China, familiars faces, Mikka Immonen, 2008 8-Ball kingpin Ralf Souquet, Darren Appleton of Great Britain and Huidji See of Holland, the last to win the 10-Ball tilt four years.
Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight belt-holder, meanwhile, welcomed all the foreign participants to the country, egging them to enjoy the world famous Filipino hospitality as well as GenSan's ideal climate.
"Welcome to the Philippines and enjhoy our people's hospitality and pleasant scenery, consider as one of the best in the world to those who regularly come here," Pacquiao said.
"To the first timers, we, in the organizing committee, assure you that you will be enjoying an experience You have never tasted before," he added.
Appleton, the 2012 World 9-Ball champion, actually, won the 10-Ball world's first staging held in Manila in 2008, followed by Immonen the following year, meaning the event's first three editions had been hosted by the Philippines.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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