RP VERSUS EUROPE IN WPC FINALS; GOMEZ CLUSTERED 11 STRAIGHT RACKS
By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 10 Nov 2007
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- LONE Filipino hopeful Roberto Gomez is one step closer to fame and glory when he beat Englishman Karl Boyes, 11-4, in the semi-final round early tonight to arrange a titular showdown with another Englishman Daryl Peach, winner over former three-time World Junior Champion Vilmos Foldes, 11-2, in the semi-finals, in the 2007 Philippine World Pool Championships at the Big Dome.
Gomez and Peach, both neophyte in the prestigious World 9-Ball Title, will clash for the top purse of $100,000 in the event aired worldwide on ESPN, in the race-to-17 finals starting at 2:30 pm tomorrow.
Gomez earlier beat 2005 WPC runner-up Kuo Po-cheng of Taiwan, 11-4, while Peach escape with an 11-10 controversial win against 2002 WPC runner-up Francisco "Django" Bustamante.
The 28-year-old Gomez, who hails from Divisioria, Zamboanga won the lag but suffered a dry break allowing Boyes to take the first rack. Three more racks put Boyes on a 4-0 lead.
In the fifth frame, after trading defense of the two gladiators, Boyes committed a scratch as Gomez clean up the table for his 1st rack. Thereafter, Gomez never looked back clustering 11 consecutive racks including a golden break in the 12th rack.
Gomez also became the first qualifier to advance to the finals. Taiwanese Hui Kai-hsia made it to the quarter-final round in 2003 edition.
"Nang una ay naninibago ako sa table 2 at hindi umuubra 'yung soft-break ko kaya naka 4-0 s'ya agad. Sa table 1 kasi ako palagi at 'dun p'wede y'ung soft-break kaya nag shift ako sa power break sa table 2," Said Gomez, who swept the last year's group stage matches including former US Open champion Corey Deuel but lost to compatriot then eventual winner Ronato Alcano in a huge margin in the round-of-64.
"Masayang-masaya ako pero nandito pa din 'yung pressure sa puso ko," added the former ABS-CBN 2 Zamboanga field reporter.
Gomez said he will use the soft-break for tomorrow's table 1 match against Peach.
Gomez won twice, here and abroad, winning the Manny Pacquiao 9-ball in General Santos and Battle Scandinavia 9-ball in Oslo, Norway.
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