'Marvelous Captain' Manalo moves into the $450,000 total pot prize Qatar World Cup 10-Ball main draw
By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 06 Dec 2024
Manila---When it comes to World Class Billiard Competitions, Filipinos Rule!
Filipino cue master Marlon Manalo, nicknamed “Marvelous Captain,” edged countryman Aihvan Manaloto in one of the qualifying tournaments to gain a seat in the main draw of the money-rich Qatar World Cup 10 Ball Championship which will start on December 9, 2024 at Ezdan Palace Hotel in Doha, Qatar.
Manalo, the affable cue artist and former chairman of Barangay Malamig in Mandaluyong City defeated Manaloto, 7-6, in the finals, early Friday in morning in the Philippines time (Thursday evening in Qatar).
“I hope to perform well in the Qatar World Cup 10 Ball Championship main draw,” said Manalo, who kept himself in shape by practicing daily in his own pool hall in Talumpung, Mandaluyong and famous Star Billiards Center in Grace Village, Quezon City, hosted by long-time sports patron Sebastian "Baste" Chua.
Earlier, Manalo took a bye in the first round then bested Mohamad Alyazeedi of Qatar, 7-0, Abdullah Alharthi of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 7-0, Mohamed Abdul Karim of Syria, 7-6, before beating Manaloto of the Philippines, 7-6.
Other cue masters who made it to the knock out stages were Konstantin Stepanov of Russia, Panagiotis Xypoliteas of Greece, Haider Ali of Qatar and Kyle Amoroto of the Philippines.
Fondly called " Marvelous Captain", Manalo captivated the billiard circuit by clustering victories against noted pool sharks Yang Ching-shun of Taiwan and countrymen Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante in the knockout stage of the World Pool Championship in 2004. The following year, the 2000 Asian Snooker Champion and 2008 National Champion Manalo went all the way to the semifinals of the same event before bowing to eventual champion Wu Chia-ching (Wu Jia-qing).
The money-rich Qatar World Cup 10 Ball Championship offers a total pot prize of $450,000 with the winner getting the lion's share of $100,000 while the runner-up place will earn $40,000.
This is a World Pool Association (WPA) sanctioned tournament.-Marlon Bernardino-
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