ROTA, CUARTERO SCORES EASY VICTORIES IN QATAR; ORCOLLO IS THE 1ST PINOY CASUALTY

CEBUANO Israel“Amay” Rota and Surigao’s Alan Cuartero scored easy victories yesterday to keep the Philippine Flag in a high note, however other Pinoy campaigners lost their respective matches in the on-going 2009 Qatar International 9-ball Pool Championship at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Qatar.

Rota defeated Christoph Reintjens of Germany, 9-5, while Cuartero blasted Khalid Sibaitah of UAE, 9-0.

Around 120 cueists representing 55 countries from Asia, Europe, America and Africa are competing in the ten–day event, which is offers $40,000 to the champion.

The group stage is played under a “double-elimination” system. Four successive wins send players into the last 32 which begins today, (Saturday) according to Cebuano Paul Monera Magadan of Magi Group in a long distance interview of this writer yesterday, handler of 2008 World Ten Ball Championships semi-finalists Demosthenes “Plong-Plong” Pulpul, while two straight defeats eliminate them from the tournament.

Defending champion Dennis “RP Money Game King” Orcollo is the first Filipino casualty losing to Mateusz Sniegocki of Poland, 9-5, to start packed up his things.

Not as fortunate were Marlon Manalo “Marvelous” Manalo lost to Radoslaw Babica of Poland, 9-8, Antonio “Ga-Ga” Gabica succumb to the challenge of Mika Immonen of Finland, 9-4, Raymund Faraon bowed to Kuo Po Cheng of Chinese-Taipei, 9-7, and Oliver Medinilla went down to fighting Vilmos Foldes of Hungrary, 9-4.

Jeffrey De Luna, the 2007 Manny Pacquiao International 9-Ball Open ruler bounced back in contention by downing Nayef A.A. Mohammad of Jordan, 9-1.

World 8-Ball Champion Ralf Souquet of Germany continued his winning ways after demolishing Omar Al Serkal of UAE, 9-3, as well 2009 Philippine Pool Championships winner Ricky Yang of Indonesia edged reigning World Junior Champion Ko Pin-yi of Chinese-Taipei, 9-8, and US brightest hope Shane “The South Dakota Kid” Van Boening outlasted Karl Boyes of Great Britain, 9-2.

Sharing the limelight is World 9-Ball Champion Daryl Peach of Great Britain who stuns Tohru Kuribayashi of Japan, 9-5, as well Asian Superstar Yang Ching Shun of Chinese-Taipei, who clobbered Imarn Majid of Great Britain, 9-5, and Niels “The Terminator” Feijen of the Netherlands who dealt Markus Juva of Finland, 9-3.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO.