Gabica, 4 other RP bets march to Last 32 rd. Marlon Manalo Cebu Daily News
July 05, 2009
Marlon “Marvelous” Manalo, Antonio “Ga-Ga” Gabica and Jeffrey “The Bull” de Luna subdued their respective rivals yesterday to barge into the Last 32 round along with two other Pinoy pool wizards at the end of group play in the 2009 Qatar International 9-ball Pool Championship in Doha, Qatar.
The Mandaluyong City native Manalo, the 2005 World Pool Championships semi-finalist ripped compatriot Elvis Calasang, 9-4; Gabica of Lapu-Lapu City, the 2006 Doha Asian Games 9-ball gold medallist bested Jeong Young Hwa of Korea, 9-6, while De Luna, the 2007 Manny Pacquiao International 9-ball winner trounced Taher Hossain of Qatar, 9-1.
Another Cebuano pride Israel “Amay” Rota and Bicol bet Raymond Faraon, both pool instructors in the Middle East, also advanced to the Last 32.
Rota thumped countryman and snooker specialist Joven Alba, 9-4, while Faraon beat Hamza Mohd Saeed Ali of ERI, 9-8, in a hill-hill thriller.
In the Last 32: Manalo meets American Shane “The South Dakota Kid” Van Boening; Gabica battles Mariusz Skoneczny of Poland; de Luna squares off with Niels “The Terminator” Feijen of the Netherlands; Rota faces Radoslaw Babica of Poland and Faraon meets Daryl Peach of Great Britain. According to Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) chairman Florentino “Yen” Makabenta, the five Filipino survivors had to weather grueling matches in the losers bracket to make the cut in the Last 32, which employs a single knock-out system.
The winner of the Qatar Open pockets $40,000.
The five join 27 other players in the knockout stage where most of the world’s Top 10 remain in contention. Van Boening, Feijen, Babica, Peach and de Luna are all top 10 in world rankings.
Meanwhile, Demosthenes “Plong Plong” Pulpul, the 2008 World Ten Ball Championships semi-finalist playing under the wings of Cebuano Paul Monera Magadan of the Magi Group, beat Valerino Pajuay, 9-8, but lost to Karl Boyes of Great Britain, 5-9, and failed to progress.
