INQUIRER Sports

LIPA CITY?Former world No. 1 Francisco ?Django? Bustamante bamboozled Mike Takayama, 9-1, to punch a quarterfinal ticket to the Manny Villar Cup Calabarzon leg Saturday at the SM City Mall here.

The well-traveled Bustamante never gave young gun Takayama a chance, as he quickly raced to a 6-0 lead en route to his second straight victory.

Fellow great Efren ?Bata? Reyes wasn?t as lucky. The internationally renowned ?Magician? got the boot from Ricky Zerna, who hammered out a 9-8 shocker.

?I just got my game going, while he struggled in his and I took advantage of it,? said Bustamante, who won his opening match against local qualifier Johnson Vita, 9-3.

?(Takayama) is a good player. He just needed to have more focus to the game, and if he does, I think he is one of the future of Philippine billiards.?

Bustamante was to face another rising star, Carlo Biado, in the quarterfinals late Saturday.

Biado, the 24-year-old pool whiz from La Union, posted his second win after edging out Egie Geronimo, 9-7, in their Last 16 encounter in this eighth stop of the island-hopping series presented by Sen. Villar?s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.

Biado, who was the runner-up in the Bulacan leg, won his first round match over local bet Nelson Dumas, 9-0, while Geronimo made it to the second round by blasted veteran Godofredo Ducanes, 9-5.

Former national champion Lee Van Corteza and Ricky Zerna also advanced into the round-of-8.

Corteza finally won against fellow Davaoeño Gandy Valle in tournament play by stealing two of the latter?s break while holding his own for a 9-4 triumph that arranged for him a meeting with Zerna, who moved into the Last 8 by holding off Rene Mar David, 9-7.

Corteza opened his campaign by beating Joven Bustamante, 9-7, while Zerna began his by stunning Efren ?Bata? Reyes, 9-8.

The four other quarterfinals slots were being disputed at the time of this writing.

Former double world champion Ronnie Alcano was playing Bacolod leg winner Rodolfo Luat; newly-crowned International 10-Ball titlist Dennis Orcollo was taking on Antonio Lining; Alabang leg ruler Warren Kiamco was going up against returning Jose ?Amang? Parica; and Bulacan leg titleholder Ramil Gallego was playing Elmer Haya.

The winner of this leg will receive the P300,000 top prize and a slot to the Villar Cup Battle of Champions in December.