INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—It seems Ronnie Alcano has totally mastered the country’s living pool legend.

Alcano came out victorious against Efren “Bata” Reyes, 9-4, in the 15-ball rotation-format Villards Challenge of the Legend: The Maestro versus The Volcano on Friday night at the jampacked Skydome of SM North Edsa in Quezon City.

“I’m proud to have beaten my idol, especially in his game,” said Alcano, who pocketed the P150,000 prize staked in their one-on-one showdown.

Alcano took the final four racks to close out the race-to-9, alternate break affair after Reyes threatened at 5-4.

“I still consider him as the best player in the world,” said Alcano, who also booted Reyes out in the Last 16 of the 2006 World Pool Championship before bagging the crown in that event.

Reyes, the 1999 World 9-Ball champion, also bowed to Alcano in the opening round of the Japan 9-Ball Open in November last year.

“Ronnie is really good,” the 55-year-old Reyes said in Filipino. “He’s also called the champ because he’s a double world champion and I think he’ll be winning more titles.”

Alcano and Reyes are two of only four players to capture both the world 9-ball and world 8-ball championships.

“All players consider it a great honor to compete and win against him,” Alcano, the pride of Calamba, Laguna, added in Filipino. “But we know we can never surpass what he has achieved.”

The 37-year-old Alcano surged midway by taking four straight racks to go up at 4-1.

In the undercard, Japan Open champion Ramil Gallego and former Asian Games gold medalist Antonio Lining ruled the Scotch Doubles All-Star Challenge.

Carlo Biado also topped the Sipag at Tiyaga-Search for the New Billiards Idol Special Edition of the event presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports and JBETpoker.net, in cooperation with the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines and Bugsy Promotions.

Gallego and Lining of the BMPAP Selection nipped the Negros Billiards Stable tandem of Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco, 7-6, in the finals of the two-day event.

The finalists ousted the tandems of former world No.1 Dennis Orcollo and Asian Games gold medalist Gandy Valle (Bugsy Promotions) and former world champion Alex Pagulayan and Rodolfo Luat (Puyat Sports).