INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines--Antonio Lining and Corey Deuel share a lot of fond memories, including many road trips in the United States where they crossed states to pit skills against the finest money-game players there.

But their friendship took a backseat Saturday when the Filipino veteran bundled out the American, 9-4, to make the round of 32 of the World 10-ball Championships at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

“Corey and I are really good friends,” said the 47-year-old Lining, the All-Japan Open champion in 2001. “But this is the world championship and it’s different.”

The Philippines is actually threatening to turn the $262,000 tournament into its own party with seven other Filipinos advancing to the round of 32 Saturday.

Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco hacked out narrow victories, while Dennis Orcollo, Jundel Mazon, Elvis Calasang, Marlon Manalo and Junel De Ocampo easily made the next round to assure themselves of at least $2,500 (P117,000).

Surfacing as the tournament’s surprise package is the 22-year-old De Ocampo, a neophyte of this tournament who bundled out Jeff de Luna, 9-6, Friday night, and eliminated Jeong Young-hwa of Korea, 9-6, Saturday.

De Ocampo admitted he delayed his shots to unsettle the seventh-seeded De Luna.

“I don’t fear anyone,” said the Alaminos, Pangasinan, native, who will face Nguyen Anh Than of Vietnam for a place in the last 16 in Filipino. “I think I prepared well enough for this tournament.”

The Philippines could have a maximum of 10 players in the round of 32 with Ronnie Alcano and Antonio Gabica still in contention. Alcano was to play Imran Majid of England, while Gabica was to battle David Alcaide of Spain Saturday night.

Corteza survived Russia’s Konstantin Stepanov, 9-7, at the TV table, while Kiamco needed a late gaffe by Venezuelan Jalal Yousef in a 9-8 victory.

“I rely on my experience in games like this,” Corteza, playing out of the Negros Billiard Stable, said in Filipino. “At least, I’m still fighting for the championship.”

With Corteza on the hill, Stepanov bungled a safety shot on the yellow-1 on the 16th rack, allowing the Filipino to clean up.

Kiamco, a runner-up to Mika Immonen in the prestigious Galveston 10-ball classic early this year, got a break when Yousef missed an easy shot on the red 3, leaving the table open for him to finish off the deciding rack.

Orcollo crushed Oscar Dominguez of the United States, 9-2; Mazon dumped Alain Martel of Canada, 9-2; Calasang trounced Markus Juva of Finland, 9-5, and Manalo outplayed Fu Jianbo of China, 9-2.

Jericho Banares was the lone Filipino casualty, bowing to German Thorsten Hohmann, 9-1. Hohmann will meet Kiamco in the next round.

Also advancing to the next round were Immonen, who ousted world No. 4 Neils Feijen, 9-6, England’s Daryl Peach, Japan’s Satoshi Kawabata and Naoyuki Ooi and Alwi of Indonesia, a 9-2 winner over American ace Johnny Archer.