INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Finland's Mika Immonen declared that the sport of pool is entering a new era, referring to the need for players to be physically fit when going to battle.

Turns out it?s the era of the ?Iceman.?

An acknowledged workout junkie, Immonen?who has won almost every tournament he entered this year? capped a remarkable season with a masterful 11-6 victory over Filipino Lee Van Corteza Monday night to wrest the World 10-Ball Championship at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Pocketing balls with clinical precision and brandishing superior positional play, Immonen cut the error-prone Corteza to size, breaking the hearts of the home crowd.

Immonen, the reigning champion of the prestigious US Open, actually beat two Filipinos on the final day of the tournament. The first to fall was Antonio Lining, whom Immonen defeated in the semifinals, 9-7.

?I?m overjoyed,? said Immonen, who won $60,000 for his feat. ?I?m highly motivated to win this title.

?The sport is entering a new era where players also need to be physically fit and be mentally prepared at the same time.?

Corteza was looking to become the fourth Filipino world men?s champion after Efren ?Bata? Reyes, Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano.

Reyes won the 1999 World 9-Ball Championship in Cardiff, Wales, a feat duplicated in 2004 by Alex Pagulayan and two years later by Ronnie Alcano in Manila.

Corteza failed to complete a World Ten Ball title double after Rubilen Amit topped the women?s event in July.

Unbeaten in the group stage, Corteza moved on the verge of the biggest victory of his career after a pulsating 9-7 victory over David Alcaide of Spain.

The 30-year-old Corteza broke and ran out the last two racks after Alcaide missed a difficult cut on the green-6 in the 14th rack.

Corteza sank the brown seven on the break in the 16th rack and methodically finished off the Spaniard, who ousted Dennis Orcollo in the round of 16.

?I don?t like close matches but that?s just the way it is,? said Corteza.

Corteza, whose lone title this year came in the 2009 Derby City 10-Ball Classic, started his stirring run in the group stage, where he sent shockwaves by blanking Chinese-Taipei?s Yang Ching-shun, 9-0.