INQUIRER Sports

RONATO Alcano beat Russia?s Ruslan Chinahov, 7-1, to send Team Philippines to the finals of the World Team Pool Cup Championship in Hannover, Germany.

Alcano, the former World 9-ball and 8-ball champion, helped the Nationals score a 4-1 victory over Russia in the semifinals of the 1st 10-ball game late Saturday.

With the win, the Nationals was set to square off against Great Britain in the final round on Sunday (Manila time).

Bannered by reigning world 9-ball champion Darly Peach and former world 10-ball champion Darren Appleton, Great Britain eliminated Greece, 4-2, in another semifinal duel.

Alcano seemed unshaken by his loss in his previous outing teaming up with ex-snooker champion Marlon "Marvelous" Manalo in the 1st 8-ball Scotch doubles event by score.

"Parang panggising 'yung talo namin ni Marlon sa 8-ball Scotch Doubles," said Alcano.

After the Filipinos, backed up by the BSCP, Raya Sports, Bugsy Promotions and Negros Billiards Stable, lost in the 1st 8-ball Scotch doubles event, the pair of Southeast Asian Games gold medallist Warren "Warrior" Kiamco and former world no.1 Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, won their match, 6-4, to level the count at 1-all in this race-to-4 affair.

Two-time BSCP National Pool Championships ruler Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza and Japan based Antonio "Nickoy" Lining, made it to 3-1 for the Philippines with similar 8-4 victories over Roman Pruchai and Egor Plishkin, respectively in the 9-ball game, before Alcano stepped up beating Chinahov for a 4-1 total output.

The 48-nation tournament, the first of its kind and sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association (WPA), stakes a total purse of $400,000 (roughly P19.2 million) and uses a point-system scoring patterned after the famous Davis Cup in international tennis.

The champion team gets the lion?s share of $100,000 (roughly P4.7 million).