World Pool Masters precedes World Cup at SM North September 3

MANILA—Local billiards springs back to life with the staging of the 2011 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters and the World Cup of Pool, respectively, at SM City North Edsa Mall in Quezon City next month.

Filipino star Dennis Orcollo will be defending his Masters title from September 3 to 5, while China’s Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen will try to assert their dominance in the World Cup on September 6 to 11.

The tested pair of Fu and Li trounced the Orcollo-Roberto Gomez tandem, 10-5, in last year’s final at Robinson’s Place in Ermita, Manila, to regain the World Cup title they also won in 2007.

They will be challenged by 31 other teams from 30 nations, led by two-time winners Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante (2006 and 2009) and the crack pair of Orcollo and two-time world champion Ronnie Alcano in the $250,000 event.

Orcollo, on the other hand, will be vying for the $20,000 top purse with 15 other cue masters that include five-time Masters champion Ralf Souquet of Germany, 1998 and 2001 titlist Bustamante, Hall of Famer Reyes and resurgent Lee Van Corteza, winner of Sunday’s 3rd Golden Break 9-Ball Invitational Championship in Kuala Lumpur (See story on A17).

Completing the $66,000 Masters’ cast are Fu, the United States’ Shane Van Boening, Finland’s Mika Immonen, Malta’s Tony Drago, Chinese Taipei’s Chang Jung-lin, England’s Chris Melling and Darren Appleton, Canada’s Jason Klatt, Netherlands’ Huidji See, Japan’s Yukio Akagariyama and India’s Raj Hundal.

The 32-year-old Orcollo, the current  8-ball champion and the world’s top player, takes on 2003 titlist Drago in the inaugural matches.

Apart from the touted Filipino duos, raring to topple Fu and Li are 15 pairs from Europe, 10 from Asia and the tandems from Australia, Canada, Kuwait and the United States.

The twin events are promoted by Matchroom Sport and sponsored by PartyPoker.net. All matches will be televised live throughout on Solar Sports.