Chua, Malig top 19th Sletba Open Masters finals

ALL SMILES–The winners of the 19th Sletba Open (from left) Alexis Sy, 4th runnerup; Jonas Baltasar, 2nd runnerup; Kenneth Chua, champion; Ivan Malig, 1st runnerup; and Krizziah Tabora, 3rd runnerup.

A battle between two perfect gamers put a fitting finale to the 19th SLETBA Open Championships last Sunday at the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall Bowling Center in Cainta, Rizal.

Kenneth Chua and Ivan Malig, both members of the Philippine team and of TBAM-Prima, kept the crowd on their toes with a fierce fight that was decided only in the last frame of the 12th and final game in the Open Masters division. In the end, Chua topped the grueling series with a total score of 2769, edging Malig, who had 2744, by 25 pins.

Chua struck a 290 in his first game and battled it out for the lead in the ensuing games with other finalists that included, among others, Kenneth Piedad of BALP-UPHS, Alexis Sy of TBAM-Prima, and four-time World Cup champion Paeng Nepomuceno of PBC.

In the 8th game, Chua posted a 300-game with his 15-pound Black Widow ball by Hammer to widen his lead over his closest pursuers. But Malig, who started ”cold” with a 214, quietly built up his game and finally served notice he was out to win the title by nailing his own 300 game on the 11th with his 15-pound IQ Tour Nano ball by Storm. By that time, he was down by only 56 pins going into the last game.

Malig had an open frame when he started his final game, then hit eight consecutive strikes. But he split his last frame for a 245. Chua refused to wilt from the pressure and battled back from his own open frame with a string of strikes to post a 214, enough to wrest the championship.

Jonas Baltasar, Krizziah Tabora, and Alexis Sy, all of TBAM-Prima, nailed the 2nd, 3rd and 4th runnerup prizes, respectively.

The winners received cash prizes and trophies for the top three in each division in this annual tournament sanctioned by the Philippine Bowling Congress.

The complete results of the 19th Sletba Open:

Graded Masters: Adrian Saguinsin, TBAM-Prima, champion; Mil Tan, Sletba, 1st runnerup; Anjo Lecaros, TBAM-Prima, 2nd runnerup; Papio de Dios, Sletba, 3rd runnerup; and JB Vargas, MBA, 4th runnerup.

Associate Masters: Norman Lising, MCTBA, champion; Eduard Gella, TBAM, 1st runnerup; James Uy, Nikki Ko, and Mil Tan, all of Sletba, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th runners-up, respectively.

Seniors: Daboy Mendoza, Sletba, champion; Mil Tan, Sletba, 1st runnerup; Nelia Santos, PBA, 2nd runnerup; Ed Arcega, ATBA, 3rd runnerup; and Abel Ulanday, Sletba, 4th runnerup.

Ladies: Marissa Campita, PBA, champion; Liza Zapanta and Susan San Diego, both of Sletba, 1st and 2nd runners-up, respectively.

Youth:  Daphne Custodio, TBAM-Prima, champion; Patrick Nuqui, PBA-Nobleland, 1st runnerup; and Bill Yambao, TBAM, 2nd runnerup.