West, East pool stars split first 2 matches

If the first two matches were an indication of how closely fought this year’s King’s Cup would be, then the tournament that lured many of the biggest names in billiards could be in for a thrilling finish.

Chinese Taipei’s Ko Pin-yi and Ko Pin-chung of Team Asia subdued the Team West pair of former world champions Shane Van Boening and Mika Immonen, 5-2, Thursday night as the two squads split their first two duels in the race-to-10 team event at Resorts World Manila in Pasay.

The Taiwanese brothers capitalized on four unforced errors from the usually steady Immonen to avenge Team Asia’s loss in the quadruples, which opened hostilities in the three-day, 10-ball team event.

Proving that his status as the world’s top player is no fluke, Ko Pin-yi, the reigning world 9-ball and 10-ball champion, came up with a wide array of tough shots to help the Asians equalize.

Filipino legends Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Efren “Bata” Reyes, who is also skipper of Team Asia, were slated to face Darren Appleton and Albin Ouschan in another doubles encounter last night.

Team West drew first blood with a 5-2 victory in the quadruples where all eight players saw action. The Asians broke dry three times, allowing West to race to an unassailable 4-0 lead.