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Filipino pool masters Efren “Bata” Reyes and Dennis Orcollo hacked out contrasting victories to set in motion the 2011 WPA World 9-Ball Championship at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar, Saturday.
The 56-year-old Reyes survived a gutsy stand by Mark Gray of Great Britain, 9-8, while reigning World 8-Ball titlist Orcollo breezed past Andrew Kong of Hong Kong, 9-4, both in group one action.
A break and run out in the final rack sealed the emphatic victory for Reyes, who even trailed, 6-7, before hundreds of Filipino overseas workers watching in the gallery.
Orcollo, meanwhile, bucked a jittery start and flipped a 1-3 deficit to an easy win.
Hall-of-Famer and defending champion Francisco “Django” Bustamante also marched on to the winners bracket after besting compatriot Caneda Villamor, 9-7, in a tight match.
Up-and-coming pool artist Carlo Biado, who has been making a splash in the world of billiards recently, likewise advanced with a hard-fought triumph over Finland’s Petri Makkonen, 9-5.
Oliver Medenilla who defeated Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed AlHarti, 9-5, Allan Cuartero who trumped Syria’s Mohamad Al Sofi, 9-5, and Jeffrey De Luna who overcame unseeded Hussain Jamil, 9-4, also joined the winners circle.
Antonio Gabica and Roberto Gomez, meanwhile, absorbed 8-9 heartbreakers over United Kingdoms’ Chris Melling and Portugal’s Manuel Gama, respectively.
Lee Van Cortez and Joven Alba were also relegated to the losers bracket following identical 4-9 defeats against Great Britain’s Raj Hundal and USA’s Shane Van Boening.
Finland’s Mika Immonen ran over UAE’s Hanni Al-Howri, 9-3, Germany’s Ralf Souquet routed Poland’s Mariusz Skoneczny, 9-1, while his compatriot and defending Philippine Open champion Thorsten Hohmann frustrated Chinese Taipei’s Ko Pin-Yi, 9-4, in other results.