Reyes-Orcollo US Open duel up

Efren “Bata” Reyes pounded out two close wins over separate foes Friday to sustain his sizzling form in the 37th US Open 9-Ball championship at Norfolk Convention Center in Virginia.

Reyes, who won the world championship in 1999 in Cardiff, Wales, first edged Darren Appleton of Great Britain in a hill-hill game before turning back China’s Wang Can, 11-7, for a place in the sixth round.

But now standing in his way is countryman Dennis Orcollo, an 11-5 and 11-8 winner  over Mike Davis of the US and Dutch Niels Feijen, respectively, in the next round.

Alex Pagulayan and veteran Amang Parica  also marched on after similarly posting two successive wins.

Pagulayan, the flamboyant Filipino-Canadian, nipped Briton Daryl Peach, 11-10, before turning back Chang Jung-lin of Chinese-Taipei, 11-6. He will next battle American Johnny Archer, who beat compatriot  Brandon Shuff, 11-2, and Austrian Albin Ouschan, 11-3.

The 63-year-old Parica, meanwhile, outsteadied Raj Hundal of India, 11-10, before pounding out an 11-5 win over the firebrand Earl “The Pearl” Strickland of the United States, 11-5. Musong Castillo