Alcano downs Corteza for Pattaya 9-ball title

Ronnie Alcano ended a year-long drought by turning back countryman Lee Van Corteza in the finals of the 2010 Sangsom Pattaya 9-Ball Invitational on Sunday at the Royal Garden Plaza in Pattaya, Thailand. The lanky Alcano, the 2006 World 9-Ball champion, won the last four racks to prevail, 11-7, after Corteza rallied from 0-4 and caught up at 7-all in the winner-breaks format. The victory was worth 300,000 baht (about P430,000) for Alcano, whose last victory came in the World Classic Open 8-Ball event at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 20 last year. Corteza, who earned 50,000 baht for placing second, reached the finals by outclassing Chang Liu-hui of Chinese- Taipei, 10-4, while Alcano advanced at the expense of compatriot and fellow Bugsy Promotions mainstay Dennis Orcollo, 10-3. Alcano said he was happy for the victory, even though the tournament’s roster of international players wasn’t outstanding. “Winning a tournament wherein you have to compete against some of the world’s best players is a very big accomplishment, and I’m very happy for this win,” he said. Alcano is the third player in pool history to become a double world champion after winning the World 8-Ball in  Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, a year after beating Ralf Souquet of Germany in the World 9-Ball Championship in 2006.