Hohmann, other faves through

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—The favorites continued to stamp their class against local aces sorely lacking in experience as the MP Cup Philippine Open 10-Ball Championship entered its second day of eliminations yesterday at SM City Mall here.

Defending singles champion and world No. 7 Thorsten Hohmann of Germany towed other winners and big-name players Shane Van Boening, the world No. 3 from the United States, and Mika Immonen of Finland, ranked 16th, into the next round.

Van Boening, playing in Asia for the first time, had to fight off jet lag with a 9-7 squeaker over local bet Archie Ygloria—in stark contrast to the effortless 9-1 win of compatriot Rodney Morris over Raymond Faraon.

Also advancing to the next round were Ronnie Alcano, Ramil Gallego, Roberto Gomez and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, among others.

Minor upsets were posted by Jech Lima over Mohammad Zulfikri of Indonesia, 9-6, William Mijares over Gandy Valle, 9-7, and Edwin Gamas over Jordan Legaspi, 9-1.

Monday’s inaugurals saw legendary Efren “Bata” Reyes subdue Jerome Adolfo, 9-2, and Hohmann trounce John Salazar, 9-2.

Boxing superstar and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, who is bankrolling the $150,000 event, wasn’t as lucky, though.

Pacquiao yielded to American John Plunkett, 8-9, after offering stiff resistance. Despite the loss, however, Pacquiao, remained in contention due to the double-knockout format.

Wednesday’s pairings will be tough to call as Immonen faces Antonio Lining and Hohmann takes on  Arnel Bautista. Brunei’s Ahmad Taufiq battles Alex Lumpay among other featured matches.