Manalo vs Archer in US 9-ball

Marlon Manalo fought back from a first set loss then won the tiebreaker to eliminate Niels Feijen and arrange a clash with American Johnny Archer at the start of the $50,000 International Challenge of Champions 9-ball at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut Wednesday.

Manalo, coming off a runner-up finish in the recent IPT Championship where he won P5 million, dropped the opening rack, 2-5, to Feijen but bounced back with his own version of a 5-2 win before taking the tiebreaker.

The victory sent the 30-year-old Manalo to the last four along with Archer, Taiwanese Fong Pang Chao and German Thorsten Hohmann, who beat the Filipino cue master in the rich IPT Championship last week, in this winner-take-all event featuring eight of the world’s international champions.

Manalo faces Archer while Hohmann and Chao clash in the other semis duel. The winners will face each other in the finals where the champion will pocket $50,000.

Archer defeated Alex Lely, also in a one-game tiebreaker.

Hohmann booted out Santos Sambajon, 5-2 and 5-3, to arrange a clash with Chao, who bundled out German Ralf Souquet, 5-1 and 5-4.