Alcano  second in 9-ball

Taiwanese Yang Ching Shun beat Filipino ace Ronnie Alcano in a game of changing fortunes, pulling off a 12-10 victory to rule the fifth and final leg of the Guinness 9-ball Tour in Shanghai, China yesterday.

Yang blew a five-rack lead in the early going, fell by two racks midway in the contest then turned back Alcano in a duel of safeties and nerves to fashion out the thrilling victory, his third in the five-stage, country-hopping circuit.

A 3-9 combination in the 22nd rack ended the rousing finale between two world-class cue artists with the Taiwanese, who also topped the Kaohsiung and Singapore stops, proving steadier to clinch the win worth another $15,000.

It was a sorry setback for Alcano, the reigning double world pool champion, who trounced Korean Ryu Seung Woo, 11-6, in the semis to keep the Philippines’ drive for a first leg title alive after four failed bids.

Given up for good after falling 1-5, Alcano racked up six straight frames in stirring fashion to wrest the lead, only to fumble with a miscue on the blue 2 that gave the Taiwanese back the momentum.

But after Yang regained the lead at 8-7, Alcano stole the 16th rack on an 8-9 carom to draw level again then the two aces battled through pressure-packed racks until the Taiwanese broke a 10-10 tie with another steal before capping his game-long brilliance with that 3-9 combination.