Souquet ends Alcano’s reign

German ace Ralf Souquet got back at Ronnie Alcano, pouncing on the Filipino champion’s faulty start to carve out a 13-9 victory and capture the World 8-ball Championship in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates Friday night.

Souquet, who lost to Alcano in the final of the 2006 World 9-ball Pool Championship in Manila, cashed in on the Filipino bet’s dry breaks in the early going of the race-to-13 title showdown between two of the world’s finest cue artists, racing to a 3-0 lead, sitting on a five-rack cushion after 11 before thwarting Alcano’s fightback in the last five racks.

“I’m sorry I failed to live up to expectations and retain the crown. I had a bad start and made some mistakes in the early going,” said Alcano, who settled for the $20,000 (P840,000) runner-up purse.

Alcano actually won the lag but cracked under pressure and had two consecutive dry breaks which Souquet converted into wins to seize a 3-0 lead. The German sustained his form and built a 8-3 lead after 11 racks.

But the 35-year-old Filipino found his rhythm and pocketed five of the next six racks to close in at 9-8. He had a chance to draw level when Souquet had a dry break on the 18th. But Alcano failed to score a run out, enabling the German to stay on top.

Still, Alcano refused to give up and appeared to close in again to within one rack, only to miss on the money-ball in the 21st rack.

Souquet pounced on that Alcano miscue, ran out the rack then broke and ran out the next to clinch the championship and the top purse worth $60,000.

Alcano, a stalwart of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) and Bugsy Promotions, was one of the 10 Filipinos who competed in the eight-day, $200,000 tournament. After him the next best finisher was world no.1 Dennis Orcollo, who made it to the semifinals and bagged $10,000.

Warren Kiamco, also of BMPAP and Negros Billiards Stable, finished fifth and took home $6,000, while Middle East-based Alan Cuartero, who made it to the Last 16 and received $3,000. Gomez and Elvis Calasang, who were in the Last 32, got $1,750 each.

Joven Bustamante, Antonio Gabica, Jeff de Luna and Israel Rota failed to get past the elims phase.

The win thus made Souquet, who won the World Pool Championship in 1996, the fourth player – after Efren “Bata” Reyes, Taiwanese Wu Chia-ching and Alcano – to win both the world 8-ball and 9-ball titles.