SEAG standout derails ex-world champ

The two-time world pool champion yesterday got stung by a bronze medalist in the SEA Games.

Benjie Guevarra, one of the rising stars in the local circuit, provided the opening-day thrill by beating Ronnie Alcano, 8-4, in the Senator Manny Villar Cup 9-ball tournament at the Starmall in Alabang.

Guevarra, who once worked with Alcano as a billiards instructor in Kuwait, got all the breaks he needed to score the victory that made him an instant contender in the P1.2 million event.

“Malas kasi siya (He wasn’t lucky),” said Guevarra, 30, a bronze medalist in the snooker doubles of last year’s SEA Games in Thailand where he teamed up with Al Ortega.

He faced a 2-0 deficit against Alcano, leveled the match by winning the next two racks, and took a 5-3 lead, which he further padded to 7-3. Alcano could get no closer than 7-4.

In the deciding rack, Guevarra pulled off a magical shot, using two rails to hit a well-covered No. 1, sinking it on the corner pocket. He cleared the table for the win, and drew cheers from the crowd.

Another loss in the coming days and Alcano, winner of the World 9-ball crown in Cardiff, Wales in 2006 and the World 8-ball title in the United Arab Emirates in 2007, is out of the hunt for the P400,000 top prize.

But he managed a smile as he left the hall.

“Simula pa lang. Mahaba pa ang laban (It’s just the start. It’s still a long battle),” said Alcano, 35, who comes from the Bugsy stable along with Guevarra and some of the country’s best.

In other matches, reigning national champion Lee Van Corteza defeated Marianne Basas, 8-4; Russian Petiza downed Panfilo Damuag, 8-2; and Antonio Lining edged Mark Mendoza, 8-5.

Gandy Valle, Rodolfo Luat and Efren “Bata” Reyes drew opening-round byes, and are expected to figure prominently in the Master of the Ring division offering P200,000 for second place and P100,000 for third.

At the last minute, Django Bustamante and Alex Pagulayan begged off for a stint in the World Pool Masters in Las Vegas this week.

A mad scramble is expected to take place in the “New Billiards Idol” division where 128 of the country’s youngest talents and future stars will slug it out for the P200,000 top prize. 

Among the early winners yesterday were Romeo Dimatulac, Mike Takayama, Arnel Bautista, Macky Leyba, Michael Feliciano, Johnson Vitah, Eric Rodriguez and Ato Baliton.

Runner-up gets P80,000, third and fourth P30,000, fifth to eighth P10,000 each and ninth to 16th P3,000 each.