Bustamante crushes world 10-ball champ

Former world No.1 Francisco “Django” Bustamante trounced newly crowned World 10-Ball champion Darren Appleton, 11-6, to stretch his run to four matches in the 33rd Annual US Open 9-Ball Championship at the Chesapeake Convention Center in Chesapeake, Virginia yesterday.

Bustamante set up a fifth round encounter with a little-known Oscar Dominguez, boosting his chance to become the third Filipino to win the event after fellow Puyat Sports stalwarts Efren “Bata” Reyes (1994) and Alex Pagulayan (2005).

Also staying in the winners’ bracket after four days of competition in the $250,000 tournament were Ronnie Alcano, Lee Van Corteza and Jose “Amang” Parica.

Alcano, the lone entry of Bugsy Promotions of businessman Perry Mariano, outwitted Canadian Tyler Edey, 11-8, while Corteza of Jonathan Sy’s Negros Billiards Stable slipped past American Shannon Daulton, 11-9.

But one of them will slide to the one-loss side as they face each other in the next round.

Parica, on the other hand, outlasted Marcus Chamat of Sweden, 11-9, to advance to the next round against defending champion Shane Van Boening, who defeated compatriot Charlie Williams, 11-6.

Three other Filipinos were still in contention as of press time.

Warren Kiamco, Rodolfo Luat and Ramil Gallego were trying to stay in the hunt for the prestigious title and the $40,000 top purse through the losers’ bracket.

The undefeated players going to the fifth stage are former world champions Mika Immonen, Thorsten Hohmann and Johnny Archer, Rodney Morris, Adam Smith, Shawn Putnam, Brandon Shuff, Raj Hundal, and Petri Makkonen.