Three Filipino pool masters remained unbeaten with one relegated into the losers’ bracket after the first five rounds of the 33rd US Open 9-Ball Championship at Chesapeake Convention Center in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Ronnie Alcano and US-based veteran Jose “Amang” Parica got past separate opponents to stay in the winners’ bracket heading to the final two days of ultra tough competition with a starting field of 238 players from around the world.
Bustamante hardly broke a sweat against Oscar Dominguez while Alcano and Parica walked the tightrope before overcoming Lee Van Corteza and Shane Van Boening, respectively.
Bustamante demolished his little-known rival, 11-1, Alcano scraped past Corteza, 11-9, and Parica pulled off an 11-10 squeaker over Boening – the defending champion.
Alcano and Bustamante, both members of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) whose campaigns here are supported by Senate President Manny Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports, are pitted against one another in the next round.
The other players unbeaten after five rounds were former world champions Mika Immonen, Johnny Archer and Thorsten Hohmann, as well as reigning world 9-ball titlist Darryl Peach and newly crowned World Cup of Pool champion Rodney Morris.
Corteza was relegated into the losers’ side going into the penultimate day of chase for the prestigious crown and the $40,000 top purse. He starts his comeback bid against reigning world 8-ball titlist Ralf Souquet.
Immonen manhandled Shawn Putnam, 11-1, Archer downed Brandon Shuff, 11-5, and Hohmann blasted Petri Makkonen, 11-2.
Peach, on the other hand, outwitted Raj Hundal, 11-8, and Morris trounced Adam Smith, 11-4.
Parica will meet Immonen in the next round where Archer is pitted against Peach and Hohmann versus Morris.
Meanwhile, Warren Kiamco scored five consecutive wins in the losers’ bracket to stay in the hunt. The ace player who lost to unheralded Josh Lewis in the third round, beat in succession Robb Saez (11-5), Scott Rabon (11-7), former champion Nick Varner (11-10), Imran Majid (11-8) and Adam Smith (11-5). He will face the survivor of the match between Makkonen and Tony Chohan next.