Aranas yields to Taiwanese foe, finishes 2nd in Asian 9-Ball Open

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ Zoren James Aranas faltered under tremendous pressure and fell to former world champion Ko Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei, 13-11, to settle for second in the Asian Pool Federation’s Asian 9-Ball Open in Singapore Sunday night.

With the game knotted at 10 racks apiece, the 30-year-old Aranas had a heartbreaking scratch in the 21st frame that allowed Ko to get the rack, break the deadlock and the lead that the latter preserved until the end.

Ko then put on the finishing touches with a pair of spectacular break-and-runs in the 22nd and 24th in this alternate break format to crown himself Open champion.

The Taiwanese World No. 4, who won world titles in 9-ball and 10-ball seven years ago, completed his mastery over the Filipinos as the former was also responsible in eliminating Johann Chua, 11-2, in the semis.

Aranas, for his part, turned back Japanese Naoyuki Oi, 11-6, in the other semis but ran into mighty Ko in the finals where the man called “Dodong Diamond” succumbed to pressure and failed to live up to his name.

It wasn’t a bad finish for the Philippine contingent though as Chezka Centeno cushioned the impact of Aranas’s stinging defeat by ruling the Women’s section following an 11-7 smashing of South Korean Seo Seoa hours before.