Centeno on cue for World 10-Ball crown

MANILA, Philippines — There’s a reason why Chezka Centeno is being hailed as world pool champion Rubilen Amit’s successor as queen of Philippine billiards.

It was in great display after the 24-year-old Centeno eliminated last year’s champion Chou Chieh-Yu of Chinese Taipei, 9-2, Friday night while moving straight into the WPA World 10-Ball Women’s Championship semifinals in Klagenfurt, Austria.

There, Centeno will continue to chase the biggest triumph in her young and flourishing career and replicate what Amit, her mentor, had done twice when the latter won this world event in 2009 and 2013.

Amit would have wanted a shot at a third crown but the 42-year-old world beater ran into three-time World 9-Ball titlist Yu Han of China and was shown the door, 9-3, in the quarterfinals.

Good thing Centeno was left standing to continue Amit’s fight when the former tackles English legend Allison Fisher, a 9-6 winner over Chinese Taipei’s Wei Tzu-Chien, in the semis that was being played as of press time last night.

The other semis duel pits Yu with another pool heavyweight, England’s Kelly Fisher, who downed Indonesia’s Lou Silviana, 9-4.

Centeno had almost done it all following victories in the Southeast Asian Games, World 9-Ball Junior Championship, Amway Cup and Asian Women’s 9-Ball Open but never an event this big.

And hope springs eternal for Centeno, who is hoping to be a world champion like Amit.