MANILA, Philippines -- There is a reason the Philippines remains the epicenter of the billiards universe.
On Saturday, it was in full, spectacular display after Chezka Centeno and Lee Van Corteza swept the Las Vegas 10-Ball Open of the Predator Pro Billiards Series at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino.
Centeno smashed former world nine-ball champion Chen Siming of China, 4-2, 4-2, to rule the women’s division; while Corteza turned back ex-world nine-ball king and countryman Carlo Biado, 4-2, 4-3, to top the men’s side and complete the Filipinos’ complete domination of the event.
It was the second crown for 24-year-old Zamboanga City native after reigning supreme in the WPA World 10-Ball Championship in October last year in Klagenfurt, Austria.
For her feat, Centeno pocketed a cool $18,000 purse (P1 million).
Corteza, a World Cup of Pool winner and a six-time Southeast Asian Games gold winner, for his part, took home $30,000 (P1.7 million) for his conquest, while Biado received $14,000 (P783,000) for his runner-up finish.
Among Centeno’s victims were Austrian Jasmin Ouschan (winners qualification round), Briton Alisson Fisher (Last 16), Chou Chieh-Yu (quarterfinals) and Korean Seo Seoa (semis).
For Corteza, he had to survive a stinging defeat to World No. 2 Fedor Gorst of the United States in the winners’ qualification round and made it through the playoff phase with wins over countryman Roland Garcia (Last 32), American Skyler Woodward (Last 16), Greek Alex Kazakis (quarters), and Taiwanese Ko Ping Chung (semis).
It wasn’t that bad for Biado as he had also brought down World No. 1 Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz in the semis before falling to a friend and a countryman in the all-Filipino finale.