IN another big day for Filipino bets, teen pool shark Albert James Manas stunned world No. 2 and reigning UK Open champion Aloysius Yapp of Singapore 9-6 Wednesday night to lead 11 other compatriots into the round-of-64 of the World Pool Championship.
Born in Antipolo and a 2023 Palarong Pambansa 9-ball gold medalist, Manas, 18, ranked No. 67, stole the limelight in the banner field at the Greenhalls in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, picking up perhaps the biggest win of his promising young pro career.
“I’m very happy because not only did I win my game but I felt really comfortable now on the main TV table—not like yesterday,” said the Pinoy teener, who also upset cue legend Efren “Bata” Reyes in the finals of the Masskara Billiards Championship in Bacolod in 2022.
“Aloysius made a couple of errors so I had to take my chances. But now I look forward to my next match. I know I need to stay locked in for the Last 64, but I’m so excited,” added Manas, who was to face Polish Miesko “The Butcher” Fortunski, the UK Open runner-up, last night in the second stage of the blue-ribbon pool tournament offering a top prize of $250,000 (about P14.153 million).
Yapp, the hero of Team Asia against Team Europe in the 2024 Efren Reyes Cup, managed to avoid the embarrassment of an early exit by routing Greek Rikku Romppanen 9-2 from the loser’s bracket, setting up a clash with No. 33 Filipino bet Jeffrey Ignacio also last night.
Ignacio advanced to the next round by edging countryman Michael Baonanan (No. 71) in the previous round.
Also making waves was world No. 44 James Aranas, who jolted two-time Austrian world pool champion Albin Ouschan, ranked No. 24, 9-5, who was subsequently sent packing after losing to lone female bet Seo Seoa, who carved out a dominant 9-2 triumph, from the loser’s bracket.
Aranas will likewise have a tough foe on his hands, facing Spanish star and 2023 European Pool Championship king David Alcaide in the race-to-11 series in the second stage of the tournament, a knockout contest until the race-to-15 championship match on Saturday.
World No. 4 Johann Chua and No. 18 Carlo Biado, the 2017 world champ, continued to breeze past their respective rivals.
Chua topped Hungarian and former European pool titlist Szolnoki 9-3 and was to take on American Mark Eberle while Biado, who beat countryman Lee Van Corteza 9-4, was up against Briton Chris Melling.
Anton Raga, No. 36, was also a big winner, subduing 2024 World Pool runner-up of Mohamad Soufi of Syria 9-5 and was scheduled to take on Saudi Fahad Al-Dhayan in the next round.
Bernie Regalario (No. 59) likewise claimed a noteworthy scalp in Taiwanese former world 9 and 10-ball champion Ko Pin-yi (No. 11) 9-6, with the latter bowing out of contention after falling to American Shane Van Boening 5-9 in the double-round eliminations.
Regalario was set to meet Greek Dmitris Loukakos.
Also playing in last night’s round of 64 were Marvin Asis versus Vietnam’s Bui Troang An, Jeffrey Roda vs. Taiwan’s Fu Che-wei, Michael Feliciano vs. Greece’s Jani Uski and Patric Gonzales vs. Germany’s Tobias Bongers.
