BACOLOD CITY—Joven Bustamante started hot and held fort on Friday, forging a quarterfinals duel with local favorite Ramil Gallego in the First Senate President Manny Villar Cup Bacolod leg at the Garden Royal function hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex here.
The 29-year-old Bustamante zoomed to a 9-0 lead before dumping Elmer Haya, 11-5, while Gallego pocketed six straight racks en route to a similar 11-5 thumping of Japanese Kenji Taguchi in the $37,750-event presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng RP sports.
Sustaining the form that carried him past former World Cup of Pool titlist Fu Jianbo of China in the first round, Bustamante cleaned up the first four racks and was never threatened by Haya, a homegrown talent.
“It was a good start as I ran out the first four racks and it was the key,” said Bustamante, a member of the star-studded Bugsy Promotions of businessman Perry Mariano, in Filipino.
Fired up by the gallery, Gallego, who hails from Fortunetown of this progressive city, built a 9-2 lead to send Taguchi packing home.
Gallego, a frequent campaigner in Japan, thus moved three steps closer to duplicating his win in the Bulacan leg of the series organized by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines.
For reaching the last eight, Bustamante and Gallego assured themselves of at least $1,000 each in the four-day competition.
In late matches Thursday, former double world champion Ronnie Alcano squeaked past unheralded Noel Caro, 11-9, to avoid the fate that befell current world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo.
Unable to sink the shots that mattered, Orcollo yielded to Rodolfo Luat, 11-7, joining former world champion Alex Pagulayan and Davao leg titlist Robert Gomez at the exits.
The 33-year-old Alcano is slated to face Luat in a late quarterfinal match yesterday.
Other first round results saw Francisco “Django” Bustamante rout lone female entry Rubilen Amit, 11-3; Cebu leg champion Gandy Valle down Alabang leg champion Warren Kiamco, 11-7; Lee Van Corteza subdue Chinese Wang Ming, 11-9; Michael Feliciano beat Japanese Kenichi Uchigaki, 11-7; John Rebong thwart Carlo Biado, 11-7; and Ronnie Aying repulse Janno Mazon, 11-6.
Efren “Bata” Reyes was tangling with 16-year-old sensation Johann Chua at presstime.
0 comments:
Post a Comment