Alcano Tops Manila Leg, Earns World Pool Ticket Ronato “Ronnie” Alcano of the Philippines avenged his countrymen’s earlier setbacks as he defeated Yang Ching-Shun of Chinese Taipei 11-6, to claim the fourth and final leg of the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour at the Robinsons Galleria Trade Hall late Sunday evening. Not willing to suffer the same fate as Efren “Bata” Reyes and Gandy Valle against Yang, Alcano capitalized on two crucial scratches committed by his Taiwanese foe late in the match and eventually broke free from the tightly contested encounter to snag the crown in front of a highly appreciative hometown crowd. Yang, who edged Reyes 9-8 in the quarterfinals and defeated Valle 11-7 in the semifinals, couldn’t beat a third Filipino this time around.
Leading 7-6, Alcano, who was only making his second appearance in the Asian Tour, was locked in a dogfight until Yang opened the door following a scratch off the break in the 14th rack. The lanky Filipino wasted no time in winning the rack as he converted on a 1-9 combination.After cleaning the rack in the 15th, Alcano received yet another gift as Yang committed his second scratch on the 16th after pocketing the 1, 3, and 7 balls. The 32-year old once again took advantage as he pocketed the remaining six balls to be on the hill. He then made a perfect break and cleaned the rack to clinch the victory and earn the top prize of $10,000USD in the event organized by ESPN STAR Sports. “I’m extremely happy. It was a tight game, but unfortunately for him [Yang], he had some really bad breaks. Sometimes, you have to be both good and lucky, and thankfully in this match I was both,” admitted Alcano. Alcano’s victory also earned him a ticket to the World Pool Championship in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in July. The top ten finishers in the Tour ranking after four legs automatically qualify for the World Pool Championships. Alcano was awarded the maximum 70 points following his triumph and ended up with a total of 100 points for a tie for sixth place with compatriot Francisco “Django” Bustamante. The Laguna native reached the finals after defeating fellow Filipino Antonio “Nikoy” Lining, 11-7 in the semifinals. Asked what he will do with the prize money, Alcano said he was thinking of purchasing a car, since he regularly commuted all the way from Calamba, Laguna to Manila. Alcano, whose father Ricardo was a professional basketball player, became the fourth Filipino to win a leg in the three-year history of the Asian Tour, joining the likes of Reyes, Valle and Lee Vann Corteza. Yang is the only non-Filipino to have won a leg. Yang fell short of claiming his second consecutive leg this year and settled for the $5,000USD runner-up prize. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old known as “the Son of Pool” topped the Tour’s Order of Merit with 210 points. Valle, the Singapore leg champion, was second with 150 points. Reyes also finished with 150 points but ended up third based on his lesser total net prize money won. Valle earned $15,500USD throughout the tour, while Reyes netted $14,750USD. Now in its third year, the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour offered a total prize money purse of $50,000USD up for grabs at the weekend’s final stop in Manila. The main draw included 32 top Asian players from 11 countries. Last year saw the 50-year old Reyes rule three of the Tour’s five legs. The player known as the “Magician” took home the leg titles in Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Taipei. 2002 Busan Asian Games 9-Ball singles gold medallist Yang topped the Hong Kong leg while Lee Vann Corteza of the Philippines triumphed in Manila. For more information on the Tour, please check out www.asian9-balltour.com. For the latest schedules and program information on ESPN STAR Sports, catch us on the net at www.espnstar.com. The San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union and co-organized by ESPN STAR Sports’ Event Management Group (EMG) and Puyat Sports. San Miguel Beer is the title sponsor for the Tour. Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Brunswick Metro is the official pool table, Holiday Inn Galleria is the official hotel and the Robinsons Galleria is the official venue while Sun Cellular is the official mobile service. STAR Sports is the official broadcaster. Sun Cellular is the official mobile service. The 2005 Tour will go to Singapore, Jakarta, Kaohsiung and Manila. Besides the total prize money of US$200,000, the top 10 players on the Tour Order of Merit every year will directly qualify into the World Pool Championships.
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