WORLD Cup of Pool champion James Aranas subdued Saudia Arabia’s Fahad Aldhayan 9-6 last Tuesday to pace three other Filipinos who sustained their run in the World Pool Championship at the Green Halls in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Aranas, who copped the World Cup of Pool men’s 9-ball doubles trophy with countryman Johann Chua in Lugo, Germany last year, was scheduled to face Lithuania’s Pjus Labutis, who whipped German Pia Filler in his opening match, in the second round of the $1 million tournament yesterday.
Albert Manas edged Canada’s John Morra 9-8, Anton Raga routed compatriot Bernie Regalario 9-1 and Michael Feliciano topped Sweden’s Michael Schneider 9-4 to stay unscathed in the competition offering a mouth-watering purse of $250,000 (around P14.965 million).
Former World Games and US Pool champ Carlo Biado became the first prominent Filipino casualty, losing to Spanish Open champion Dang Jin Hu 5-9 for his second straight setback in the double elimination competition.
Also bowing out of contention was Jeffrey Roda, who absorbed a 6-9 beating from Eritrea’s Hamzaa Ali in the loser’s bracket, and Jeffrey Ignacio, who lost 3-9 to American Nicholas de Leon.
Patric Gonzales, who lost his first match 7-9 to Italy’s Francesco Cadela, and Regalario remained in the running after beating Saudi Fahad Alharbi 9-1 and American Sam Henderson 9-3, respectively, in the losers’ bracket.
In the second round of the winners’ bracket yesterday, Kyle Amoroto faced his biggest challenge yet, facing world No. 1 and defending champion Francesco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain, while Chua also had a difficult assignment against former US Pool king Jayson Shaw of Scotland.
