CAPPING a brilliant triumphant stint in the American gambling mecca, Rubilen Amit subdued Han Yu of China 3-1 (4-2, 4-1, 3-4, 4-2) to bag the Kamui Las Vegas Women’s 9-ball Open yesterday at the Rio All Suite Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Poised to complete a 3-0 shutout in the best-of-four finale, Amit missed an ambitious 2-10 combo in the right corner picket in the seventh game of the third set, enabling Han, a three-time world 9-ball champion, to prolong the match and potentially send it to a sudden-death shootout.
But the reigning world 9-ball queen shrugged off the setback, taking a 2-0 lead in the fourth and last set before finally dispatching her pesky foe with nifty shot-making in the sixth frame to pocket the top prize of $22,500 (around P1.3 million) after three hours and 15 minutes of intense action.
Han took the runner-up purse of $13,125 (P760,000) in the series sanctioned by the World Pool Billiards Association.
It was the second major win for the 43-year-old Mandaue, Cebu native, popularly known as “Bingkay” to her fans, after beating Russian world 10-ball title holder Kristina Tkach, 26, in the Women’s Challenge of Champions just a day earlier in dominant fashion.
Both scored similar 2-0 wins each in their pet disciplines a day after another last week, forcing a rubber match, with Amit finally asserting her mastery and experience to prevail 6-3 in the deciding 8-ball series to earn the first prize of $18,500 (P1.07 million).
Amit reached the championship match by coming from behind to vanquish Austrian Jasmin Ouschan 3-1 (1-4, 4-1, 4-0, 4-3) to set up a title clash with Han, who edged Taiwanese Chou Chieh-Yu 3-2 (4-1, 2-4, 4-3, 2-4, 8-7) in the other semis.
Chezka Centeno, who won the same title last year, fell in the quarterfinals to Chou 0-3 (3-4, 0-4, 0-4) and went home with $3,181 (P190,101).
