EVERGREEN Francisco “Django” Bustamante humbled American Gabby Garza 2-0 to lead three other Filipinos into the next round of the Kamui Las Vegas Men’s 10-Ball Open in Las Vegas.
World Games-bound Jeffrey de Luna topped Myojo Masashi 2-0, Mark Estiola blanked German Fabian Breuer 2-0 and Roberto Gomez beat Indon Hendra Kurniawan 2-0 to advance in the competition offering a championship purse of $37,500 (around P2.17 million).
In a battle of pool legends, Bustamante, 61, takes on former German world 9 and 8-ball champion Ralf Souquet, 56, who shut out American Eddie Vonderau 2-0 in the competition sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association.
Estiola drew a tough foe in the next round in Filipino-Canadian Alex Pagulayan, a former US Pool and world 9-ball champion, who beat Puerto Rico’s Francisco Serrano San Miguel 2-0.
Gomez will take on Norwegian Emil Andre’ Gangflot, a 2-1 winner over Mexican Rodrigo Noceda, while De Luna will tackle American Tim Tomjun, who eliminated Mexican Ernesto Dominguez.
After the men’s tournament, the Kamui Las Vegas Women’s 10-ball Open starts on Feb. 25 at the same arena with reigning women’s world 9-ball champ Rubilen Amit and countrywoman Chezka Centeno going up against 62 others eyeing the top purse of $22,500 (P1.30 million).
