FILIPINO cue ace Johann Chua took an early lead but failed to hang on to it and fell to American defending champion Fedor Gorst 7-11 in the semifinals of the US Open Pool Championship early yesterday morning (Saturday in the US) at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Fresh from a lopsided 10-2 win over Dutchman and former world 9-ball champion Niels Feijen in the quarterfinals, Chua couldn’t sustain his fiery form against the Russian-born Gorst, who himself survived a 9-10 quarterfinal scare from upset-conscious Pinoy Michael Baoanan.
The world No. 4 led 2-1 after three frames but once the Russian-born reigning champion wrested the lead 3-2, Chua had to play catch-up the rest of the way to settle for the semifinal prize of $25,000 (around P1.412 million).
Appearing in his third straight finals, Gorst finally found his match in red-hot Singaporean Aloysius Yapp, who surged to a commanding 10-5 lead then held off the world No. 1 for a stirring 13-11 triumph later yesterday after bundling out Taiwanese Ko Pin-yi 11-4 in the semifinals.
The hero of Team Asia in last year’s Efren Reyes Cup, Yapp pounced on Gorst’s failure to pocket the 3-ball in the 24th frame on the way to capturing the top prize of $100,000 (P5.649 million).
It was the third major in four months for the Singaporean, who also ruled the UK and Florida Open.
“This is a dream come true – I can’t even describe how I feel right now. I’ve wanted this title for so many years, and there were times I wondered if it would ever happen. To finally lift the US Open is unbelievable,” Yapp said.
“Since winning the UK Open, I’ve felt a new belief in myself, and to now win Florida and the US Open this month shows that it’s not luck – it’s hard work, preparation, and trust in my game. This moment means everything to me,” he added.
