FOUR Filipino cue bets hurdled their first two elimination round matches the other day and yesterday (Tuesday night in the US) and moved closer to the round-of-64 of the US Open Pool Championship at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Carlo Biado, who ruled the 2021 edition of the tourney, led the way by taking out England’s Paul Corrigan 9-1 in the opening match then whipped American Nathan Wallace 9-2 in the second round of the elite meet formerly known as the US 9-ball Open.
Lee Van Corteza, the 2013 US Open runner-up, also scored twin wins, routing Joseph Byler of the US 9-0 and then subduing compatriot Roberto Gomez 9-5 in the next round of the competition offering a top pot of $30,000 (around P2.84 million).
Jeffrey “The Bull” de Luna dumped American Guido Joost 9-1 in the first round then nipped Poland’s Daniel Maciol 9-7 while Roland Garcia topped Yankee Marco Dy 9-3 and Japanese Masato Yoshioka 9-5 to enter the third round.
Relegated to the loser’s bracket of the double-round eliminations was European Open Championship runner-up Anton Raga, who won his first match over Nelson Bueno 9-1 but dropped a thrilling 8-9 decision to Chinese-Taipei’s Chang Yu-Lung in the second round.
Among those who advanced to the next round of the winner’s bracket today (Wednesday night in the US), De Luna seems to have drawn the toughest assignment in Singaporean Aloysius Yapp, the losing finalist to Biado two years ago and the 2022 World Games men’s 9-ball bronze medalist.
Garcia is up against 2018 European Pool champion Konrad Juszczyszyn of Poland, Corteza faces Austrian ace Mario He while Biado battles Estonia’s Dennis Grabe for a spot in the round-of-64.
