Taiwanese ace, Bañares to rekindle pool rivalry in Olongapo Subic pool tilt

THE protagonists of the World Junior Championship—Ko Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei and the Philippines’ Jericho Bañares—will rekindle their rivalry after their selection as top seeds of the Subic-Olongapo Open Pool Championship set at the Olongapo City Convention Center on April 21 to 23.

Ko and Bañares, ranked no. 1 and no. 2, respectively, in the Subic Olongapo tilt, met in the World Juniors Championship in Reno, Nevada, in December of last year with the Taiwanese prevailing en route to reclaiming the crown.

Now playing in front of his countrymen, Bañares is aching to return the favor.

The junior standout Ko has barged into the senior circuit in impressive fashion. He captured the Bangkok Open last year by pulling off a come-from-behind victory over top-rated Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines.

And he was rated Taiwanese no. 1 for the better part of last year.

Bañares took top honors in the 3rd Billiard Stars Search last March, sweeping through the field without a loss. Before that he had impressive finishes in the Mandaluyong Mayor’s Cup, the Puerto Princesa Mayor’s Cup and the 2008 World Ten Ball Championship.

Coming in as third seed is Fu Che Wei, a Top 4 player in Chinese Taipei and a consistent performer in major international tournaments.

Seeded fourth is Jeffrey de Luna, best known for his victory in the Manny Pacquiao International Pool Championship and now ranked no. 4 by the Asian Pocket Billiards Union. The other seeded players in the tournament are Demosthenes Pulpul of the Philippines (4), Ricky Yang of Indonesia (5), Amir Ibrahim of Malaysia (6) and migrant worker Alan Cuartero (7).

Pulpul barged into the world billiard scene when he made it all the way to the semifinal round of last year’s inaugural staging of the World Ten Ball Championship in Manila. By Rey Joble - Manila Standard Today