by Kristel Satumbaga
Carlo Biado’s bid for history was foiled by German Joshua Filler in the final of the WPA World 9-Ball Championship on Thursday in Doha, Qatar.
Biado was hoping to become the first player to win back-to-back titles since American Earl Strickland after crushing Shane Van Boening, 11-6, in the semis.
The pride of La Union, however, found the German ace too tough to crack and suffered a 13-10 beating before a large crowd of Filipino migrants.
Still, Biado will go home with a big smile after pocketing $20,000 (a little over P1 million).
Biado, 35, produced some magical shots early on but he fouled on the 22nd rack – his cue ball dropped to the pocket – which the 21-year-old German exploited to prevail.
The title was so far the biggest in a flourishing career for the German.
Judging his performance, Filler could follow the path of Filipino icon Efren “Bata” Reyes.
His loose type of play has endeared him to many billiards enthusiasts.
For a while, Biado appeared headed to duplicate Strickland’s feat in 1990 and 1991 after taking a 7-5 lead.
But Filler refused to roll over and die as he won the next six racks to seize the lead, 11-7.
To the delight of the crowd, Biado fought back and pulled to within 11-10.
His rally came to an end after that crucial miscue in the next rack with only five balls remaining on the table.
Filler lauded Biado’s performance, saying it wasn’t easy to return to the finals with players focused on beating him.
