By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Defending champion Team Philippines dropped its first assignment in the 2023 Predator WPA World Teams Championship after bowing to Team USA, 3-2, on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Tied at 2-all in the first four singles matches, the Filipino cue artists yielded in a crucial team shootout, 3-2, to absorb their first defeat in the group stage.
Rubilen Amit was the first to fall, absorbing a 4-2 loss to April Larson before Carlo Biado fumbled in the second match against Shane Van Boening, 4-1.
Roland Garcia breathed life for the Filipinos with a 4-1 domination of Tyler Styer before Biado returned and avenged his earlier loss to the same rival with a 4-2 victory.
But the Americans refused to be rattled as Amit, Biado and Garcia succumbed in the deciding fifth match.
The Filipinos hope to bounce back when they next face hometown bet Puerto Rico on Thursday, Nov. 9 (Friday in Manila).
The hosts are coming off a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Spain.
Other winners in this 16-player tournament staking a total cash purse of $300,000 were Germany, which blanked Indonesia, 3-0; Portugal, which clobbered Japan, 3-1; Chinese Taipei, which routed Canada, 3-0; Austria, which thumped Peru, 3-1; Poland, which crushed New Zealand, 3-0, and last year’s bridesmaid Great Britain, which edged South Korea, 3-2.
Meanwhile, Biado kept his title-retention campaign intact in the Puerto Rico 10-Ball Open after barging into the Last 32 along with Garcia, on the same day.
The 40-year-old Biado blanked Alex Kazakis of Greece, 4-2, 4-0, to inch closer to the crown.
Garcia joined Biado into the next phase after reaffirming his mastery over Tyler with a similar 4-2, 4-0 score.
Joven Bustamante, who was relegated to the losers’ bracket, came through with 3-4, 4-0, 6-5 win over South Africa’s Wayne Parker to keep his campaign alive.
He currently battles Puerto Rican Carlos Barbosa to stay in contention.
In the distaff side, Amit walloped Canada’s Nathalie Chabot, 4-0, 4-1, to advance to the next phase, while reigning women’s 10-ball champion Chezka Centeno succumbed to Norway’s Nina Torvund, 4-3, 4-3, and was relegated in the losers’ bracket.
