By MARK REY MONTEJO
Carlo Biado bounced back with ferocity and outlasted his two rivals to inch closer to a Round of 16 spot in the 2024 Jacoby Scottish Open the McGoldrick’s Pool & Sports Bar in Glasgow, United Kingdom on Saturday, May 4 (Manila time).
Coming off a tough loss to Bulgarian Georgi Georgiev (10-6) on the opening day, Biado made his presence felt when he dominated hometown bet Jimmy Delvin, 8-0, and Austrian Max Lechner, 8-5, to keep his hope alive in the 104-men tournament.
Biado, however, faces a daunting task ahead as he faces German Moritz Neuhassen and two other fancied rivals in his bid for a last 16 berth in the event offering €33,800 (roughly P2 million) prize fund.
Biado, the 2024 WPA men’s world 10-Ball champion, stamped his class in the opening minutes as he rattled four consecutive racks to take a 4-0 lead. Biado had the opportunity for a 5-0 cushion but he missed the 7-ball on the side pocket that gave his nemesis a breather.
Lechner seized that moment and made some counters by trimming the gap to just two, 4-2.
But Biado wasted no time as he roared back by taking three straight frames, 7-2, that completely took out the fight of his Austrian foe.
As expected Japan’s Naoyuki Oi, American Fedor Gorst and Shane Van Boening, UK’s Sullivan Clark, Spanish duo Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide, German Joshua Filler and Taiwanese Ko Pin-Yi are vying in the last 16 of the winners qualification.
