By MARK REY MONTEJO
World 10-Ball champion Carlo Biado avoided a huge upset by outlasting 16-year-old AJ Manas, 10-9, in an all-Filipino clash to advance to round-of-16 in the Hanoi 9-Ball Open Pool Championship in Vietnam Friday, Oct. 11.
Facing the prospect of losing to a rival 24 years younger after misfiring on the 18th rack that forced a hill-hill situation, Biado produced a sequel of brilliance in the next frame to finally seal the deal and heave a sigh of relief.
With his triumph, Biado, who reigned supreme in the World 9-Ball championship in 2017, sets up a meeting with a familiar foe in 2023 US Open champion Taiwanese Ko Ping Chung.
Also the Ho Chi Minh 9-Ball king, Biado dismantled Albania’s Besar Spahiu (10-2) in round of 64 while beating Chinese Taipei’s Wang Chih-yung (9-4), Sun Yi Hsuan (9-6), and Spain’s Salvador Garcia (9-2) in the opening part of the 256-player tournament.
For a while, Manas, who made heads turn after beating Euro Open titlist Danish Mickey Krause, 9-8, in the first round, looked headed to a massive win posting 3-0 and 8-5 leads.
Biado, a SEA Games multi-medalist, remained calm and collected as he climbed back to level the score twice – the last at 8-all – before coming through with magical shots to complete his incredible comeback.
Meanwhile, James Aranas beat multi-titled American Fedor Gorst, 5-5 (ret.) after the latter pulled out for not feeling well. He followed it up with a 10-8 win over Taiwanese Chang Yu-Lung that arranged him to a final 16 bout with Albania’s Kledio Kaci.
Filipinos Johannes Chua, Aranas’co-champion in last year’s World Cup of Pool, and Jefrey Ignacio were battling for a quarterfinal slot at presstime.
Chua collected the scalps of Chinese Taipei’s Chien Ching-Ju (10-2) and fellow PH bet Jundel Manzon (10-7) in rounds of 32 and 64, respectively.
Not fortunate were Michael Baoanan, Roland Garcia, and Michael Feliciano who bowed to their respective rivals.
