By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Defending champion Chezka Centeno and Rubilen Amit produced contrasting results in the second round of the 2024 WPA World 10-Ball Women’s Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
Amit needed some excellent shots to survive the late rally of Japanese Miina Tani, 4-1, 4-3, and march into the Last 16.
Centeno, however, was not fortunate, falling short to bitter Chinese rival Han Yu, 4-3, 4-2, in an early rematch of last year’s finalists and was relegated to the loser’s bracket where she needs to overcome if she is to make it to the knockout phase of the tournament.
For the 25-year-old Centeno to advance, she has to beat Indonesia’s Annita Kanjaya, who earlier revived her own title bid with a 4-0, 4-3 victory over Japan’s Samia Konishi in the earlier loser’s qualification round.
Centeno, who took an opening round bye just like Amit, walloped Indonesia’s Silviana Lu, 4-0, 4-2.
Amit, for her part, was one of the eight players who directly qualified to the next phase where they await the winners from the loser’s bracket.
She previously routed Poland’s Oliwia Zalewska, 4-1, 4-1, before edging Miina.
Also in the Last 16 are Germany’s Pia Filler, Chinese Taipe’s Wei Tzu-Chien and Chou Chieh-Yu, United States’ Sofia Mast, South Korea’s Seoa Seo and Kristina Tkach.
Centeno is bidding to become the first player to win the event two in a row while Amit hopes to clinch another one to add to her previous two titles.
