By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Jeffrey De Luna toppled compatriot Kyle Amoroto, 9-6, to barge into the semifinals of the Asian 10-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The 40-year-old De Luna, a 9-ball silver medalist in the 2006 Asian Games, banked on his superb shots to prevail and keep the country’s title bid alive as Anton Raga yielded to China’s Dang Jinhu, 9-3.
De Luna’s victory arranged him a semis date with Chinese Taipei’s Chang Jung-Lin, who routed Japanese Hayato Hijikata, 9-5.
Sean Mark Malayan, another Filipino in this tournament, exited in the Last 16 after bowing to Hijikata, 9-7.
Prior to De Luna’s quarters triumph, he defeated Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Chia Chen, 9-6, in the Last 16.
He started the tournament with a 7-3 victory over United Arab Emirates’ Talal Al Balushi, 7-3, and Qatar’s Mohammed Alyazeedy, 7-2, before falling to Hijikata, 7-3, to be relegated to the losers’ qualification.
But De Luna soldiered on, ousting India’s Anurag Giri, 7-2, to barge into the Last 16.
Meanwhile, Chezka Centeno and Rubilen Amit face separate rivals in the women’s side after getting a first-round bye.
Amit, a two-time world 10-ball champion, awaits the winner between Lebanese players Mansoureh Norabadmotlag and Rana Nasserddine, while Centeno, last year’s world 10-ball winner, clash with the winner between Vietnam’s Vang Bui Xuan and South Korea’s Harin Lee.
