Bustamante congratulates Alex Pagulayan
Matchroom Sport Press Release:
Alex Pagulayan (Philippines 
) 8 - 4 Francisco Bustamante (Philippines )
ALEX PAGULAYAN has made it through the final of the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters for the second time in three years as he overcame compatriot Francisco Bustamante by an 8-4 scoreline at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.
Both players struggled with the break shot but the superior shot-making skills of Pagulayan in the home stretch saw him over the line where he will play either Ko Pin-yi or Mika Immonen.
In front of a standing room only crowd, Pagulayan downed a ball off the opening break leaving him good shape on the 1 ball. Looking very relaxed, he ran through the table to take the first rack.
A dry break from Pagulayan followed and the players exchanged safeties before a slip from the ‘Lion’ allowed Bustamante to play a magnificent shot on the 2 ball off the rail with his cue jacked up. From there he completed the run out to level things.
Bustamante was forced to push out with no shot on the 2 ball in the third, and Pagulayan weighed up his options before putting his opponent back in. Bustamante went full on for the cross table bank and disturbed several balls but the 2 failed to drop and stayed out in the open for Pagulayan. He carefully negotiated the table to move into a 2-1 lead.
A scratch on the break though, let Bustamante to the table and he downed a 3/9 combination to level it.
In a tournament full of dry breaks, Bustamante delivered another one. Pagulayan though, missed with an attacking bank on the 2 ball, before his opponent missed a chancy table length bank. Pagulayan though, fouled as he hit the 7 ball first when the 2 ball was nestled against it. With ball in hand, Bustamante cleared to take a 3-2 lead.
Another dry break gave Pagulayan a chance and he got things rolling with a decent bank shot and he cleared to restore parity at 3-3. Bustamante missed badly on the 2 ball and Pagulayan took the chance to pocket it and then tie his opponent up in a very tough snooker. Bustamante escaped but left the 5 ball on and Pagulayan potted it and cleared to take a 4-3 lead.
He came up dry on the next break though and Bustamante took full advantage to clear the table and tie things up at 4-4. Pagulayan won the next aided by a fluke when he missed the 1 ball but double kissed it into the same pocket.
He increased his lead to 6-4 in the tenth game as he ran out following attempts by both players and he made a ball on the break in the next. A bizarre choice of push out saw him flash at the 6 ball and scratch into the centre pocket.
Bustamante missed the 2 ball using his trademark ‘behind the back’ shot and things started to look ominous. Pagulayan duly won the rack to move to the hill.
The 2004 World Champion took what was the final rack of the match when a Bustamante bank on the 4 ball failed to come off and the 8-4 scoreline duly saw him through to his second World Pool Masters final.
Vist the official 2008 World Pool Masters website
