WCOP 2009 - Semi-Final LineUp Complete

Matchroom Sport Press Release:

Reyes And Busta Majestic In Victory

PHILIPPINES B consisting of Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante put in their best performance yet as they brushed aside the English challenge of Darren Appleton and Imran Majid 9-1 to advance to the semi-finals of the PartyCasino.net World Cup of Pool at the SM Mall North Annex in Manila on Saturday afternoon.

The legendary duo, who won this title back in 2006, look a fair bet now as they came alive at last following two less than stellar showings in the opening two rounds. They were certainly helped by the poor performances England who gave them plenty of opportunities which they feasted on.

It was disappointing for Appleton, the reigning World 10 Ball Champion as he was very excited about the match in advance but his sub-par performance along with that of his team mate meant they were never in the running.

Taking place in a sparkling new shopping mall in Quezon City, there were upwards of 1,200 people watching the match from every conceivable vantage point and the pro-Pinoy crowd got exactly what they wanted – a vintage show from their treasured national heroes.

In fact, England’s sole success was the fourth rack where they went 3-1 behind but it was a hugely disappointing performance from the English duo on such a magnificent stage.

The Filipinos rode their luck at times but it was the seasoned Bustamante who led the team which some trademark flashy pots and tight safety.

The Philippines B team will now face the dangerous Chinese duo of Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen in Sunday afternoon’s semi-finals.

“We just got lucky at the beginning when they missed a couple of balls but we played better today and we’re very pleased to be in the semi-finals,” said a delighted Bustamante.

Earlier, defending champions USA crashed out of the tournament against the slick looking Chinese team. The American pairing of Shane Van Boening and Rodney Morris slumped to a 9-5 defeat in their quarter-final clash with 2007 winners Li Hewen and Fu Jianbo of China.

Defending Champs USA KO'd By China

USA started well in front of another capacity crowd at the SM City North Annex in Manila, Philippines and quickly moved into a 3-1 lead. But the Chinese duo closed in on their third successive semi-final appearance by winning seven racks in a row for an 8-3 advantage.

America took the next two but any hopes of a sensational fightback ended in the 14th rack as China completed the victory.

Ninth seeds China will next play local heroes Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante, the Philippines B team, in the first semi-final at 1pm on Sunday.

USA’s exit means no defending champions have managed to retain the trophy in the history of the World Cup of Pool.

Pinoy A Advance To Semis

DENNIS ORCOLLO and Ronnie Alcano, representing Philippines A, moved into the last four of the PartyCasino.net World Cup of Pool as they shook off the stubborn challenge of Poland to win 9-5 at the SM Mall North Annex in Quezon City, Manila.

Like their countrymen Reyes and Bustamante, they were under pressure from the large crowd gathered and also from the Polish pair of Radoslaw Babica and Mateusz Sniegocki who looked very comfortable in the early stages, given the circumstances.

The Poles led 2-1 but were soon outgunned by their opponents who won three racks on the run to get themselves into a good position at 4-2. Poland though, showing mental toughness, took the next and broke and ran the eighth game to silence the crowd as the match looked finely poised at 4-4

They had a good chance to take the lead but Babica scratched with just a few balls on the table and the Philippines took advantage to go into a 5-4 lead which soon became 6-4. A blunder by Orcollo after a great break from his partner gave the Poles a chance they had been looking for and they took it.

That was to be Poland’s last hurrah as the Filipinos started to play the type of quality pool they are renowned for to close the match out. No team has truly mastered the break in this competition so far but Orcollo and Alcano delivered some outstanding breaks to help them canter to the finish line.

“I’m really happy. It was very hard to play this match but now we’re getting closer to playing in the final. I would like to say thanks to all these fans for coming to support the team,” said Orcollo.

Germany Defeat Holland To Complete Semi-Final Lineup

IN A CLASH of the pedigreed European giants, Germany, consisting of Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann, held off the late challenge of Holland to book a spot in the semi-finals of the PartyCasino.net World Cup of Pool in a thriller at the SM Mall North Annex in Quezon City, Manila.

The match ended 9-7 and the closing stages were highly exciting as both pairs fought for the opening that would give them a run at the finishing line. The Germans broke well throughout while the Dutch matched them with some quality shots.

"Niels was making all the jump shots but the break is a very important factor. We played well and just missed a few positions but luckily we got through," said Hohmann afterwards.

It was methodical and high quality match the German pair opened up a 3-1 lead over Nick Van den Berg and Niels Feijen. They got to within one rack of the Germans at 3-2 and then 5-4.

Another good break from Holland in the tenth but it was a slow progress through the balls if not an effective one. A pumped up van den Berg potted the 9-ball for the second successive rack and clenched his fist as they went level at 5-5.

Germany took the next and a missed 4 ball from Feijen allowed Souquet and the US-based Hohmann to move ahead to 7-5. Another miss, this time from Van den Berg got Germany back to the table and they finished off the rack to get to the hill at 8-5.

There was plenty more drama though as Holland, sporting the shirts of the tournament, took the next courtesy of a great jump shot by Feijen and then got to 8-7 as Van den Berg bagged the 9 ball.

Germany finally got over the line in tension-filled 16th rack that saw both sides have chances. Their relief was palpable as they gave it the high five in celebration of a great win.

"It was tension all the way through but we felt good even until the end. For some reason we couldn't make any ball off the break and the table started playing funny at the end as the rails were a bit bouncy so that made it a lot harder for both teams,” said Souquet.

Semi-Final Schedule (Sunday 6th September)

China v Philippines B (1.00pm)
Germany v Philippines A (to follow)

Complete Results To Date

Quarter-Finals

Philippines A 9 – 5 Poland
Germany 9 - 7 Holland
China 9 – 5 USA
Philippines B 9-1 England

Second Round

Philippines A 8 – 3 Russia
England 8 – 6 Spain
Holland 8 – 4 Japan
Poland 8 – 5 Chinese Taipei
Germany 8 – 4 France
China 8-3 Finland
Philippines 8 – 5 Italy
USA 8 – 5 Indonesia

First Round

Holland 8 – 3 Vietnam
Russia 8 – 3 Denmark
Poland 8 – 0 Belgium
Chinese Taipei 8 – 6 Singapore
Philippines A 8 – 5 Thailand
England 8 – 4 Malaysia
Germany 8 – 0 Hong Kong
Japan 8 – 6 Croatia
Italy 8 – 5 Austria
Finland 8 – 3 Sweden
Philippines B 8 – 3 Qatar
USA 8 – 7 Malta
Indonesia 8 – 3 India
Spain 8 – 3 Australia
China 8 – 5 Korea
France 8 – 1 Canada

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