Unheralded bets create stir in Sharks 9-Ball

MANILA, Philippines — When organizers of the Sharks International 9-Ball Open first conceptualized the event, two of their goals were to revitalize the local billiards scene and showcase how deep the talent pool is in the Philippines.

Recently, they have taken the introductory step on the first one and achieved their intended goal on the other.

In fact, three of the last four standing out of 128 participants in the ongoing event – the first of this magnitude in the last decade – are unheralded pool bets in Oliver Villafuerte, Michael Feliciano and Patric Gonzales.

Villafuerte, Feliciano and Gonzales all emerged from the tough draw in booking spots in the semifinals alongside former world 10-ball king Ko Ping-chung of Chinese Taipei.

Some of the big names that joined were Francisco “Django” Bustamante, newly crowned World Cup of Pool titlists James Aranas and Johann Chua and the country’s top two women players Rubilen Amit and Chezka Centeno.

Most notable among the remaining local bets was Villafuerte, who caught the biggest fish of them all in an 11-6 upset of former world 9-Ball champion Carlo Biado in the round of 16.

Villafuerte faces off with Feliciano in a 7 p.m. semis clash tonight. The other semis showdown pits Gonzales against the vaunted Ko at 5 p.m.