Biado slams finals door on Orcullo to face Cuartero for open pool crown

Rising star Carlo Biado defeated reigning world No. 1 player and current World 8-Ball champion Dennis Orcullo, 8-5, Wednesday night at the Star Billiards Center to keep his title hopes alive in the 8-Ball event of the National Open Pool Championship. The World 10-Ball Championship semifinalist Biado advanced to the finals of the tournament, a qualifying event for the 2012 World Pool Summit. Biado, who made a big jump in the world rankings, arranged a finals duel with Allan Cuartero, an 8-7 winner over Ricky Zerna in the other semis match. Biado, fresh from an 8-0 dumping of Johann Chua, entered the semis oozing with confidence that he can pull off another stunning win against Orcullo, one of the few world champions he defeated in the WTBC last May. A former caddie-turned-pool player, Biado attributed his victory to the breaks of the game. "He (Orcullo) was struggling breaking the balls. In fact, he had three dry breaks." Biado is hoping to avenge his earlier loss to Cuartero, an OFW working as a house pro in Kuwait. "I like my chances against Cuartero, but it's not a guarantee of a win because he's a veteran player and I lost to him the last time around," added Biado. — JVP, GMA News