Gabica leads crack RP squad in Asian 9-ball Tour

MANILA, Philippines – Asian Games champion Antonio Gabica leads a team of virtual new names, as the Philippines tries to break a long-standing drought in the fourth leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour on July 25 in Singapore. Gabica, a veteran of many tournaments worldwide, will be with Joven Bustamante and newcomer Jericho Bañares. The fourth member of the team will be named later this week. Gabica and co. will try to make a dent on the seemingly invincible stranglehold of the Taiwanese who have won all the legs since last year. The last time a Filipino won in the tournament formerly called the Asian 9-ball Tour was in 2006, the same year the Philippines swept all four stops. Season champion Chang Jung-Lin of Chinese-Taipei will try to extend his dominance in Singapore, following his title-winning stops in his home country, in Penang and in Genting Highlands. Players from Malaysia, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Indonesia will also participate. At stake in the Singapore leg is a total prize purse of US$50,000 as well as points to qualify for the Tour's Grand Final in Jakarta, which will feature the Top 10 players in the overall Order of Merit. The winners of each leg will get to earn US$15,000 while the Grand Final Champion will pocket US$36,000. Following Singapore, the Tour will have its penultimate leg in Guangzhou in September before heading to Jakarta for the Grand Finals in October. – GMANews.TV