Orcullo, Cuartero book Final 4 seats in BSCP national championships

Dennis Orcullo and OFW Allan Cuartero booked Final 4 berths in the ongoing National Open Pool Championships at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City. Orcullo got a big scare from Ricky Zerna but the reigning World 8-Ball champion kept his composure and escaped with an 8-7 win to earn a Final Four spot. Zerna almost scored an upset win when he posted a 7-5 lead. He had two chances of eliminating the hottest player in the international circuit but failed on both occasions. The virtually unknown player had a dry break in the 13th rack, allowing Orcullo to complete a run out. In the 14th, Orcullo had another run out to set up the exciting finish. "I had a lot of dry breaks in this match," said Orcullo. "I couldn't establish my game. Good thing he (Zerna) had dry breaks in his last two tries." Orcullo joined Cuartero, who shocked tournament favorite Carlo Biado. Cuartero, a Filipino based in Kuwait, was trailing 3-6 when he launched a big comeback to pull off the upset win over Biado, a rising star and semifinalist in this year's WPA World Ten Ball Championship in Manila. "It was a difficult win, but I never gave up," said Cuartero. "I made key adjustments. 8-Ball is not my favorite event, but I was able to make some adjustments in my game." Biado, Zerna, Marvin Tapia, Johann Chua, Rene Cruz and Jerico Banares will dispute the remaining two semifinals spots by battling it out in the losers' bracket. — JVP, GMA News