13 Pinoys now in WPC last 64, but Luat gets knocked out

Dennis Orcollo and Roberto Gomez of the Philippines made it Tuesday night to the last-64 stage of the World Pool Championship (WPC), bringing to 13 the number of Filipinos players still in the annual 9-ball tournament. Orcollo, playing in Group 13, defeated Wojciech Trajdos of Poland, 9-7, after losing to Satoshi Kawabata of Japan, 8-9. The Filipino master, however, won his first match, against Kenny Kwok of Hong Kong, 9-4. Gomez, playing in Group 16, defeated D. Singh Lilly of India, 9-4. Gomez's victory brings to 12 the number of Filipinos who have advanced in the tournament. But Rodolfo Luat, playing in Group 16 along with Gomez, got eliminated after losing twice in a row, first to Toh Lian Han of Singapore, 6-9, and then to Daryl Peach of England, 3-9. Luat is the second Filipino player, after Antonio Lining, to fall out of the tournament. The other Filipinos who have made it so far to the last-64 stage are defending champ Ronnie Alcano, 2004 champ Alex Pagulayan, 1999 champ Efren "Bata" Reyes, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Joven Bustamante, Lee Van Corteza, Antonio Gabica, Ramil Gallego, Leonardo Andam, Jeffrey de Luna, and Marlon Manalo. Niels Feijen of the Netherlands lost to Gomez in his first match, 6-9, but he was able to bounce back, winning his next two matches, against Charles Bryant of the US, 9-4, and against Toh Lian Han of Singapore, 9-4. Feijin thus entered the last-64 stage of the tournament. Also coming from Group 16, Matjaz Erculj of Slovakia got into the last 64 after winning twice in row - against Daryl Peach of England, 9-1, and against Toh Lian Han of Singapore, 9-3. The group stage of the tournament, which started with 128 contestants, follows a double-elimination format. Under that system, a player who wins twice in a row gets to the last-64 stage and a player who loses twice in a row is eliminated. - GMANews.TV