Feliciano, Chang make it into WTBC

Michael Feliciano scored the biggest victory of his young career Friday night, beating Jin-Hu Dang of China, 9-6, and earning a spot in the World Ten Ball Championship (WTBC).

His impressive display of skills in the Qualifier 3at the Star Billiards Center made him the 13th Filipino to enter the main draw of the only world championship in pool this year.

Later in the evening, the dreaded Taiwanese pool crew finally showed up as Pei-Wei Chang routed Mick Hill of Great Britain, 9-2, to top Qualifier 4.

Hill was impressive in his run to the finals with victories over two Filipino veterans, Antonio Lining and Mario Tolentino.

Feliciano and Chang earned $500 each for their triumphs in the qualifiers.

Chang first caught the fancy of the pool world when he went all the way to the finals of the 2004 World Pool Championship, losing only to eventual champion Alex Pagulayan.

While Chang is accustomed to playing in the world stage, Feliciano is a relative newcomer.

He will get his first taste of action in the world championship when the WTBC gets underway on Nov. 25 to 30 at the World Trade Center.

Feliciano's road to glory included wins over Rudy Susanto, 7-5, Ernesto Dominguez, 7-4, Jonas Magpantay, 7-2, Ruben Cuna, 7-3, and Chung-hao Tseng, 7-3.

Dang took solace in earning more points and enhancing his chances of entering the main draw via the backdoor. His second straight runner-up finish in the qualifying sessions made him the leading candidate for any spot that may open should any player withdraw from the main draw.