Dennis Orcollo
The second day of the 2010 Guinness World Series of Pool was highlighted by two spirited performance that saw 2010 World Pool Masters champion Dennis Orcollo from the Philippines and Indonesian top seed Ricky Yang bagged a well-deserved quarterfinal slot today.
Orcollo triumphed over Chinese rival Li He-Wen, 8 – 3 his single knockout stage encounter to lead the charge of his country's quest for 10ball glory.
Looking sharp after enjoying an unbeaten romp through the double-elimination round of the tournament, organized by ESPN STAR Sports, the Manila native was expected to deliver a spectacular showing against Li, and he wasted little time to stamp his authority earlyby stealing the first rack away from Li to race to an early 4 – 0 lead.
Refusing to be outdone, Li bounced back with a four-ten combination in the 5th rack, followed by a clean run-out of the table after the Filipino scratched on his break attempt in the 6th to make things interesting at 2 – 4.
True to form, the man they call ‘Robocop' was unfazed by Li's two-rack streak as he pulled off a beautifully orchestrated break-and-run out in the 8th rack to enjoy a 6 – 2 advantage.
Li, a former World Cup of Pool co-champion, was finally able to stop the bleeding after Orcollo's failed attempt at a 2ball jump towards the center pocket to pocket another rack. But that would be the last time he would add to his score because it was an all Orcollo show from the 10th rack onwards.
Said Orcollo: “I'm really pleased with how I've been playing in the tournament, the balls are rolling my way and luck seems to be on my side. Hopefully this streak will stay with me all the way through the championship. Tonight I will relax and take my mind away from the game for awhile. But come tomorrow; expect me to deliver nothing but my very best.”
Over at the TV table, Guinness World Series of Pool Ambassador Yang put on a special show for the home crowd with a nail-biting come-from-behind victory against the 2007 US Open 9Ball Champion Shane Van Boening, conquering the American with a 8 – 7 result.
On the brink of elimination at 7 – 5 in favor of the American, things did not look good for Yang who was struggling with his form for most of the contest. But through an ironic stroke of good fortune in the 13th rack, Yang finally got the lucky break he was waiting for. Digging deep and drawing inspiration from the capacity crowd, the local favourite turned the tables to his favor and incredibly strung three straight unanswered points to overtake Van Boening and claim the top of the hill.
Amidst the cheers and with adrenalin still churning through his veins, Yang said: “This was a very big win for me. I actually almost lost hope. But the support of the crowd really inspired me and I am happy to deliver this win for them. Definitely, I will aim for nothing less than the championship because I want to make my country proud.”
Joining Orcollo and Yang in the quarterfinal round is a powerhouse cast of pool aces. Here are the results from today's competition:
Antonio Lining (PHI) defeated Roy Apanco (INA) 8 – 3
Antonio Gabica (PHI) deafeated Kuo Po-Cheng (TPE) 8 – 4
Carlo Biado (PHI) defeated Wang Ming (CHN) 8 – 3
Naoyuki Oi (JPN) defeated Ko Pin-Yi (TPE) 8 – 6
Jundel Mazon (PHI) defeated Rudy Susanto (INA) 8 – 7
Chang Jung-Lin (TPE) defeated Yoni Rachmanto (INA) 8 – 0
Ronato Alcano (PHI) defeated M Rahmansyah (INA) 8 – 5
Irsal Nasution (INA) defeated Chan Keng Kwang (SIN) 8 – 6
Alex Pagulayan (PHI) defeated Hendra L (INA) 8 – 5
Pool fans can catch the telecast of the 2010 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10 Ball challenge, broadcast LIVE on STAR Sports with fifteen hours of exhilarating competition from July 30 to August 01, 2010:
Fri, July 30, 2010 from 17.00-21.30 (HKT) Preliminaries
Sat, July 31, 2010 from 12.00-18.00 (HKT) Quarterfinals
Sun, Aug 01, 2010 from 11.00-15.30 (HKT) Semis and Finals
Please visit www.guinnessworldpool.com and www.facebook/guinnessindonesia for more information
