Inside Sports » billiard

BIADO WINS BSCP 8-BALL FINALS

ronnie — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:45:34 +0000

Unheralded Carlo “Cool” Biado kept his composure amidst and played some precision pool to beat another rising star Allan Cuartero 9-3 to win the 8-ball event of the tough and competitive Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines at the Star Billiards Center in Grace Village, Quezon City, yesterday..

The victory earned Biado, a purse of P50,000 in the event hosted by long-time billiards patron Sebastian “Baste” Chua and telecast over AKTV IBC Channel 13.

Biado’s manager and pool patron ”Perry” Mariano said after Biado’s first local title this year, “Carlo is the most underrated player today,” and deserves recognition particularly after his latest win.

Biado said he was lucky to get a head-start over Cuartero. The new champion grabbed the first two racks to rtake a 2-0 lead then held on at 5-3 and then wrapped up the match after stringing together four straight racks.

For his runner-up finish Cuartero [ocketed P20,000.

In the run to the finals Biado defeated fellow Bugsy Promotions bet current world no.1 and world 8-ball champion Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo, 8-5 while Cuartero edged Ricky “Bai” Zerna, 8-7, in the other Semifinal showdown.

Biado is in line for a second title when he battles Orcollo in the 9-Ball finals after the world No.1 edged Roberto Gomez 9-8 in the9-ball semis. Biado beat Jerico Banares 9-4 toclinch a second finals berth.

At the end of the three events – 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball , the over-all champion who will be chosen on the basis of his performance in all three events will be crowned the BSCP National Pool king and will earn prize money of P200,000.

JUNDEL MAZON FINISHES 2ND IN CHINA 9-BALL, WINS $8,000

ronnie — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:37:15 +0000

Jundel “Janno” Mazon had to settle for a runner-up finish in the 2011 China 9-Ball Invitational Championships after losing to former world champion and one-time Chinese-Taipei legend Fong Pang Chao at the Best Bet Maccaline Plaza in Hefei City, Anhui Province in Eastern China, over the weekend/

Mazon who is known for his awesome break played some great shots but the former world pool champion who has adopted Chinese citizenship played some fabulous shots of his own to win 11-8 and pocket the top prize of $16,000. Mazon settled for $8,000.

Chao won the lag and quickly raced to a 4-1 lead, then padded it to 9-4 before Mazon fought back to win four of the next five racks to make it 10-8. But the veteran Chao coolly rank out the 19^th rack to win the title.

Despite the loss Mazon, a former Guinness World Series of Pool Champion earlier beat Chan Du Long of China, 9-3, in the Last 32, Gou Hua of China, 9-5, in the round of 16, Yang Chin-shun of Chinese-Taipei, 11-9, in the quarter finals and countryman Lee Vann Corteza, 11-10 in the semis.

In a post match interview Mazon said it was “very hard to catch up after Chao got an early lead. But I will make amends the next time.”

Mazon won the first ever 2010 Guinness World Series of Pool 10-Ball Championships at Mal Taman Anggrek in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on July 31, 2010.

Mazon who scored a come-from-behind victory over fancied Darren Appleton of Britain in the semi finals did one better in the finals against hometown favorite Irsal Nasution who, cheered on by a capacity crowd, raced to a 5-1 lead in the race to ten and looked set to carve his name in the record books.

The Filipino strung together an amazing run of nine straight racks to overtake Nasution en route to a classic 10-5 triumph to pocket the top prize of US $40,000 while the hometown boy Nasution earned $10,000.

ALCANO LOSES IN FINALS OF WPA WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN DOHA, QATAR

ronnie — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:45:52 +0000

ALCANO LOSES IN FINALS OF WPA WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN DOHA, QATAR

Former WPA World 9-ball and 8-ball champion champion Ronnie Alcano rediscovered his fine form but Japanese Yukio Akagariyama proved the better player in the clutches and scuttled Alcano’s bid to win another world title.

In a dispatch from Doha, TV commentator and journalist Ted Lerner reported “With a super cool demeanor and a red hot stroke, Yukio Akagariyama of Japan won the 2011 World 9-ball Championship, defeating the Philippines Ronnie Alcano in a tense and scintillating finals match on Friday night, 13-11.”

Lerner said Akagariyama outsteadied Alcano in a thrilling duel, 13-11, with a display of pressure- packed 9-ball before a partisan crowd of close to 1500, most of them Filipinos. With the win Akagariyama added the 2011 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 9-Ball Championship to his growing list of titles late Saturday at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.

For beating the Calamba hotshot Alcano, Akagariyama joins the roster of Japanese World 9-ball champions Takeshi Okumura (1994, Chicago, USA) and Kunihiko Takahashi (1998, Taipei, Taiwan).

His triumph also helped Akagariyama to pocket the top prize of $36,000 of the $250,000 total prize money in the week-long WPA sanctioned tournament. Last May, Akagariyama failed to win his first-ever World Ten Ball crown losing to eventual champion Huidjie See of the Netherlands, 9-6, in the semi-finals in the tournament staged in Manila.

Ranked No. 2 in the world, Alcano earned his place in the finals by edging countryman Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo, 11-9, in an all Filipino-semi final to arrange a titular showdown with Akagariyama, an 11-10 winner over England’s surprising Mark Gray.

Alcano, who won the 2007 WPA World 8-ball crown in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, received the runner-up prize of $18,000 while semi-finalists Orcollo and Gray, both went home with $10,000 each.

Alcano, who beat German ace Ralf “Kaiser” Souquet for the 2006 WPA World 9-ball crown in Manila, meantime failed to duplicate the feats of Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer of the USA (1992, Taipei, Taiwan), (1997, Chicago, USA) and Chao Fong-pang of Chinese-Taipei (Konigswinter, Germany, 1993), (Alicante, Spain, 2000), who both won twice in WPA World 9-ball competitions.

Earl The Pearl” Strickland of the USA (1990 Bergheim, Germany), (1991 Las Vegas, USA) and (2002 Cardiff, Wales, UK) holds the distinction of the winningest player in the WPA World 9-ball, capturing the title three times..

Other Filipino WPA World 9-ball champions were Efren “Bata” Reyes (1999, Cardiff, Wales, UK), Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan (2004, Taipei, Taiwan), and Francisco “Django” Bustamante (2010, Doha, Qatar).

Shanelle Loraine Signs Endorsement with Cream Silk

ronnie — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:09:53 +0000

Manila, Philippines- Billiards beauty star Shanelle Loraine has signed on with Cream Silk, the #1 hair care brand in the Philippines. Shanelle will be appearing in several ads and TV commercials for the mainstream hair care products.

Loraine’s popularity in the booming billiards country of the Philippines ever since her debut at the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship of last June and her recent 3rd place finish with partner Lee Van Corteza at the World Mixed Doubles Classic, both events produced by Dragon Promotions which manages Loraine.

“I was very excited when asked to endorse Cream Silk. It’s the most popular hair product brand in the Philippines and nice to be associated with such a trusted and long standing company. And all my relatives in the Philippines and Guam love the commercial!” said Loraine.

Cream Silk has been the dominant market leader in haircare for over 25 years in the Philippines. As the Philippines’ most trusted conditioner brand, Cream Silk’s motto is “to inspire women all over the country to bring out their hair’s full beauty potential”.

Fans can view the national commericial video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4c2xPixlug and http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=280559323423&ref=mf

“Shanelle’s charming personality and marketability is opening many doors for her. She also works hard on her game behind the scenes. We are getting so many requests for her to goto so many places. Shanelle is great for the sport and a fantastic role model for players.” said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.

REYES REDEEMS HIMSELF AT DERBY CITY CLASSIC 9-BALL

ronnie — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:20:25 +0000

The 2010 Derby City Classic wrapped up this 10-day extravaganza with a premier 9-ball finals between Rodney Morris and Efren Reyes. “The Rocket” and “The Magician” appeared in the Accu-stats arena to wow fans with their moves. In the final match, Reyes was in true form. The only errors to be found were his three dry breaks. His position was flawless and his kicking was phenomenal. Reyes took the match 7-4 when Morris broke in four balls and the cue ball in the final rack.

Of the 257 9-ball entries, Reyes came through the field after losing his second match to young player Daniel McKenney. Of the final six players two stood out as, what some would think were underdogs. We never would’ve known it from their performances. 24-year-old Shannon Murphy remained undefeated longer than any other player in the 9-ball event. Murphy lost to Reyes in round 10 and then again in round 11, the semi-finals, to finish tied for third/fourth. Local player Jeremy Sossei did his best in his semi-finals match against Morris, staying with him 3-3, then 4-4 before the rocket took off, taking the set 7-4 to meet Reyes in the finals.

1st    Efren Reyes    $16,000
2nd    Rodney Morris    $8,000
3rd    Shannon Murphy    $4,000
4th    Jeremy Sossei    $4,000
5th    Justin Hall $2,250
6th    Billy Bailey $2,250

The cream of the crop rises to the top. This year, the top three Master of the Table awards all went to winners of the divisions. Reyes unofficially secured his well-deserved title as the Master in round 10 after defeating Murphy the first time.

Master of the Table
1st    Efren Reyes    $20,000
2nd    John Brumback $3,000
3rd    Scott Frost $2,000

ANOTHER POOL TITLE FOR THE FILIPINOS

ronnie — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:54:36 +0000

ANOTHER POOL TITLE FOR THE FILIPINOS; REYES, AMIT POCKET WORLD MIXED DOUBLES CROWN

Photos courtesy Emille Soriano

Reyes, Amit pocket crown in epic duel

Pool legend Efren “Bata” Reyes and Rubilen Amit added another international title to the growing list of world championships for the Philippines when they snapped out of a seven-all deadlock and overcame the tough Team Korea tandem of Charlie “The Korean Dragon”Williams and Park Eun Ji, 9-7, in a thrilling showwdown in the 2009 World Mixed Doubles Classic at the Nuvo City Lifestyle Center in Libis, Quezon City.

Reyes and Amit made it to the finals by edging Japan’s Hayato Hijikata and Kaori Ebe, 7-4, Tuesday, and smashing Immonen and Andoni, 7-1, Wednesday. –

Before a packed venue Reyes and Amit bucked a pair of scratches from breaks and a slew of uncharacteristically missed shots in carving out the victory .

Amit who won the inaugiral women’s world 10-ball title when nobody really gave her a chance against the finest women players in the world , sank a difficult shot on the left corner pocket to cap the win to the loud cheers of the home crowd.

In familiar fashion a smiling Reyes said “We got a little bit lucky in the end” while Amit said it was a delight and an honor to play alongside her idol.

“It’s really a great feeling playing alongside him (Reyes). All the things he has just rubbed off on me. He’s really an inspiration,” said Amit.

Reyes and Amit whio left f ior Laos will spearhead the country’s bid in the 25th Southeast Asian Games slated Dec. 9-18 in Vientiane, with Reyes teaming up with bosom buddy Francisco “Django” Bustamante in the men’s 9-ball doubles and Amit seeing action in the women’s 9-ball and 8-ball singles.

The Philippines’ second team of Lee Van Corteza and lovely Filipino-American Shannelle Loraine overpowered Team Europe’s Mika Immonen of Iceland and Borana Andoni of Albania, 7-3, to clinch third place in the event presented by Nuvo Land Philippines, Inc. and Dragon Promotions.

Loraine and Van Corteza had never met nor played together before, and dropped their first match of the event to Team Korea 7-4, which was their only loss. But they soon found their stride as they dominated with Loraine improving with every match to stun Team USA 7-1 and then dismantled Europe in another upset 7-3.

Corteza and Shanelle found the right chemistry for their wins over USA and Europe

Mika had several uncharacteristic unforced errors

It was sweet revenge for Corteza who was beaten by Immonen in the final of the recent World 10-ball Championship.

Corteza, a former six-time SEA Games gold medalist didn’t hide his sentiments saying “It’s a nice feeling getting back at Immonen. ”

Europe finished 4th in the event with Immonen and Andoni

Many fans were buzzing that this was one of the most entertaining and fun-filled events because the players appeared completely relaxed.

The event was the first ever international mixed doubles tournament in billiards, and the brainchild of elite production company Dragon Promotions. Dragon Promotions has already committed to producing this event annually and building it bigger.

“We hope to be able to host this again next year and make Nuvo City its annual home”, said Rally Martinez, Executive Director of Nuvo Land.

In the consolation opening match of the day, Team Japan faced Team USA to avoid the dreaded last place finish of the event. With US Amateur Champion Amy Chen paired with US Open and former World 10-Ball Champion Shane Van Boening, “The South Dakota Kid” they seemed to be the favorites over young Japanese duo of Hayato Hijikata and Kaori Ebe.

Ironically Hijikata won his World Junior Gold at the same time and event Van Boening won his World Gold in the pro division back in 2007 in Jacksonville,Florida in the United States. Japan broke away at 3-3 to win the match 5-3 over USA.

USA’s with Van Boening and Chen didn’t have much luck with a 0-3 record in the event

Before their showdown with Reyes and Amit in the finals which was a race-to-nine, Team Korea posted impressive wins and looked strong. They looked like the only team capable of posing a threat to the top-seeded pair of Reyes and Amit.

Williams predicted, “Eun Ji has been playing superb and has impressed me along with everyone else here. If she keeps up this level, we have a really good chance to upset Team Philippines in the finals.”

Riding the crest of emphatic victories in the preliminaries, Williams and Park roared to a 2-0 start by pouncing on a dry break by Amit in the first frame and then cleaning up the second rack with a display of superb shot making.

Writer Joey Vilar reported that the two pairs alternated racks from there. Team Korea took the sixth rack for a 4-2 upper hand after emerging from an exchange of safety shots, with Williams drilling in a banked shot that opened things up for the easy point.

The Filipinos, however, made their own move, dazzling the crowd with one magical shot after another to get within 4-3.

Korea had a golden opportunity at 5-3 lead to extend to a three game lead when Williams set Park up a makeable 6/10ball carom for the win, but she missed and a safety battle ensued with Reyes making an incredible kick safe to tie up Williams.This led to a Korea mistake and eventualy gave the Filipinos a 3 game streak that put Reyes and Amit up 6-5. Then in game 12, Reyes missed a very makeable 10-ball as the crowd gasped in disbelief which handed the game to Korea on a silver platter to make it 6-6.

A miss on an open 4ball during the run and Philippines was able to win back that rack, only to scratch on the break and leave Korea a tough layout. Williams opted to take the shot and lined up a tricky low percentage carom on the 1ball to the 10-ball. Amazingly he struck it well and sent the 10-ball to the pocket as he went down to one knee with a yell and fist pump to tie at 7-7.

The Filipinos, however, managed to wriggle out of trouble, beating the Koreans in an exchange of safety shots on the 15th.

“That was the crucial part of the match. Things would have been different had we missed the 15th,” said Amit.

Leading 8-7, the Pinoy duo was not able to pocket a ball on the break, but luckily left Korea with no shot. Williams opted to jump the 1ball in, but missed and left an open table for Amit/Reyes and they took full advantage for the 9-7 close win.

Williams played some outstanding pool and did not miss any open shots nor did he make any unforced errors. Park played well, with only a few mistakes.

The athletic Charlie Williams devastating breaks led to many break and runs for Korea

“Efren is a legend and Rubilen is the women’s world champ, so it was a tall hill to climb. I played as good as I could and I couldn’t ask any more from Eun Ji. If just one or two things went differently it could’ve been a different outcome” said Williams

“It was a really good match. I wouldn’t have minded so much even if we lost” said Amit.

Williams gently attacks Bata after his win

The 10-ball tournament, produced by Dragon Promotions, is telecast live on ESPN Star Sports and ABS-CBN throughout Asia and the Philippines. The event is sponsored by Takini Cloth, Magic 89.9, Philippines Star, Predator Cues, Puyat Sports, and hosted by Nuvo City.

The matches had tremendous ratings and the final day was changed to add an additional channel and was telecast on the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN’s Studio 23 and Balls. Internationally on ESPN Star Sports as well as ABS-CBN in middle east and USA.

Viva Prime also shot footage of the event spiced up with interesting inteviews which will be aired in a one-hour special produced by Viva Sports.

“Billiards, the sport of the Philippines. The sport of the people.”

Reyes and Amit made it to the finals by edging Japan’s Hayato Hijikata and Kaori Ebe, 7-4, Tuesday, and smashing Immonen and Andoni, 7-1, Wednesday. –

ALCANO BREAKS LONG DROUGHT; WINS GALVESTON CLASSIC 8-BALL TILT

ronnie — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:16:11 +0000

Ronnie Alcano trounced fellow former world champion Johnny Archer, 9-5, in the finals to rule the 8-ball division of the Galveston Classic Billiards Extravaganza at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston City, Texas. to follow up the victory of pool legend Efren “Bata” Reyes and once again establish the Filipinos domination of the sport.

The victory by Alcano took some time in coming but it was a confidence booster for the lanky Laguna hotshot whose last major international title was the World 8-Ball Championships in March 2007 shortly after he routed German ace Ralf Souquet to win the World 9-Ball Championship at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila in 2006.

The twin wins made Alcano only the third player in pool history to become a double world champion.

The title run in Texas was also the second for the star-studded Filipino contingent after Efren “Bata” Reyes won the One Pocket division earlier in the tournament.

In his six-match run to the hot seat showdown where he beat countryman Roberto Gomez who was runner-up in the 2007 World Pool Championships at the Araneta Coliseum to Darryl Peach of England, Alcano took a forfeit win in the opening round and then sent “The South Dakota Kid” Shane Van Boening to the one-loss side of that preliminary bracket 9-7. He defeated Stan Tourangeau 9-2 and then sent both Alex “The Lion” Pagalayun and Rodney “The Rocket” Morris over to the loser’s bracket, wining by identical 9-4 scores.

Alcano, a member of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines and Senator Manny Villar’s Team Villards, jumped the gun on Archer right at the start of their titular match, quickly racing to a 3-0 lead.

The American who has played in Manila several times in the past quickly bounced back by taking four of the next five racks to even the count at 4-all.

But Alcano, was not to be denied as he cooly pocketed the next for racks to reach the hill. He then allowed Archer one more chance at the table enabling the American to claim his fifth rack before Alcano deftly ran out the 14^th frame to seal the victory that also earned him $15,500.

Senator Villar, a tremendous supporter of pool and the country’s players, congratulated Alcano and Reyes for their victories.

Villar said “Ronnie and Efren once again proved that we Filipinos are really a dominant force in billiards. Their victories further inspired me to support this sport, which I’ve been saying is really suited for the Filipinos.”

THAIS GIVE ALCANO AND ORCOLLO A SCARE

ronnie — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:10:03 +0000

In the final match of D ay 2 in the World Cup of Pool, the highly-fancied Philippines A, made up of 2006 World Champion Ronnie Alcano and former WPA World No.1 Dennis Orcollo, had a real scare against the brave Thai team of Nitiwat Kanjanasri and Surethep Phoochalam.

The unfancied Thailand team showed no nerves while their more illustrious opponents were clearly feeling the pressure of the great expectation upon them.

There was no trouble in the early stages as the Philippines moved into a 4-1 lead but that lead slowly crumbled as the Thais won four racks on the spin to move into a shock lead.

A stroke of luck helped the home side’s effort as Alcano fluked the 1 ball to set up the tenth rack and they regained the lead following a fine break shot to shake some of the nerves.

There was no further trouble for the Philippine pair as they closed out the remaining two racks to set up a last 16 clash with Denmark or Russia.

“We needed to do everything right but we made a few mistakes and got nervous. But Ronnie said to me to not think about the mistakes and just win this match,” said a relieved Orcollo after the match.

Reigning World 10 Ball Champ, Darren Appleton and partner Imran Majid, made it through to the last 16 of the PartyCasino.net World Cup of Pool as they made hard work of beating Malaysia after a blistering start.

The English pair stormed into a 5-0 as they raced through the racks and Majid had an easy 9 ball to make it 6-0 but missed it to give the Malaysian team of Ibrahim Bin Amir and Lee Poh Soon a glimmer of hope.

Another miss by Majid, this time on the 5 ball, gave the Malaysians another chance which they took and things looked even better for them as they ran out the next from the break to make it 5-3.

England relieved the pressure by winning the next but it was an Appleton miss that gave a chance to the Malaysians and they made it 4-6 but it was to be their last meaningful contribution to the match.

England took the next and when Bin Amir fouled trying to escape from a complex snooker, it was all over for the Malaysians.

Taking place over six days at the SM Mall North Annex in Manila, the World Cup of Pool features 32 x two player teams chasing a $250,000 prize fund. The entire event is live on Solar Sports and CS9 in the Philippines.

“In 2007 I had to qualify for the World Pool Championships in the Philippines and unfortunately didn’t do so, but then I came here the next year and won the World 10-Ball Championships so I love coming here,” said Appleton.

“Something like this event you have the best players in the world and when you play in the Philippines you have to bring your best play,” he added.

JAPAN COMEBACK KO’S CROATS, GERMANS ROUT HONG KONG

ronnie — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:07:41 +0000

In an outstanding effort, the Japanese team of Satoshi Kawabata and Hayato Hijikata, looked to be down and out at the PartyCasino.net World Cup of Pool before coming back from a 6-3 deficit to beat Croatia 8-6 and advance to round two at the SM Mall North Annex in Manila.

The Croatian paring of Philipp Stojanovic and Ivica Putnik looked pained at the conclusion and they had played well throughout, but the Japanese dug deep and played superbly when it mattered.

Croatia looked smooth in the early stages as they moved into a 4-2 lead but Putnik deposited the cue ball on the floor from his break shot in the seventh and that allowed Japan to pull one back.

There were a few Japanese flag-waving fans in the crowd and they were silenced by the Croatians who took the next two to get to 6-3 and look in a commanding position.

Another foul break from Putnik put Japan back in and they took advantage to get within two racks and that was just one as Hijikata buried the 9 ball in the 11^th game.

The 12th rack was an eventful one for Hijikata as he pushed out, missed a pot at the 1-ball and also the 4-ball. But it didn’t matter as Croatia failed to take their chance and the scores are tied.

Japan moved into the lead for the first time at 7-6. Croatia had a chance in the 14th rack but Stojanovic missed a shot at the 1-ball and looked dejected as he slumped back into his chair.

It was to be his countries last shot of the competition as Hijikata held his nerve to book a last 16 spot for Japan.

The German pair of former World Pool Champions Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet looked all business as they ran away with their first round match as they hammered Hong Kong 8-0.

The Hong Kong duo of Kenny Kwok and Lee Chenman didn’t get too many opportunities as the Germans kept them away from table with precision play throughout.

Hohmann, playing in his first World Cup of Pool looked outstanding throughout as they limited the Hong Kong team’s opportunities.

“If I could choose any player in the world to play scotch doubles with it would be Ralf,” said Hohmann.

“We had a lot of fun out there and it was great to be involved,” he added.

Souquet was delighted to get the first match out of the way: “Hong Kong could not show much of their skills. Playing doubles is much harder but it worked very well today. Thorsten played extremely well; he played almost perfectly and that made it easy for the both of us.”

“Winning this match was a big confidence boost but there are so many great teams here. For us the next step is France which will be tough because they played great in their first match and it will not be easy but we’re looking forward to it,” added Souquet.

FINLAND BEAT SWEDEN IN WORLD CUP OF POOL, ITALY MAKE ROUND TWO

ronnie — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:05:15 +0000

IN THE all Scandinavian clash to get day two underway at the PartyCasino.net World Cup of Pool, the Finnish pair of Mika Immonen and Markus Juva completed a comfortable 8-3 win over old rivals Tom Storm and Marcus Chamat of Sweden.

Finland, who lost hill-hill to China in the final of the ’07 event, always had the match under control as they moved into a 4-0 lead following a few misses from the Swedes. The match never really took off as a spectacle, as Finland always kept sufficient distance between themselves and their opponents.

They will now face old foes China in the next round and will as ever, be hard to beat.

“This is the fourth year Markus and I have been in this competition and I think we got away with it a bit this time,” said Immonen.

“We haven’t been practising together, it’s just not been possible but we’re both very similar players and very good together. Mika is such a fantastic player and I think I’m good at getting the best out of him so we complement each other very well,” added Juva.

In the second match of the first session, Team Italy, made up of Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore, were always one step ahead to their opponents, Austria and they held them off for an 8-5 win.

The Italians lead 4-2 and 6-3 and although the Austrian pair of Jasmin Ouschan and Martin Kempter, who reached the quarter-finals of last year’s event, losing narrowly to the USA, could not reproduce their previous form as the Italians ran out the winners.

First Round Results To Date

Italy 8 – 5 Austria

Finland 8 – 3 Sweden

Philippines B 8 – 3 Qatar

USA 8 – 7 Malta

Indonesia 8 – 3 India

Spain 8 – 3 Australia

China 8 – 5 Korea

France 8 – 1 Canada