World 8-Ball tilt: Alcano, 2 other Pinoys make Round-of-32

Double world champion Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines kept his streak going in this year's World 8-Ball Championship, beating former World Straight Ball champion Oliver Ortmann of Germany, 9-6, Thursday at the Fujairah Exhibition Center in Fujairah United Arab Emirates. It was the fourth straight victory for Alcano, who won the World 8-Ball Championship in this same city in 2007. He also captured the World 9-Ball Championship in 2006. But Alcano faces his biggest challenge when he goes up against former World Ten Ball Champion Darren Appleton of Great Britain Friday. A former world No.1 player, Appleton easily disposed of Huidje See, 9-3. Giant killer Joven Alba, who is coming off a king-sized upset win over compatriot Efren “Bata" Reyes, advanced into the next phase by nipping Raj Hundal, 9-7. Former world No.1 player Dennis Orcullo survived Vincent Facquet of France in a hill-hill encounter, 9-8, to also make it to the next round. But three Filipino bets were ushered through the exit door by their respective rivals — Antonio Lining, former World 9-Ball runner-up Roberto Gomez and ex-World Ten Ball finalist Lee Van Corteza. Lining, who took a bye a day earlier after being seeded at the end of the Stage 1, was caught on a bad day by Carlo Dalmatin of Croatia. Dalmatin won, 9-4. Gomez lost to former Guinness 9-Ball tour champion Chang Jung Lin of Chinese-Taipei, 9-6, while Corteza suffered a stinging setback against David Alcaide of Spain, 9-3. This means that only three Pinoy players will be slugging it out in the last 32 of this event, with Orcullo facing yet another acid test in former US Open champion Shane Van Boening of the United States and Alba squaring off against the winner of the Basher Hussain-Saleh Al Remawy match. - Rey Joble, KY, GMA News