Souquet, Corteza enter last 16 in upset-filled Day 3 of Philippine Open

In the much-awaited battle of pool heavyweights, double world champion Ralf Souquet of Germany came out with a ploy that certainly worked well for him — keep Dennis Orcullo on his seat.

Orcullo spent most of his time sitting on his stool while watching Souquet complete a series of run-outs as the German ace fashioned a one-sided 9-2 triumph on Saturday night at the SM Megamall. Souquet’s domination of the match wasn’t foreseen.He was able to break the game wide open starting on the sixth rack and had five straight run-outs. Asked if he had special preparation for the match, the former World 9-Ball and World 8-Ball champion had a simple explanation. “Every time you play Orcullo, you have to bring your A-grade game," said Souquet. “There’s no special preparation for this match. I just played my best tonight (Saturday)." Souquet’s victory sent him into the last 16 of this World Pool-Billiard Association tournament that offers $30,000 to the champion. He joins Filipino Lee Van Corteza, who won over a crack Taiwanese opponent, Chang Jun Lin, 9-6. Souquet’s victory over the man who defeated him in the 2009 Predator 10-Ball Championship was nearly overshadowed by the ear ouster of two world champions and the world’s top player in the tournament. Reigning World Ten Ball champion Mika Immonen of Finland and double world champion Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines got the boot, together with reigning No.1 lady player Ga Young Kim of Korea. Immonen, a former world No.1 player, lost to Jerico Banares of the Philippines, 7-9, in a thrilling afternoon match. A scratch off the break in the 16th rack proved to be decisive for Immonen’s setback.Banares wasted no time as he ran out the remaining balls to post the win. “Medyo binuwenas ako, magaganda rin yung break niya kaso hindi bumebenta," said Banares, a former national junior champion. But Bañares’ luck also ran out quickly a few hours later, as he was oisted by Al Yousuf, 9-6. Alcano suffered his second straight setback, to Abdullah Al Yousuf of Kuwait, 4-9, after he had also lost to Hwang Young by the same score. The Filipino champion who once ruled the World 9-Ball and World 8-Ball tournaments was vocal against the mandatory timeout rule. Under the new rule, players can only take a five-minute break during the halfway mark of the match. Al Yousuf quickly raced to a 5-0 lead before Alcano got his bearings and took the next three racks. The Kuwaiti bet bounced back and grabbed the next rack for a 6-3 lead before both players were given a short break. But Al Yousuf, who showed his breaking prowess, got three of the next four racks. Alcano was able to survive on the 12th rack when he got the better of the safety exchanges. He cleaned up the table to trail 8-4. A scratch off the break ended Alcano’s hopes of a rally, and Al Yousuf was able to dispose of the remaining balls one by one. “Allan (Cuartero) has been helpful in giving information on how Filipino players play," said Al Yousuf. Cuartero, a Filipino player based in Kuwait, also lived for another day after surviving Wu Hao of China, 9-8. He followed it up with another triumph later — a 9-4 whipping of Bashar Hussain of Qatar. Two other notable Filipino players — Jeff de Luna and Marlon Manalo — also got eliminated in the tournament. De Luna lost his TV table match to Nguyen Puc Long of Vietnam, 6-9, while Manalo lost 9-3 to compatriot and up-and-coming star Carlo Biado. World’s top lady player gets door Ga Young Kim was on the verge of wrapping up a match to survive for another day. But Lin Yuan Chun, a former Amway World Women’s Champion, refused to quit. Playing with her back against the wall, Lin rallied from 6-8 down before edging Kim in a hill-hill encounter. The 9-8 triumph had the makings of a classic encounter. After several exchanges of safety shots, Lin was able to pocket a spectacular bank shot on the No. 9 in the corner. She nailed the final ball and managed to come to within one, 7-8. In the next rack, Lin showed her composure. She ran out the balls and appeared headed to complete a remarkable come-from-behind win. In the 17th and final rack, there was no stopping the Taiwanese lass from booting out Kim while keeping her own hopes alive in the tournament. - KY, GMA News