Souquet, Liu take first two semis seats in Philippine Open Pool

For nearly two decades, German Ralf Souquet has been knocking on the door for a first ever championship on Philippine soil. On Sunday afternoon, the double world champion moved two steps away from grabbing the elusive crown. Souquet went through another hill-hill encounter in his last-16 match with former World Ten Ball champion Darren Appleton of Great Britain before winning, 9-8. A few minutes after that tough match, he found himself in a head-on collision with compatriot Thorsten Hohmann in the quarterfinals, and this time easily breezed past his countryman, 9-2, to book a seat in the semifinal round. “I’ve been in the finals of a major pool tournament three times and didn’t win any of those. I’ve been knocking on the door for a championship, but I wasn’t successful. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance this time," said Souquet, a former World 8-Ball and 9-Ball champion. The former world No.1 player appeared to be in a zone. He has won five straight matches, including two of his last three in convincing fashion. Souquet said his quarterfinals win over Hohmann didn't come as easy as what the score suggested. “From the score, it looks like I had an easy win, but it’s never been easy, as we had several exchanges of safety shots and I was just able to take advantage on Thorsten’s three missed shots," said Souquet. Back and shoulder injuries were the main reason for Souquet’s sluggish start in the tournament, but he found himself in the groove in his last four matches. Has he fully recovered? “As long as I can stay focused, I think I’ll have a good shot ay winning this tournament," said Souquet. “I’m still feeling it (injuries) just a little bit, but I’m trying to get my mind off it. But to win, you need to have luck as well. It plays a big factor in winning a championship." Liu Haitao of China grabbed the second semis seat by pulling off a come-from-behind 9-8 decision over Antonio Lining of the Philippines. Trailing 6-8, Liu waited for an opportunity to launch a spirited comeback. He got his wish on the 15th rack when the 47-year-old Lining missed the No. 5 in the corner. The Chinese cue artist capitalized on it by cleaning up the remaining balls to stay within striking distance, 7-8. Liu then ran out the next two racks in completing a come-from-behind win and dealing Lining his first setback in five matches. The Filipino player, who teamed up with Django Bustamante in winning the gold medal in the 2002 Asian Games, was relegated to the losers' bracket. Another world champ falls Dennis Orcullo, regarded as one of the country’s top players today and the Philippines’ newest member in its stable of champions, got the boot in the event’s penultimate day. The newly-crowned World 8-Ball champion fell prey to up-and-coming Filipino player Carlo Biado, 7-9, in their losers' bracket match. Biado moved a step away from securing a Final Four berth following his hard-earned win against his more illustrious compatriot. “Mas less ang pressure sa akin ngayon and medyo masama rin ang laro ni Dennis," said Biado. A miscalculated preparation for No. 5 forced Orcullo to come up with a difficult shot, which he missed. Biado pounced on the opportunity and wrapped up the match. He has just added the former world No.1 player to his growing list of victims, besides stayed on track for a title. - KY, GMA News