Yang Prevents All-Filipino Semifinals, Boots out Reyes

Yang Prevents All-Filipino Semifinals, Boots out ReyesYang Ching Shun of Chinese Taipei played the spoiler’s role as he edged out hometown favorite Efren “Bata” Reyes of the Philippines 9-8 to prevent an all-Filipino cast in the semifinals during the final leg of the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour at the hot and humid Robinsons Galleria Trade Hall. Playing inside the venue without air-conditioning because of a power trip, Yang displayed enough coolness under pressure as he stormed back from a 5-7 deficit to beat his Filipino rival and in the process clinched the overall Tour title. The Taiwanese will have at least 200 Tour points after making it to the semifinals for the fourth straight time this year. Reyes, as a result of his quarterfinal loss, will only get 150 points, while fellow Filipino Gandy Valle, who made it to the semifinals, can reach at most 170 points if he wins the Manila leg.
It was close through the first ten racks as it was knotted at 5-5. Reyes then capitalized on a missed attempt by Yang on the 1 ball in the 11th rack and cleaned up the next two racks. However, luck swung on the other side as Reyes then missed his attempt on the 1 ball in the 14th rack. The Taiwanese then cleaned up the next two racks to be on the hill. Yang, who topped the third leg in Kaohsiung last month, nearly paid for his crucial miscue in the 16th rack when he failed to pocket the 6 ball, allowing Reyes to knot it all up at 8. Feeling a sense of urgency, the 27-year-old Taiwanese had a perfect break in the 17th and eventually closed out the match.“I feel great since I beat Reyes in front of his hometown fans, and I feel confident that I can win it all,” said Yang. Known as the “Son of Pool”, Yang will next face Valle in the semifinals Sunday evening.Valle survived 16-year-old Wu Chia Ching of Chinese Taipei 9-8 to set up the meeting with Yang.Visibly affected by the heat, Valle, with his sleeves rolled up above his elbows, took advantage of four dry breaks by the Taiwanese teenager to steal the victory.Breaking for the win, Wu failed to pocket any balls in the 17th and deciding rack. Valle went for the kill and cleaned up the rack to end the match.“I was clearly affected by the heat. I was sweating so much that my shirt was so wet,” admitted Valle. “I had bad shots, but at least I had good breaks. Wu had good shots, but had bad breaks. In the end that was what decided the match.”Valle, who won the first leg in Singapore this year, will square off against Yang for the third time this year. The 32-year-old Filipino beat Yang in the semifinals in Singapore, but Yang gained revenge during the quarterfinals in Jakarta. Over in the other side of the bracket, Antonio “Nikoy” Lining and Ronato Alcano will collide in an All-Filipino battle in the other semifinal match after each eliminated separate opponents.Lining crushed Patick Ooi of Malaysia 9-4, while Alcano disposed off Chang Pei-Wei of Taiwan 9-6.“I have to be careful in the semifinals because I beat Lining convincingly during the qualifier for this leg. I’m sure he wants to get back at me,” revealed Alcano.Both Alcano and Lining will be making their first semifinal appearance. Now in its third year, the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is offering a total prize money purse of US$50,000 up for grabs at this weekend’s final stop in Manila. The champion will get the top prize of US$10,000. The main draw includes 32 top Asian players from 11 countries.Last year saw the 50-year old Reyes rule three of the Tour’s five legs. The player known as the “Magician” took home the leg titles in Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Taipei. 2002 Busan Asian Games 9-Ball singles gold medallist Yang topped the Hong Kong leg while Lee Vann Corteza of the Philippines triumphed in Manila.For more information on the Tour, please check out www.asian9-balltour.com. For the latest schedules and program information on ESPN STAR Sports, catch us on the net at www.espnstar.com.The San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union and co-organized by ESPN STAR Sports’ Event Management Group (EMG) and Puyat Sports. San Miguel Beer is the title sponsor for the Tour.Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Brunswick Metro is the official pool table, Holiday Inn Galleria is the official hotel and the Robinsons Galleria is the official venue while Sun Cellular is the official mobile service. STAR Sports is the official broadcaster. Sun Cellular is the official mobile service. The 2005 Tour will go to Singapore, Jakarta, Kaohsiung and Manila. Besides the total prize money of US$200,000, the top 10 players on the Tour Order of Merit every year will directly qualify into the World Pool Championships.

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