Billiards
Immonen, Makkonen knock Bata, Django out of World Cup
File photo courtesy of wpa-pool.com
Three years ago, Mika Immonen conquered Philippine pool by winning the World Ten Ball Championship in Manila.
On Saturday, Immonen teamed up with Petri Makkonen and whipped legendary Filipino cue artists Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, 9-5, to barge into the semifinals of the World Cup of Pool in Robinsons Place Manila.
The Finnish duo have won consecutive big games in two nights. On Friday, Immonen and Makkonen ousted defending champions Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany, 8-4.
Immonen and Makkonen raced to a 6-3 lead and appeared to be headed for an easy win before the Filipinos won the next two racks to inch closer.
But Bustamante missed an easy shot at the No. 3 in the 12th rack, allowing the Finnish to build a 7-5 lead.
The next two racks were anti-climatic as Immonen, a two-time world champion, capped the team’s finishing kick with a 7 and 9 combo in the 14th rack to seal the win for Finland.
