Billiards
Tandem of Orcullo, Corteza bows out of World Cup of Pool
InterAKTV file photo
Dennis Orcullo and Lee Van Corteza, the two highest-rated Filipinos competing in the World Cup of Pool, have crashed out of the race for a quarterfinals berth.
The Filipino tandem squandered a 6-3 lead and lost to the unheralded Swiss duo of Dimitri Juson and Ronni Regli in a hill-hill encounter on Wednesday night at the Robinsons Place Manila.
Orcullo, last year’s World Pool Association Player of the Year and Corteza, former runner-up in the World Ten Ball Championship, couldn’t put away their rivals despite playing in front of a cheering hometown crowd.
Instead, they faltered in the end, 7-8, dropping six of the last seven racks and got eliminated from the tournament where they were considered one of the favorites.
With Philippines A getting the boot, the country will once again rely on old reliables Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, twice the winner of this prestigious event.
On Thursday, they face a familiar foe in Alex Pagulayan, a Filipino, who once ruled the World Pool Championship.
Pagulayan, however, will be carrying the colors of Canada this time and will be paired with crack player John Morra.
