VAN BOENING MAN TO BEAT IN WPC?
Is newly-crowned US Open 9-ball titlist Shane Van Boening the man to beat
in the 2007 World Pool Championship? no if defending champion Ronnie Alcano
can help it.
Fresh from his conquest of Alcano in the US Open, the 24-year-old American
will surely be among the prohibitive favorites when pool's main event opens on
Nov. 3 at the Araneta Coliseum.
By bagging his country's top 9-ball championship, the 24-year-old South
Dakota native emerged as the leading American contender for the sport's
coveted prize, especially after the way he mastered the Filipino cue ace not
once but twice in the US Open.
In a fine display of shotmaking, Van Boening, who is 90 percent deaf and
uses a hearing aid, first subdued Alcano, 11-4, in the winners' bracket
semifinals. Proving that his earlier win over the reigning Filipino world 9-ball
and 8-ball kingpin was no fluke, the American calmly outsteadied his highly-
favored rival, 13-10, in the finals to cash in the $50,000 grand prize.
Expect a lot of eager Filipino and Asian pool fans to witness the World Pool
Championship presented by San Miguel Corp. and PAGCOR who will be keen
on finding out who bested the hometown star.
The year 2007 is proving to be a banner year for Van Boening, who earlier
won the Predator World 10-Ball title. He also wound up as losing finalist to
Dennis Orcullo and Alex Pagulayan, the 2004 world pool champ, in the BCA
Open and World Summit of Pool, respectively. The American is the top seed
in the tough Group 13, which includes the second-seeded Orcullo and Swedish
third seed Marcus Chamat, who placed third in the 2004 world's won by Pagulayan.
His initial match will be against one of the players emerging from the WPC
qualifiers starting on Saturday at the Star Billiards Centers in Grace Village,
Quezon City.
Van Boening will be at the vanguard of a crack American contingent that also
includes ex-world pool champ Earl Strickland, Corey Deuel, Johnny Archer,
Mike Davis and Rodney Morris, among others. Asked in a pool website
interview what his expectations were in the grand Manila pool festival,
Van Boening, still savoring his US Open triumph, replied: " I'm looking forward
to it (the WPC). Let's see what happens."
Chances are the American and the Filipino pool aces won't be meeting until
deep into the tournament. Alcano will be dead set on turning the tables on
Van Boening on his home turf when that happens. Whether the match will
end differently, however, is anybody's guess.
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO
Source:
http://www.billiardphilippines.com/v3/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=3&storynum=5
Is newly-crowned US Open 9-ball titlist Shane Van Boening the man to beat
in the 2007 World Pool Championship? no if defending champion Ronnie Alcano
can help it.
Fresh from his conquest of Alcano in the US Open, the 24-year-old American
will surely be among the prohibitive favorites when pool's main event opens on
Nov. 3 at the Araneta Coliseum.
By bagging his country's top 9-ball championship, the 24-year-old South
Dakota native emerged as the leading American contender for the sport's
coveted prize, especially after the way he mastered the Filipino cue ace not
once but twice in the US Open.
In a fine display of shotmaking, Van Boening, who is 90 percent deaf and
uses a hearing aid, first subdued Alcano, 11-4, in the winners' bracket
semifinals. Proving that his earlier win over the reigning Filipino world 9-ball
and 8-ball kingpin was no fluke, the American calmly outsteadied his highly-
favored rival, 13-10, in the finals to cash in the $50,000 grand prize.
Expect a lot of eager Filipino and Asian pool fans to witness the World Pool
Championship presented by San Miguel Corp. and PAGCOR who will be keen
on finding out who bested the hometown star.
The year 2007 is proving to be a banner year for Van Boening, who earlier
won the Predator World 10-Ball title. He also wound up as losing finalist to
Dennis Orcullo and Alex Pagulayan, the 2004 world pool champ, in the BCA
Open and World Summit of Pool, respectively. The American is the top seed
in the tough Group 13, which includes the second-seeded Orcullo and Swedish
third seed Marcus Chamat, who placed third in the 2004 world's won by Pagulayan.
His initial match will be against one of the players emerging from the WPC
qualifiers starting on Saturday at the Star Billiards Centers in Grace Village,
Quezon City.
Van Boening will be at the vanguard of a crack American contingent that also
includes ex-world pool champ Earl Strickland, Corey Deuel, Johnny Archer,
Mike Davis and Rodney Morris, among others. Asked in a pool website
interview what his expectations were in the grand Manila pool festival,
Van Boening, still savoring his US Open triumph, replied: " I'm looking forward
to it (the WPC). Let's see what happens."
Chances are the American and the Filipino pool aces won't be meeting until
deep into the tournament. Alcano will be dead set on turning the tables on
Van Boening on his home turf when that happens. Whether the match will
end differently, however, is anybody's guess.
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO
Source:
http://www.billiardphilippines.com/v3/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=3&storynum=5