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UPSETS
continued to rock the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of
Pool as another pretournament favorite crashed out in
the second day of the $250,000 tournament being held at
the Outland nightclub in Rotterdam, Holland.
The
seventh-seeded Chinese-Taipei team of former double
world champion Wu Chia-ching and veteran
internationalist Wang Hung-hsiang became the latest
top-ranked team to say good-bye to one of the most
prestigious billiards crowns in the world after
absorbing an 8-5 defeat at the hands of Holland B’s
unheralded pair of Gijs van Helmond and Roy Gerards.
Helmond
and the 19-year-old Gerards, who had to win a local
qualifying tournament to become the host country’s
second team, capitalized on the erratic Taiwanese to
advance to the round of 16. They will next face the
winner of the match between No. 10 Japan and Australia,
which was played on Thursday.
The
Philippines, bannered by world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo and
former World Cup titleholder Francisco “Django”
Bustamante, was set to meet Denmark’s Martin Larsen and
Kasper Kristoffersen late Thursday.
“It’s
anybody’s game talaga. You cannot expect na
hindi maganda ang laro mo at manalo ka,” said
Orcollo, whose tandem with Bustamante is supported by
Senate President Manny Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa
Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports and the Billiards
Managers and Players Association of the Philippines.
Chinese-Taipei thus joined fellow seeded pairs No.3
Holland A of world No. 2 Niels Feijen and Nick van den
Berg, and last year’s runner-up and No. 8 Finland of
former world titlist Mika Immonen and Markus Juva.
Holland A and Finland lost to Belgium and Korea,
respectively.
In other
Day Two matches, fourth-seed Germany of reigning world
8-ball champion Ralf Souquet and Thomas Engert blasted
Qatar, 8-3, while No. 6 United States, represented by
Shane van Boening and Rodney Morris, trounced Iceland,
8-4.
Other
results saw No.12 Canada prevailing, 8-5, over France,
No.13 Poland winning over Thailand, 8-3, and No.19
Austria demolishing No.14 Vietnam, 8-1. |
