Warren Kiamco and the pair of Chezka Centeno and Rubilen Amit kept the Philippines’s gold-medal bids on high ground on Sunday in the billiards competition of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the Manila Hotel Tent.
Kiamco bested Thailand’s Chotipong Amnuayporn, 9-7, to advance to the men’s 9-ball singles quarterfinals while Centeno and Amit survived Thailand’s Vutthiphan Kongkaket and Sasiwimon Wannaprathip, 7-6, for a spot in the women’s 9-ball doubles semis.
Kiamco lost a 7-5 lead but managed to pull it off in the end to join fellow Filipino Dennis Orcollo into the next phase.
Orcollo advanced on Saturday night with a 9-0 drubbing of Indonesia’s Sahroni.
Centeno and Amit stormed to a 6-3 but the Thais won the next three racks. But they delivered when it counted most.
The win came a few hours before Centeno and Amit dispute the gold in the women’s 9-ball singles finals.
Also keeping his medal bid alive was Jefrey Roda, who nipped Vietnam’s Kieu Thien Khoi 4-3 for a spot in the quarterfinals of the men’s snooker singles.
Not so fortunate was Alvin Barbero, who yielded to Siththideth Sakbieng of Laos 0-4 in the men’s snooker singles round-of-16.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes