AFTER etching his name as one of pool’s immortals, all that newly-crowned US Open champion Carlo Biado wanted to do is go home to Muntinlupa City, hug his five kids and take a long, relaxing rest.
“I’m really, really tired and I miss my family so much,” the 37-year-old Biado told BusinessMirror in a virtual interview on Monday. “I’ve been here [US] for four months so it’s time to go home.”
Biado booked one of the most, if not the most, amazing comebacks in US Open history—or in any other major world tournaments for that matter—by stringing 10 straight racks to beat Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp, 13-8, at dawn Sunday at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
At the moment, Biado and vlogger wife Niecky, are enjoying the fruits of victory while billeted at a posh 23rd-floor room of the Times Square Hotel in New York City. After all, the US Open trophy and green jacket went with a $50,000 (roughly P2.5 million) prize money.
They already booked a flight and are expected to arrive on Tuesday and waiting for the champion couple at their Soldiers Hills home are 15-year-old son John Carlo, Ralph Steven (14), Rain Patrick (13), Prince Raven (10) and Serena Angela (5). Biado’s mom Lolita took care of all five while their parents were away.
“This [US Open title] is absolutely big, really, really big,” Biado said, adding that he is hopeful his victory will rekindle interest in pool the way the legendary Efren “Bata” Reyes gave the sport a major boost when he won the world 9-ball crown in Cardiff, Wales in 1999.
“I hope I can inspire the young players to dream big, the way I dreamt big,” said Biado, only the second Filipino to wear the green jacket after also after Reyes, who won in 1994.
Biado started playing pool at 13 in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. He thanked Barangay Tunasan (also in. Muntinlupa) Chairman Walter Arcilla for allowing him to practice on his Brunswick table before his departure for the US in May as the entire country remained under quarantine restrictions because of Covid-19.
“If there’s no Covid-19, my training would have been at the Philippine Sports Commission at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila,” said Biado, originally from Rosario, La Union, who also owns a 9-ball gold medal from the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland.
His conquest of the US Open didn’t come easy.
Biado survived two grueling matches against compatriot Johann Chua, 11-10, in the quarterfinals and Japanese Naoyuki Oi, 11-9, in the semifinals to barge to the championship match.
Against Yapp, he stared at a 3-8 hole before summoning the gods of pool to again smile at a Filipino on the final table.
Biado arrived in the US last May 16 and pocketed two other titles earlier in his four-month sortie—the Cajun Cost Open in South Carolina against fellow Dennis Orcollo and the Texas Big Tyme Classic against Josh Roberts in June.
He was runner-up at the Hard Times Sacramento 10-ball Open championship and the Arizona Open Championship both in August. He made the semifinals of the Texas Buffalo 9-ball Open also in August.
“Those tournaments, those money games, boosted my confidence level very well heading to the US Open. I was able to train with those competitions,” said Biado, who clarified that he was a former tee boy in a military golf club, and not a caddie. “I am just very fortunate because I am with my wife beside me during those competitions.”
Biado owned a Shawarma Shack franchise near his home at the Soldiers Hills subdivision since 2019. But the pandemic shut it down, like many other businesses.
“Niecky encouraged and motivated me to focus on ‘happy thoughts,’ to achieve my dream on the billiard table,” he said. “Now, we can start all over again with our family business.”
“But we have to pay the bills at home first,” he said, laughing, then turned serious. “We’ll save most of it [prize money] and decide what to do next.”
“What’s important is for us to go home,” added Biado, who continued to stick with his Predator P3 for the last six years.