The last 2 filipino men standing at Qatar 9 - ball

VIA GMAnews.TV

Antonio “Gaga” Gabica and Israel “Amay” Rota were the last two Filipinos still standing when the smoke cleared after the start of the knockout stage Saturday in the 2009 Qatar International 9-ball Pool Championship.

Gabica, who gave the Philippines a gold medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games 9-ball event, defeated Mateusz Sniegocki, 11-5, at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation in Doha, Qatar to reach the final 16.

Rota, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) earning a living as a pool instructor in the Middle East country, posted the biggest victory of his career when he sent Radoslaw Babica packing with an 11-5 win.

Gabica’s next assignment will be against Wang Hsiang Hung of Chinese-Taipei, who defeated Dimitri Jungo of Switzerland, 11-1, while Rota will try to extend his giant-killing ways with a face-off with Mika Immonen of Finland, who nipped Mariusz Skoneczny of Poland, 11-10.

Falling by the way side were Filipino campaigners Marlon “Marvelous” Manalo, Jeffrey “The Bull” de Luna and Raymond Faraon, another OFW working as a pool club pro in Qatar.

Manalo began packing after absorbing an 11-8 defeat at the hands of American Shane “The South Dakota Kid” Van Boening while De Luna suffered an 11-9 heartbreak from Neils “The Terminator” Feijen of the Netherlands.

Faraon’s amazing run was halted by an 11-4 sacking from 2007 World Pool Champion ruler Daryl Peach of Great Britain.

One of the notable wins in the round of 32 matches included the victory of unknown Jalal Al Saresi of Jordan over WPA World no.1 and reigning World 8-ball champion Ralf Souquet of Germany.

Saresi, who will meet Fu Che Wei of Chinese Taipei in the next round, sent Souquet reeling with an 11-4 reversal. Fu downed Mario He of Austria, 11-4.

Other round of 32 results saw Imran Majid of Great Britain eliminating Vilmos Foldes of Hungrary, 11-9; Ricky Yang of Indonesia downing Chris Melling of Great Britain, 11-3; Darren Appleton of Great Britain defeating Marcus Chamat of Sweden, 11-5;

Tohru Kuribayashi of Japan prevailing over Kuo Po Cheng of Chinese-Taipei, 11-5; Yang Ching Shun of Chinese-Taipei giving compatriot Lu Hui Chan of Chinese-Taipei the axe with an 11- 3 win; Karl Boyes of Great Britain giving Yukio Akakariyama of Japan an 11-5 beating; and Ko Pin Yi of Chinese-Taipei nosing out Jonni Fulcher of Great Britain, 11-9.