IT will be Spain vs. Finland in the final of the Philippines Open Pool Championship on Saturday at Gateway Mall in Cubao.
David Alcaide and Arseni Sevastyanov overcame their semifinal foes and are the last two men standing in this Matchroom major, as they are set to dispute the USD30,000 cash prize awaiting the champion.
Alcaide was the first to get through to the finals, clipping Robbie Capito's wings, 11-4.
"El Matador" raced to a 5-1 lead and set the tone in the semis match, capitalizing on the Hong Kong-born Filipino's lethargic potting.
Capito had his chances, but missed on what could be a combination play, as the 5 hung on the corner, leading to Alcaide cleaning up the table for the win.
"All week, I tried to enjoy playing in a venue like that and I feel good with the way I'm playing," said the world No. 13.
Finnish the story
Sevastyanov, meanwhile, continued his Cinderella run with a shocking 11-10 victory over Jayson Shaw.
The Finnish underdog's prayers were answered when "Eagle Eye" flubbed the 9 on the corner in their hill-hill battle, opening the chance for Sevastyanov to steal the win.
It was a huge recovery for Sevastyanov who rallied from a 9-5 deficit and won five straight racks, but failed on his chance to win the match when the 6 rattled out in rack 20.
"The crowd helped me a lot. Without the crowd, it will be too hard for me to play," said the world No. 111, citing the added boost that the audience gave him.
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