ONE Filipino will make it through to the final of the World Pool Championship, as Carlo Biado and Bernie Regalario will face each other in the semifinals on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The two are the last Filipinos standing in the crown jewel of nineball and will carry the nation's hopes of bringing the trophy back to the Philippines.
Biado, who won the cup in 2017, already had to hurdle a kababayan after beating Jeffrey Ignacio, 11-9, in the Last 16 before shaking off Ko Ping-chung im the quarterfinals, 11-7.
Regalario had the same fate, taking down fellow Filipino Patric Gonzales, 11-9, in the Last 16 before stunning former WPC winner Francisco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain, 11-4, in the quarters.
Both are seeking to take home the USD 250K cash prize awaiting the champion from a record-setting USD 1M prize pool, but more importantly, the distinction to become the fifth Filipino winner of the World Pool Championship.
Efren "Bata" Reyes (1999), Ronnie Alcano (2006), Francisco "Django" Bustamante (2010), and Biado hoisted the WPC trophy in the past.
Last obstacle in Filipinos' way
But doing so won't be a walk in the park, all the more with defending champion Fedor Gorst still in the running, with the Russian-American cue artist facing Albanian rising star Kledio Kaci in the other semifinal pairing.
Gorst has been in form through the tourney, dominating Mario He in the Last 16, 11-5, then a commanding 11-4 win over Filipino Jefrey Roda in the final eight.
Kaci, meanwhile, escaped Konrad Jusczyszyn in the Last 16, 11-8, and ended Ameer Ali's dream run in the quarters, 11-9.
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