CARLO Biado is starting the year as the second-ranked nine-ball pool player in the world.
The reigning US Open Pool Champion is No. 2 in the inaugural Nine-Ball World Rankings sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association.
Dennis Orcollo is the only other Filipino to place in the top 32 as he sits at No. 24.
The rankings will be used for qualification and seeding to nine-ball events, with players accumulating points depending on their finishes on specific events.
First up will be the Derby City Classic in Elizabeth, Indiana set from Jan. 26 to 29.
Among the big events for the year are the World Pool Championship in April, the first ever UK Open in May, the World Cup of Pool in June, and the US Open Championship in October.
Austria's Albin Ouschan is ranked No. 1 after ruling the 2021 World Nine-Ball Championship. Spain's David Alcaide is third followed by Shane Van Boening of the US and Austria's Max Lechner.
Dennis Orcollo is No. 24, joining No. 2 Carlo Biado.
Completing the top 10 are Aloysius Yapp of Singapore, Naoyuki Oi of Japan, Ko Ping Chung of Chinese Taipei, Wu Jiaqing of China, and Joshua Filler of Germany.
"We are going to make pool a major global sport and together, we’re going to show what can be achieved and what dreams can be created for the players all around the world already playing this wonderful game," said Matchroom president Barry Hearn.
Matchroom multisport managing director Emily Frazer added, "Finally players have a clear and transparent entry system to the biggest staged events in the world. With the support of the WPA, the Nineball world rankings is the perfect opportunity to bring together the whole pool community. It is time we create structure and organization in this sport."
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