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Chao Defeats Alcano, Faces Yang in Finals

May 20, 2007 Kaohsiung – WPA Double world champion Ronato Alcano could not disrupt the flawless play of Taiwan's Chao Fong-Pang, bowing out of competition, 11 – 6, in the semifinals of the second leg of the 2007 Guinness 9Ball Tour here at the jam-packed Kaohsiung Business Exhibition center.
 
Opening up with a solid 3 – 1 lead highlighted by a magnificent three ball corner pocket off a two rail kick, the lanky Filipino campaigner seemed well in control of his stroke and looked poised to upset the heavily favored local bet.
 
But spurred on by the tremendous support of the predominantly Taiwanese crowd, Chao instantly turned the tide  and managed to string six consecutive racks in a row by capitalizing on the mental lapses of Alcano in the 6th and 8th rack to own an overwhelming edge, 7 – 3.
 
Recognizing that he needed to somehow bring the momentum back to his favour, "the Volcano", shifted to utilizing his patented soft-break in a desperate bid to halt Chao's imperious march. And for a while, the change in breaking style allowed Alcano to control the tempo of the table, giving the impression that he could still have a chance in catching up to the Taiwanese.
 
Even so, Chao's game was so ridiculously impressive that even after committing a foul on the 11th rack which brought the Calamba-City based Filipino closer at 5 -7, victory always seemed to be within the grasp of the two time former world champion.
 
With the pressure mounting, Alcano only managed to score once more as was unable to shake the internal cobwebs, muffing an easy 3 – 9 corner combo at the 17 th rack.
 
Already sitting on the hill, Chao gladly took advantage off the sorry miss by Alcano to end their semifinals encounter at 11 – 6, to enter the finals with the predominantly Taiwanese crowd roaring in approval.
 
Chao's win pit him in a finals duel with long-time student and friend Yang Ching-Shun who gained a finals berth by trumping three time junior world pool champion Wu Yu-Lun, 11 -8 in their semifinals contest.
 
As of press time, the two Kaohsiung natives are battling it out at the TV table of STAR Sports to determine who will reign supreme in Taiwan and claim the US$15, 000.00 top prize purse.
 
Formerly the Asian 9-Ball Tour, the Guinness 9-Ball Tour has been made bigger and better for players and fans alike with the new partnership between ESPN STAR Sports and Guinness. Total prize money has doubled to US$320,000 (from US$160,000 from last year's tour) and the Tour will feature a grand final in Bali for the Top 10 players. Winners of each leg will win US$15,000 while the Grand Final Champion will walk away with US$36,000.
 
The Guinness 9-Ball Tour remains the only ranking tour in Asia for players to qualify for the WPA World Pool Championship. The top ten finishers in the Guinness 9-Ball Tour Order of Merit will automatically qualify for pool's most prestigious event, this year's edition slated for a second straight staging for Manila in November.
 
STAR Sports will be airing the semifinals and finals match today.
 
The Guinness 9-Ball Tour is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU) and organised by ESPN STAR Sports' Event Management Group (EMG). Guinness is the title sponsor for the Tour. 188Bet is the Gold Sponsor. Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Brunswick Metro provides the official pool table while Predator

For more information on the Tour, please visit www.guinness9balltour.com.
 
For the latest schedules and program information on ESPN STAR Sports, please visit www.espnstar.com

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