Django advances to quarters

Francisco "Django" Bustamante pulled off a 7-3 win over Italian Fabio Petroni to advance to the quarterfinals of the rich World Pool Masters at the Lakeside Shopping Center in Thurrock, Essex, England Friday (Saturday in Manila).

Bustamante, the 1998 champion picked as the top favorite to win this year’s edition of the event, struggled off the break in the early going, bouncing back from a 1-3 deficit to win the next six racks and the match.

"It’s good to get the first match out of the way. The short race can be difficult so it was a relief that my break started to really work well as the match progressed," said the Germany-based Bustamante, who with compatriot Efren "Bata" Reyes are among the world’s top 16 players competing in the event, including three-time women’s world pool champion Allision Fisher of England.