Cortez, 24, completed a twinkill as he conquered hometown bet Hoang Dai Thien, 9-3, in their final showdown, duplicating his victory in the 9-ball doubles in tandem with Warren Kiamco Friday.
With his two triumphs, the young pool master from Davao City now boasts of four SEA Games gold medals.
He topped the 9-ball singles in the 1999 Brunei Games and the 8-ball singles versus Efren "Bata" Reyes in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur Games.
— Nelson Beltran
Thien foiled a projected all-Filipino final repeat as he pulled the rug from under Antonio "Nikoy" Lining, 9-7, in the quarterfinals.
Corteza got a crack at the gold by ousting Indonesia’s Heru Gunawan, 9-1, in the quarterfinals and Singhapore’s Tey Choon Kiat, 9-6, in the semifinals.
"Pinagpapala tayo," said Corteza.
A third billiards gold is expected to come tonight with Reyes and Francisco "Django" Bustamante tipped to square off in the final. The two Filipino world-class players are seeded one and two in this event.
"Atin na uli iyan. Makita palang ng kalaban si Efren at Django, malamang manginginig na yang mga iyan," said Corteza.