Django sends Viet foe home

Francisco "Django" Bustamante got the ball rolling for the Philippines last night as he gave Vietnam’s Vu Trong Khai a neat pool lesson, 9-4, in the losers-go-home opening round of the San Miguel Beer Asian 9-Ball Tour at the Octagon Hall of Robinson’s Galleria.

Bustamante, who has had forgettable stints in the first four legs of this year’s tour, played with greater ease and confidence before an appreciative hometown crowd. He never got into trouble in reaching the final 16 of this $50,000 closing leg of the circuit sponsored by San Miguel Beer.

"I had good breaks in the match. And I think my opponent felt so much pressure since this is a single elimination. I jumped the gun on him," said Bustamante, whose best finish on the tour so far was reaching the final eight in Vietnam, the second leg of the circuit organized by ESPN STAR Sports Management Group, last March.

During the Singapore kickoff leg last February, Bustamante lost to local boy Tan Tiong Boon in probably his worst finish on the pro tour.

"I hope this one’s for me. But you can really never tell," added the 41-year-old Bustamante as he prepared for another match, this time against Chinese-Taipei’s Chang Jung Lin late last night. Chang defeated Japan’s Hisashi Yamamoto, 9-6.

While Bustamante breezed his way to victory, Efren "Bata" Reyes, the Filipino ace, had a big scare, needing all the breaks and the luck he could use to fend off former Indonesian national champion Siaw Wieto, 9-8.

Reyes was way ahead, 8-4, when Wieto staged a big rally that forced a decisive 17th and final rack with the Indonesian enjoying the break. But his run came to a halt when he missed on a difficult shot on No. 4, leading Reyes to victory.

After sinking a tough shot on the black eight, Reyes was preparing for an easy nine when Wieto conceded the match by laying his cue stick on the table. Both players received a big round of applause for an exciting match.

Bustamante raced to a 5-0 lead against Vu, a 25-year-old architect who missed a handful of what looked like easy shots, the last big one coming on the 12th rack. He scratched the cue ball on the right side after sinking the pink four on the left corner pocket.

Vu paid dearly for that miscue as Bustamante cleared the rack for an 8-4 lead. On the final rack, Vu muffed another easy shot on the pink four, paving the way for another run-out for the Filipino currently ranked No. 1 in the world.

Vu, however, didn’t run out of excuses after the race-to-9, alternate-break match.

"The table cloth was new and therefore it was fast," he said as he was finishing his cigarette just outside the playing venue. "The table was not okay. It was lower on one side. That’s why I lost. But Django was very good."

Aside from Bustamante, also advancing for the Philippines were Warren Kiamco, who ousted China’s Fu Jian Bo, 9-4; and Gandy Valle, who slammed the door on Malaysia’s Chong Yen Foong in one of the day’s shortest matches, 9-2. Filipinos playing at presstime were Antonio Gabica, against Korean ace Jeong Young Hwa, and Lee Van Corteza, against China’s Xu Meng.

Except for Chinese-Taipei’s Yang Shin Chun, the winner of the Hong Kong leg, the top 32 Asian players are here to compete for the $10,000 winner’s purse, and the needed points that could earn them slots to the World Pool Championship in Taipei this July.

 The top 10 players after the five legs will represent Asia in pool’s biggest tournament that was won by Reyes in 1999 in Cardiff, Wales. Bustamante finished second in the same event in 2002.

The quarterfinals will start at 9:30 a.m. today while the semis and the finals are scheduled tomorrow.