Liza reaches semis in World Cup bowling

SINGAPORE — The Philippines’ Lisa del Rosario rolled the day’s second high game of 278 and returned to make 232, sweeping Sweden’s Helen Johnsson to reach the semifinals of the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup at the SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber lanes here Saturday.

Del Rosario blanked Johnsson in their best-of-three match, 278-203, 232-189, to gain a crack at the finals versus second seed Shannon Pluhowsky of the United States.

Pluhowsky made it to the semis with a 223-204, 231-163 whipping of Laura Rhoney.

Del Rosario, the 2003 Asian ranking champion, got off to a blazing start, opening up with nine straight strikes.

There wasn’t much Johnsson could do in the first game but practice and wait for Game Two.

But Del Rosario sustained her good game in the ensuing match, connecting for the first three strikes and, after a spare, made a double.

Johnsson opened in frames 3 and 5 to trail by 55 pins, but Del Rosario stayed clean throughout the next three frames to put the match away in the ninth frame.