Orcullo vs Taiwanese in RP 9-ball

Local pool howitzers Marlon Manalo and Dennis Orcullo are on collision course early in the qualifying round of the Philippine International 9-Ball Open, which starts today at the Robinson’s Galleria Trade Hall.

Manalo, back-to-back winner in the United States pool circuit, will have a bye while Orcullo will take on a dangerous foe in Taiwanese Kuo Po Cheng in the opener.

Eight players with undefeated cards after the third round will advance to the main draw starting June 27.

The third round losers will face the survivors in the losers’ bracket to fill up the last four slots.

The other marquee players that may collide on or before the third round of the double elimination qualifier are last year’s world pool runner-up Chang Pei-Wei and veteran campaigner Venancio Tanio, Rodolfo Luat and top Malaysian Patrick Ooi and recent Asian Tour winner Ronnie Alcano and Leonardo Andam.

Seeded in the tournament co-organized by Puyat Sports and Solar Sports are home bets Efren "Bata" Reyes, Francisco "Django" Bustamante and Alex Pagulayan; Americans Johnny Archer, Gabe Owen, Corey Deuel, Rodney Morris and Charlie Williams; European pool stars Mika Immonen, Thorsten Hohmann, Neils Feijen, Tony Drago, Marcus Chamat and Thomas Engert, Taiwanese big guns Yang Ching Shun and Wu Chia Ching; Japanese aces Satoshi Kawabata and Kunihiko Takahashi and Korean Jeong Young Hwa.

Deuel, winless in three previous starts in Manila, believes his familiarity with the Filipino brand of play will help him go deep in the 32-man tournament.

"Filipinos are very good in pool and certainly you have to beat them if you want to win the tournament," he said during the weekly SCOOP sa Kamayan session yesterday.

"I have faced Bata and Django many times before and I think that will work to my advantage."

Deuel was proud to say that he has at least a .500 batting average against Reyes in their head-to-head.

Reigning US Open champ Gabe Owen, on the other hand, is ready to take all comers.

"I’m not particular on who I’m going to face. I just want to play my best and bring my A-game every time.’

Actions in the five-day event will be aired live on Solar Sports at 2 p.m.

The event offers $20,000 to the champion, $10,000 to second, $4,000 each to the losing semifinalists, $2,000 each to fifth and sixth, $1,000 each to seventh and eighth, $750 each to ninth to 12th, $500 each to 13th-16th, $300 each to 17th-24th and $200 each to 25th-32nd.