Alcano closes in on world crown

The nation could toast a new sporting hero by sundown today.

Ronato Alcano is playing the game of his life as the Calamba, Laguna native sustained his incredible run in the 2006 World Pool Championship at the PICC yesterday, toppling two more great players to get a shot at the coveted crown and the $100,000 cash prize that goes with it.

Among pool players supported by boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, Alcano could carve his own niche as he vies for the title against 1996 champion Ralf Souquet.

Alcano, who barely made it to the knockout stage, stormed into the finals as he dethroned Taiwanese titleholder Wu Chia-ching, 11-6, in the quarterfinals then defeated Chinese sensation Li He-wen, 11-8, in the semifinals.

"Kapag nakuha ko ang lag at kinampihan ako ng break, akin ito," said Alcano, now assured of $60,000 (P3 million) – already the biggest harvest in his career.

Souquet gained his third WPC finals stint as the soft-spoken German rolled past Taiwanese Lui Cheng-chuan, 11-8, in the quarters and survived a thriller versus another Taiwanese Fu Che-wei, 11-10, in the Final Four.

Fu pushed Souquet to the limit after breaking the hearts of the home fans with an 11-7 drubbing of Rodolfo "Boy Samson" Luat.

But the crowd was soon back in a frenzy as Alcano dominated and eliminated Wu, the defending champion who had been so amazing until he traded shots with the reed-thin and toothless Filipino.

"Overall, I played okay but made mistakes, especially on breaking. Luck was not with me, even after I changed my breaking style nothing was going for me," said Wu.

"The scratches were disappointing but I felt Alcano played better and made better breaks. I had four scratches in this round. This was the first time in the competition I had had any," Wu added.

Back on the main table after less than an hour, Alcano was still in his elements, starting with a three-rack run and made another decisive move as Li drew level at 4-4 and 5-5.

Alcano had a few mistakes, including a scratch that sent Li back on the green-felt table while on the brink at 8-10.

Li, the very first Chinese to compete in the WPC, however, made a fatal error, leaving the stripe-9 on the mouth of the corner pocket to the delight of Alcano and the home crowd.

Alcano instantly received congratulatory handshakes with the fans, and they whooped it up as the Chinese conceded defeat.

"Maganda ang pocketing ko. (Three) scratches lang ang naging problema ko," said Alcano.

Souquet expected a tough match with Alcano.

He said: "I’ve seen him win some tournaments in the US. He’s great. Getting into the finals means you’re a good player. You’ll not make it there just by luck."

Souquet added: "Crowd will be totally against me. But that’s part of the deal. I like the idea."

Alcano expressed hopes the crowd would be kind to Souquet.

"Nakakahiya sa dayuhan kung guguluhin ang laro niya. Kami rin kasi dumadayo sa labas. Sana bigyan siya ng respeto," said Alcano.