Alcano, Kiamco join RP Open 9-ball

Ronnie Alcano and Warren Kiamco join the stellar cast vying for top honors in the second Philippine 9-ball Billiards Open, both looking to add the title to their growing list of victories when the event is staged March 26-31 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Alcano, the reigning world 9-ball champion who recently won the world 8-ball title in Dubai, arrives today from Tokyo, Japan where he competed in the Japan 9-ball Open topped by Fil-Canadian Alex Pagulayan, while Kiamco will be coming in from the US where he won three in the last three weeks.

Kiamco reigned supreme in both the 9-ball and 8-ball divisions of the US Bar Championship in Reno, Nevada then topped the Blaze Tour Stop event in Edison, New Jersey.

He also placed third in the Castle Billiards tournament in East Rutherford, New Jersey behind Russian Eugeni Stalev and countryman Antonio Gabica.

Gabica, a 9-ball gold and 8-ball silver medalist in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, is also joining the hunt for the top P500,000 purse in the RP Open.

Earlier, Pagulayan has confirmed his participation in the event he ruled last year which stakes not only slots in the World 9-ball Pool event the country will host for the second year in a row but also in the RP squad seeing action in the 2007 Bangkok Southeast Asian Games this December. Others seeing action are last year’s losing finalist Gandy Valle, Jeff de Luna, Dennis Orcollo, Roberto Gomez, Jharome Pena, Mike Takayama, Carlo Biado and Elmer Calaquian. – Joey Villar