Django, Bata crash out of World Cup

China pounced on the Philippines’ erratic game to pound out a shocking 9-6 victory and barge into the semifinal round of the 2007 World Cup of Pool at the Outland Nightclub in Rotterdam, Netherlands Saturday.

It was a big victory for the Chinese, who stopped France’s Vincent Facquet and Stephan Cohen, 8-6, in the last 16 to set up a showdown with the fancied Filipino pair, which whipped the US to rule the inaugural staging of the event last year in Wales.

The eighth-ranked duo of Fu Jian-bo and Li He-wen took advantage of Francisco “Django” Bustamante’s sputtering start when the Filipino ace went dry on the first break and made a scratch with only three balls left on the table on the second rack.

China took the opportunity and quickly moved into a 2-0 lead in the race to 9, winners’ break duel before the Chinese duo broke and ran through the rack twice to make, 4-0.

Not even a dry break by the Chinese on the fifth rack could prop up the Filipinos as Bustamante misjudged a safety on No. 1 and Reyes’ attempt on the 1-ball rattled off the top left pocket.

That proved costly for the Philippines as Fu came up with a spectacular 6-9 combination to give China a four-rack advantage at 5-1.

Although the Reyes-Bustamante tandem closed to within, 3-5, the fancied RP bets missed on the ninth rack, enabling the Chinese to sit on another three-rack cushion at 6-3.

Fu and Li hung tough from there en route to the victory and a semis faceoff with Japan, which blasted Singapore, 9-5, in the other quarterfinal pairing in the upper bracket.

In other results, Canada thumped Belgium, 9-4, to seal a semis clash with Finland, also a 9-4 winner of Switzerland.