Django, Orcollo sustain fiery form, reach semis

Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo continued to flash fine form as Team Philippines blasted Japan, 9-2, to advance to the semifinal round of the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool at the Outland Nightclub in Rotterdam, The Netherlands Saturday.

The fancied Filipino pair swept the last six racks after going 3-2 in their race-to-9 duel to complete their rout of Doha Asian Games gold medalist Satoshi Kawabata and Naoyuki Oi and arrange a semis showdown with the United States tandem of former world 10-ball titlist Shane van Boening and Rodney Morris.

The Americans subdued Jasmin Ouschan and Martin Kempter of Austria, 9-7, in the other quarterfinal encounter.

On their way to the semis of the $250,000 event, Bustamante and Orcollo, whose campaign is supported by Senate President Manny Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports and the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines, have won 25 racks while losing only seven in an impressive show of pool talent.

The other Final Four match pits defending champion and top seed China against No. 5 England.

The Chinese pair of Fu Jianbo and Li He-wen demolished No. 9 Italy’s Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore, 9-2, while the British tandem of reigning world 9-ball champion Darryl Peach and Mark Gray repulsed Ralf Souquet and Thomas Engert of No. 4 Germany, 9-7.

The semifinal round winners will dispute the title in a race-to-11 duel slated late Sunday.

Like in their previous romps over Denmark (8-2) in the opening round and Russia (8-3) in the Last 16, Bustamante and Orcollo needed just a couple of racks to get into the groove.

The Filipinos actually surrendered the lag and the opening rack but won the next three to seize the lead.

After the Japanese took the fifth frame, Bustamante and Orcollo dominated the table to win the next six racks for the victory to surpass the country’s quarterfinals finish last year.

They are now assured of at least $16,000 although the RP duo vowed to go all the way for the top $60,000 purse and reclaim the crown Bustamante and Efren “Bata” Reyes captured in 2006.

The semis duel with the US marks the first time that the Filipinos will meet the Americans in the World Cup since Bustamante and Reyes trounced the pair of Morris and former two-time world 9-ball king Earl Strickland, 13-5, in the finals of event’s inaugural edition in Newport Centre, Wales.