Taiwanese cops Subic crown in hill-hill thriller

OLONGAPO, Philippines – Ko Pin Yi lived up to his No. 1 seeding by winning the Subic-Olongapo Open Pool Championship at the Olongapo City Convention Center Thursday night.

Ko beat compatriot Fu Che Wei in a hill-hill thriller featuring several lead changes where both players had a chance to take the match in the final rack.

Fu, now ranked No. 1 in Chinese Taipei following the official ban on former double world champion Wu Chia Ching by the Asian Pocket Billiards Union (APBU), seized control early and led at 7-5. But Ko charged back on a five-rack run to grab the lead at 10-7.

Fu, however, countered and swept the next three racks to draw level ran out the next to reach the hill but misfired on a position play on No. 3, enabling Ko to tie the match again before clinching the victory on a runout worth $10,000.    

Ko thus earned a seat in the Philippine Open Pool Championship slated May 26-31 at SM Megamall.

“We know each other very well because we have played many times in Taiwan,” said Ko thru interpreter Yanick Po. “There were times when I thought I was going to lose the match, but I was just lucky to survive this game.”

The Taiwanese bets battled back from the losers’ bracket to gain a crack at the championship with Ko rebounding from a loss to Mario Tolentino 6-9 and Fu bouncing back from a 3-9 setback to Leonardo Didal.

In the crossover semifinals, however, the Taiwanese exacted revenge with Fu disposing of Tolentino, 9-4, and Ko finishing off Didal, 9-1.

Elvis Calasang finished tied for fifth and sixth along with fellow Filipino Arnel Bautista.