MANILA, Philippines - Ricky Yang of Indonesia humbled Jeff de Luna before local fans, scoring an imposing 11-4 victory to rule the Philippine Open Pool Championship at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 2 last night.
Yang regained control after trailing 0-1 and 1-2, winning seven of the next eight racks to post an 8-3 lead. He was never seriously threatened from there to complete his remarkable campaign in the tournament worth $20,000 purse.
“I really prepared hard for this tournament,” said Yang. “I stayed focused all game long, used my spare time to warm up for the next match.”
De Luna, who earlier upstaged compatriot Demosthenes Pulpul, 9-7, in the semis, settled for $10,000.
Pulpul and Lu Hui Chan each received $5,000.
From a 1-2 deficit, Yang came through with a five-rack run to break the game wide open at 6-2, keeping the power breaking De Luna in his seat.
“I got too excited after I beat Pulpul,” said De Luna. “I also got tired because I only had a little time to rest before the finals.”