MANILA, Philippines – Jeffrey "Straight Shooter" Ignacio pulled the rug from under fancied Dennis "Robocop" Orcullo, 11-9, to seize the last finals berth in the Battle of the Kings 10-Ball Challenge Thursday night at King of Sports Resto Bar in Quezon City.
Ignacio capitalized on a costly foul shot by Orcullo in the 19th rack to get on the hill then broke and ran out in the next to complete the reversal and earn the right to face Jeffrey "The Bull" de Luna for the crown and Php100,000 purse.
De Luna advanced via a come-from-behind 11-9 victory over upset-conscious Johann "Bubwit" Chua in the other semis duel last Wednesday.
The 21 year-old Ignacio and the former world champion Orcullo engaged in a seesaw battle of sorts.
Showing excellent ball control and stroking, Ignacio took control early and enjoyed a 7-5 spread. But then pressure came in and he started missing some shots, allowing Orcullo to win three straight racks and grab an 8-7 upperhand.
They were tied up at the end of the 18th rack before momentum swung back to Chua's side.
Orcullo broke on the 19th but he drove the cue ball off the table, giving "Straight Shooter" the opening he needed to get on the hill.
Ignacio made a pretty good break in the next frame and cleaned up the balls with precision en route to clinching a finals stint in the tourney backed by MSW and King of Sports.