MANILA, Philippines - Mika Immonen and Rodney Morris dominated the fancied pair of Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, 9-4, to barge into the Round-of-16 of the MP (Manny Pacquiao) Cup Philippine Open 10-Ball doubles championships yesterday at the SM City Mall in Gen. Santos City.
Immonen, Finland’s best player and world No. 16 and Morris, cashed in on the Filipino pair’s dry breaks and miscues to pull off the victory and join defending doubles champion Jeffrey de Luna and Jeffrey Ignacio in the next round.
De Luna and Ignacio also scored a 9-4 romp over Napoleon Labrador and Reynaldo Lariba.
“Nothing is easy here,” said Immonen after the victory even as they face tougher tests ahead.
Reyes and Bustamante, meanwhile, hope to bounce back from the losers’ bracket, along with the team of Shane Van Boening and Dennis Orcollo.
“We still have a long way to go,” said the 44-year-old Morris from the US.
Immonen and Morris broke away from a tight 4-3 game against the Filipino pool legends.
Host and eight-division boxing champion Rep. Manny Pacquiao and Ronnie Alcano, meanwhile, were trailing the tandem of Romeo Silvano and Jordan Legaspi, 2-7, at presstime.