Rosales, Bedeo champs in Amit Cup

MANILA, Philippines — Eighteen-year-old Sofia Rosales edged 12-year-old Rhaki Roj Constantino, 7-6, to top the Advanced Group play in the first leg of the Amit Cup Season 2 all-women billiards at the Superbowl in Makati Cinema Square recently.

The event that drew a record number of 76 paid entries boiled down to a battle of young players, with Rosales barely escaping through in a thrilling finale.

Rosales, a student at the San Francisco High School in Quezon City, was ahead 4-2 in a race-to-seven final but allowed her younger opponent to make her own run, even reaching the hill first in Game 11, only to commit an end game mistake.

That cost Constantino the game, enabling Rosales to take the championship at 7-6.

“The breaks went my way in the end, laro lang naman ang sa akin, ang daming magagaling na sumali so wala akong high expectations,” said Rosales who missed the Grand Finals of Season 1 for personal reasons after making it to the top 8.

Constantino, a sixth grader at the Molave Adventist Elementary School in Zamboanga del Sur, settled for runner-up honors in the Season 2 opening leg but nonetheless drew the attention of pool officials.

Billiards legend Django Bustamante said they’re now considering Constantino for the Under-17 national training pool.

Also taking the spotlight was Yvonne Bedeo who ruled the intermediate division, edging Pearlie Adona, 6-5.

Adona, the oldest in the field at 54, fell short after rallying from being behind, 1-5, and tying the game at 5 all.

“This is our biggest number of entries and is a good indication that there are a lot of female billiards players just waiting for the opportunity to be discovered,” said three-time world champion and event organizer Rubilen Amit.