Raga continues rise with runner-up finish in China 9-Ball Championships

MANILA, Philippines – Fast-rising Anthony Raga continued to make a name in the international billiards scene after finishing a solid second in China Open 9-Ball Championships in Shanghai Sunday.

Less than a month after a head-turning second-place performance in the European Pool Championship in Fulda, Germany, the 26-year-old money game monster from Cebu City was it again as he came a win short from claiming his first international win after an 11-5 loss to 2018 world 9-ball king Joshua Filler of Germany.

It was the second runner-up finish for the former Cebu-METC nautical student after falling to Spain’s David Alcaide in the European Pool Championship finale in a 13-12 hill-hill setback.

Raga, who pocketed $20,000 or a cool P1.1 million, also ended up at No. 2 in this same tournament’s last staging four years ago when he fell to Chinese Wu Jiaqing in an 11-10 heartbreaker.

On the way to the finals, Raga hurdled Mongolian Yeruult Amgalanbaatar, 11-7, Japanese Naoyuki Oi, 11-9, Chinese Liu Haitao, 11-5, and Taiwanese Wu Kun-Lin, 11-6.

He was also the best-placed Filipino after countrymen Carlo Biado, James Aranas and Jeff Ignacio.

Rubilen Amit was also entered in the women’s side, but she crashed out in the quarters where she succumbed to eventual winner Han Yu, 9-5.