Biado off to winning start at 8-ball worlds

MANILA, Philippines -- Carlo Biado downed Lithuanian Pijus Labutis, 8-3, on Good Friday to set in motion his bid for the one title he hasn’t won yet — the World Men’s 8-Ball Championship in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States.

The victory sent Biado, a two-time world 9-ball titlist, a world 10-ball and US Open champion and World Games gold winner but never in 8-ball, into the winner’s qualification round Sunday.

There, Biado, also a Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist, will face American Skyler Woodward for a chance to inch closer to his breakthrough crown in the event and complete a pool treble.

Biado was also the first Filipino to make it that far as his other countrymen fell by the wayside and had to go through the loser’s bracket for a chance to also advance.

Lee Van Corteza succumbed to Greek Dimitris Loukatos, 8-6, Roberto Gomez fell to Fedor Gorst, 8-4; Joven Bustamante stumbled to Hong Kong’s Robbi Capito, 8-6; Jeffrey de Luna lost to American Billy Thorpe, 8-7; and Sean Mark Malayan slipped to Estonian Karl Gnadeberg, 8-5.