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ROBERTO GOMEZ capped his breakout season with another strong
performance, finishing second in the tough 2007 Super Cup.
The prized-fighter of Bugsy Promotions took the
measures of fancied rivals on his way to the finals before falling
to an 18-year-old upstart named Ko Pin Yi, 5-11, on New Year’s Eve
in Taiwan.
Ko, the reigning World Pool Junior champion, got
off to a strong start, racing to a 9-3 lead and never letting up.
Gomez didn’t exactly fare bad. Ko’s just too
hot to handle in the title match.
With the winner’s break format in effect, Ko
repeatedly scored via run outs to frustrate the 29-year-old from
Zamboanga City.
“Mahirap talaga kapag pinapaboran ng bola ang
kalaban mo [It’s hard when the ball favors your opponent],” said
Gomez. “Hindi ka mananalo kung hindi ka masyadong tumitira [You
can’t win if you don’t hit a lot].”
The 2007 World Pool Championship runner-up
turned back more illustrious foes in the earlier rounds.
After trouncing former world champion Ralf
Souquet of Germany and Taiwan’s top rated player Yang Ching-shun
in the preliminary round, Gomez proceeded to beat former US Open
winner Rodney Morris of the United States, 7-4, and local bet Fu
Che-wei, 7-6.
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