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SINGAPORE: Dennis Orcollo and Alex Pagulayan beat separate rivals to
advance in the semifinals of the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008 Singapore
leg Saturday at the Velocity@Novena Square here.
Orcollo subdued Fu Jian Bo of China, 9-6, while
Pagulayan downed Nguyen Anh Tuan of Vietnam, 9-4.
Orcollo, who eliminated tour-nament favorite
Chang Jung-Lin of Chinese Taipei in the group stage late Friday,
broke away from a 6-all tie following Fu’s critical miscues on the
13th and 14th racks.
The Chinese scratched on the 13th and fouled a
shot on the next rack.
Orcollo will next meet the winner between
compatriot Antonio Gabica and Yang Ching Shun of Taiwan.
“I knew that it was going to be a tough match
since I already faced Fu
in several international compe-titions in the past. I wanted to
finish the match as soon I had a chance since I consumed all my
allotted extensions,” revealed Orcollo.
Pagulayan, who entered the knockout through the
backdoor, took early control of his match against Nguyen. The former
world 9-ball champion raced to a 4-1 lead and never looked back.
“It was a big help that he missed some shots
because I was struggling
a bit. I played better yesterday [Friday] because my opponents also
played better. In a way, Nguyen had some difficulty because
probably, it’s his first time on TV while in competition. I made
my shots but I didn’t feel good today,” said Pagulayan.
The 2004 World Pool Champion-ship winner barely
made it past the group stage. He split his matches in Group G,
before prevailing over Ibrahim Bin Amir of Malaysia in a tie-break.
He will next face the winner between countryman
Joven Bustamante and Wu Chia Ching of Taiwan.
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