Pinoy Orcollo tops China Open
Filipino Dennis Orcollo won the 2012 China Open last Sunday afternoon after beating Taiwan’s Lu Hui Chan, 11-9, at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium Arena in Shanghai, China.
It was the second major title of the year for the Surigaonon, who in May won the U.S. 10 Ball Championship in Las Vegas, USA by beating compatriot Francisco Bustamante in the finals.
With the win, Orcollo pocketed the $40,000, while Lu settled for $20,000.
The top player of Bugsy Promotions Orcollo broke open a 3-3 tie with six racks in a row in the Alternate-Break format final to take a commanding 9-3 advantage, according to Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) founding head Ceferino “Perry” Mariano.
Lu bounced back into contention, slicing the deficit to 7-9. The see-saw battle continued with Orcollo eventually reaching the hill 10-9.
In Rack 20, Lu left the two ball open and Orcollo siezed the opportunity, running out for the victory.
Article continues after this advertisementWorld Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) press officer American Ted Lerner quoted Orcollo as saying, “I was so nervous today, but I just tried to calm down and enjoy the game. Chang is a great player and he played good today. I have a lot of experience playing on the TV table and I’ve had a lot of tough matches this week so this helps me with the pressure. For the final I just need to relax, wait for my chances and be aggressive when I find an opening.”
Orcollo bested Fu Jian Bo of China 11-4, in the Round of 32, Dang Jin Hu of China, 11-9, in the Round of 16, Han Hao-Xiang of China, 11-8, in the Round of 8, and Chan Yu-lung of Chinese-Taipei, 11-19, in the Round of 4.
