Hohman beats Gabica in final of world 9-ball

Cebuano billiards master Antonio “Ga-Ga” Gabica missed a chance to make pool history Friday night after losing to German ace Thorsten Hohmann, 7-13, in the finals of the 2013 World 9-Ball Championship at the Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.

The loss prevented the 41-year-old Gabica from becoming the first Cebuano player to reign supreme in the World Pool Championship.

The 34-year-old Hohmann grabbed the $36,000 champion’s purse for his effort, while Gabica who hails from Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu didn’t go home empty handed after pocketing the runner-up prize worth $18,000 or more than P750,000.

Hohmann became only the second man in billiards history to win the WPA World 9-ball Championship two times, matching American Earl Strickland, who won pool’s most prestigious crown in 1991 and 2002. He will also take over as the world No. 1 ranked player when the new rankings are released.

Hohmann’s second World 9-ball Championship came exactly ten years after he burst into the international pool scene with a powerful title run through a stacked  field in Cardiff, Wales in 2003.

“I’m really proud of myself,” Hohmann said. “It means a lot to me. If I had to choose between my first World 9-ball title and this one, I couldn’t make a choice simply because winning the first world championship back in Cardiff was incredible and to do it again ten years later, I’m just speechless,” the German champ said.

Gabica on the other hand, remained grateful for making it this far despite a failed attempt to score a breakthrough win in the WPA.

“I’m very lucky to make it to the final because you don’t know what can happen in the future. It’s not easy to get to the final, because there are too many good players. I’m very lucky. Next year I don’t know where I’m going to finish. This was my one chance,” Gabica told WPA’s Lerner.

Gabica, a former Athlete of the Year awardee of the Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC), was foiled in his bid to join Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, Alex Pagulayan, and Rubilen Amit in the pantheon of Filipino world champs.

HOT START FOR GABICA

Gabica started hot, taking a 3-0 lead. Hohmann rebounded but the Pinoy was still in in command at 6-4 when the turning point came in the match. The Pinoy jawed a straight-in five ball on a very easy table that would have given him a 7-4 advantage.

Hohmann took his first lead at 7-6 after an illegal break by Gabica. In the world 9-ball championship three balls must either be pocketed or cross the head string on the break for the break to be legal.

In rack 15, Gabica stumbled again, bobbling a two ball to allow his opponent to streak ahead 9-6.

Hohmann eventually went 12-6 ahead, seven racks in a row, before permitting Gabica to win a consolation rack. In rack 20, Hohmann fnished him off.

Gabica, the 2006 Doha Asian Games gold medalist, barged into the finals after beating Karl Boyes of Great Britain, 11-6 in the semifinals, while Hohmann walloped Carlo “The Black Tiger” Biado of the Philippines, 11-4, in the other Final 4 match. /with a report from Bob Guerrero of The Passionate Fan