Corteza wins Asian 9-ball title, bags $7T

FILIPINO cue master Lee Vann Corteza ruled the 3rd Golden Break 9-Ball Invitational Championship last Sunday at the Golden Break Snooker and Pool Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The top player of Negros Billiards Stable and JSY Sports, Corteza routed Taiwanese cue wizard Ko Ping Chung, 13-8 in the finals to bag the top prize of $7,000 plus an elegant trophy. Chung settled for $3,500.

Corteza made the finals by crushing Indonesian Riyan Setiawan, 11-1 in the semifinals while Ping Chung advanced by beating his older brother Ko Pin Yi, 11-7.

“I would like to thank Sir Jonathan Sy and coach Christopher Palses for always helping me in my local and international tournaments alongside Kopiko and Energen,” said Corteza, the world’s No. 8-ranked player.

In the finals, Corteza jumped to a big 3-0 lead before Ping Chung tied the score at 7-all in the 14th rack. However, Corteza won six of the next seven racks for the runaway victory.

NBS president Jonathan Sy lauded Corteza’s latest feat. “He deserves this… I’m really happy for him. This proves once again that the Filipino can be at par with the world’s best cue artists.”

The tournament is participated by players from Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, India, Vietnam and Hong Kong.