Qatar-based Filipino player Francisco Felicilda in action against Qatar’s Ali Obaidly during their WPA World 9-Ball Championship match at Al Sadd Sports Club yesterday. Felicilda won the match 9-6 to make it to the final round, which starts today. PICTURE: Shaji
By Mikhil Bhat/Doha
Karl Boyes had faced Efren Reyes thrice before and he had beaten him all three times.
Yesterday, however, when the two met for the fourth time, the stakes were higher. The two were drawn in a match in the loser’s bracket for a place in the knockouts of the WPA World 9-Ball Championship.
Reyes, a legend for the partisan Filipino crowd at Al Sadd Sports Club, had managed to take a 5-4 lead and was about to take another frame with a straightforward nine. But it wasn’t to be. Reyes missed that nine and Boyes, the former world eight-ball champion, levelled scores before taking a two-frame lead at 7-5, and then at 8-6.
With victory in sight, Boyes went through the paces before “adrenaline got in at four ball, and I over-did it”. Reyes sniffed an opportunity and soon it boiled down to the all-important 17th frame at 8-8. And it was Boyes’ break.
With both playing safe on a couple of shots, it eventually fell to Boyes to finish off the match and head to the knockouts.
“I should have won 9-6 actually. The school boy got into me,” the 31-year-old Brit said after his match.
“He missed an easy nine, I missed an easy seven and a four. Probably both of us changed our mind on the shot. Then it was neck-to-neck all the way. I just managed to get over the hill in the end, to be honest.”
The crowd wasn’t making it easy for Boyes too. “There were a lot of Filipinos in the crowd and they wanted him to win. I made like two or three great shots but nobody said anything. So you know they want him to win. But I have a great record against him to be honest,” Boyes said.
Reyes had it tough throughout the round of 128 in this tournament this year. Having lost 5-9 to Jeong Young Hwa of Korea, he was made to grind out a 9-8 win by Estonian Denis Grabe in the loser’s bracket.
And then yesterday’s match turned out to be another thriller.
Boyes now meets Dang Jing Hu of China in the first round of the knockouts today.
“Qualifiers are getting tougher and tougher these days. But you know the tournament really starts in the KO round,” said Boyes, who lost to eventual runner-up Antonio Gabica in the semifinals last year. “I have had fifth, and two semi-finals over the years. I know I can go very deep in the tournament. You got to take it match at a time, cut out on silly errors. It is easier said than done. In practice, you never seem to miss a finish but out there little crazy things seem to happen.”
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ali Obaidly lost to Doha-based Filipino player Francisco Felicilda 6-9. Felicilda had taken a 6-1 lead before Obaidly clawed his way back in but obviously not enough.
In another match that saw fortunes swing a couple of times, Portugal’s Manuel Gama beat Doha-based Israel Rota of Philippines 9-7. Gama was able to eke out a win after struggling early on.
Day four results (Loser’s bracket)
Group 1: Mario Teutscher (NED) 9 – 5 Sumit Talwar (IND); Tanaka Masaaki (JPN) 9 – 7 Erik Hjorleifson (CAN)
Group 2: Hsu Kai Lun (TPE) 9 – 7 Scott Cooney (GBR); Dimitri Jungo (SUI) 9 – 0 Jalal Yousef (VEN)
Group 3: Alexander Kazakis (GRE) 9 – 5 Abdul Rahman al-Ammar (KSA); Daniele Corrieri (ITA) 9 – 6 Melkonyan Babken (ROU)
Group 4: Ramil Gallego (PHL) 9- 3 Michel Bartol (CRO); Mehdi Rasekhi (IRI) 9 – 8 Kuo Po Cheng (TPE)
Group 5: Fabio Petroni (ITA) 9 – 4 Lui Hai Tao (CHN); Seung Woo Ryu (KOR)9 – 7 Hunter Lombardo (USA)
Group 6: Warren Kiamco (PHL) 9 – 8 Frailin Guanipa (VEN); Stephan Cohen (FRA) 9 – 4 Abdullah al-Yusef (KUW)
Group 7: Jason Klatt (CAN) 9 – 1 Ivo Aarts (NED); Chang Jung Lin (TPE) 9 – 1 Ko Ping Chung (TPE)
Group 8: Daryl Peach (GBR) 9 – 8 Tom Storm (SWE); Roman Hybler (CZE) 9 – 8 Glen Coutts (NZL)
Group 9: Young Hwa Jeong (KOR) 9 – 8 Maj al-Azmi (KUW); Karl Boyes (GBR) 9 – 8 Efren Reyes (PHL)
Group 10: Mieszko Fortunski (POL) 9 – 2 Mazen Berjaoui (LEB); Albin Ouschan (AUT) 9 – 0 Elvis Calasang (PHL)
Group 11: Andreas Gerwin (SWE) 9 – 7 Brandon Shuff (USA); Aloysius Yapp (SIN) 9 – 6 Mohammadali Pordel (IRI)
Group 12: Chang Yu Lung (TPE) 9 – 4 Nguyen Anh Tuan (VIE); Francisco Felicilda (PHL) 9 – 6 Ali Obaidly (QAT)
Group 13: Lo Li Wen (TPE) 9 - 4 Petri Makkonen (FIN); Lin Cheng Chieh (TPE) 9- 7 Corey Deuel (USA)
Group 14: Salaheldeen Al Rimawi (UAE) 9 – 8 Thomasz Kaplan (POL); Manuel Gama (POR) 9 – 7 Israel Rota (PHL)
Group 15: Naoyuki Oi (JPN) 9 – 2 Omar al-Shaheen (KUW); Alex Pagulayan (CAN) 9 – 8 Ivica Putnik (CRO)
Group 16: Sundeep Gulati (IND) 9 – 6 Artem Koshovyi(UKR); Lee Vann Corteza (PHL) 9 – 4 Omran Salem (UAE)