See Is Believing

Just 25 years old, Biado carried Philippine hopes for a local champ, but fell short in the semifinal.

Once again, though, a Raya Sports world title event in Manila was without the Philippines' two marquee players, Hall of Famers Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante. The pair is managed by Aristeo Puyat, who refuses to make peace with Raya's Yen Makabenta. The ongoing quarrel has given rise to one of the most bizarre situations in pool - the two biggest representatives of the Philippines, two legends of the game who travel the world to play in WPA-sanctioned tournaments, but don't play in World Pool-Billiard Association events in their own country. Their absences proved minor irritants, though, perhaps denying the organizers large crowds that never materialized.

One player drawing a lot of early attention was Wu Chia-Ching of Taiwan. The 22-year-old had been one of the great players of this generation, having won the World 9-Ball and 8-Ball titles when he was just 16 years old. But when he tried to make a move to Singapore, where the association there offered him a handsome living to be a coach and national player, he incurred the wrath of the Taiwan billiard honchos, who proceeded to have him banned. After three years away from competitive pool, Wu emerged under the banner of Taiwan's archrival China (see side story.) His very presence seemed to add a certain air of electricity to the proceedings.

From the start, it was clear that pool's level of competition is being raised with every international event. Relative unknowns like Alok Kumar of India, Jamaal Yousef of Venezuela, and Sascha Tege of Germany all pulled upsets and made it to the knockout round. However, favorites Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann crashed out before the party had even begun.

The surprises kept coming in the knockout stage and went right to an unlikely final four. Defending champion Mika Immonen and 2008 champion Darren Appleton went out in the rounds of 64 and 32, respectively, both at the hands of Japan's Tomoo Takano. Takano is one of a growing field of talented Japanese players who continue to impress on the world stage. Takano, though, ran out of gas against countryman Yukio Akagariyama in the next round. That victory propelled Akagariyama into a quarterfinal match against Great Britain's Chris Melling. There the 36-year-old from Osaka proved his mettle, storming back from 5-1 down to win a spot in the semifinals, 9-6.

Like See, Akagariyama seemed to be traveling under the radar. Thirteen Filipinos made it into the knockout stage of 64 players, and most fans expected the likes of Dennis Orcollo, two-time world champion Ronnie Alcano or Lee Vann Corteza to go all the way. Instead, the local boy of the tournament turned out to be 25-year-old Carlo Biado.

Followers of the scene in Manila weren't surprised; Biado had been making noise in some big-money matches in recent months. He also impressed in April's Philippine Open, where he fell in a hill-hill in the quarterfinal against eventual winner Thorsten Hohmann. In Manila, Biado was ready to showcase his considerable talents.

From the very beginning Biado looked unstoppable, mowing down opponents in breathtaking fashion. Striding purposefully around the table, he racked up games in no time and overwhelmed his opponents. On his march to the semifinals on Saturday, he took down three world champions in succession, throttling Ronnie Alcano, 9-1; Daryl Peach, 9-4; and Orcollo, 9-4.

"I've prepared hard for this tournament," Biado said. "When I made it to the quarterfinals of the Philippine Open, I figured that I needed to work hard on my game. ... I've also made it a point to keep myself in good condition by resting early, because you're going to need that good conditioning in the long stretch."

It was certainly a bold statement from Biado, as everyone had been looking to World 8-Ball champ Orcollo to carry the Philippine colors. Orcollo might have just sprinted to the final, if not for a gut-wrenching encounter with Wu. The two stars met in the round of 16 and Orcollo looked like the goods, grabbing a 7-0 lead on Wu in a race to 9. But Wu, despite having not been in pressure situations like this for three years, showed his massive heart as he battled back. The match turned into a classic slugfest, and went hill-hill, with Orcollo prevailing by a thread.

The drama, however, clearly took a heavy toll on Orcollo. Just minutes later, he faced the streaking Biado, who took down his rival, 9-4, to keep the Philippines' hopes alive and secure a spot in the semis.

On the opposite table, a crowd had gathered to cheer on Lee Vann Corteza as he battled Fu. The pair didn't disappoint. In a tense back and forth match, Corteza rallied from a 7-4 deficit to take an 8-7 advantage. Fu, though, fought back and won the last two racks, including a nervy break and run to close the match. Fu had booked his spot in the semi-finals, and his match with the red-hot Biado promised to be an entertaining battle.

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