by Marlon Bernardino
Manila---WORLD 8-Ball 2004 runner-up Marlon "Marvelous Captain" Manalo of the Philippines stayed alive in the loser's bracket in the on-going money-rich Qatar World Cup 10 Ball Championship being held at Ezdan Palace Hotel in Doha, Qatar.
Manalo, the affable cue artist and former chairman of Barangay Malamig in Mandaluyong City defeated Martin Daigle of Canada in the loser's brackets Wednesday night.
" I hope I can sustain the momentum," said the Jose Rizal University AB Economics graduate Manalo, a multiple-time winner in the US Pool Circuit and runner-up to Efren "Bata" Reyes in the 2004 World 8-Ball Championship in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
Other Filipino players who survived in the loser's brackets of this World Cup 10 Ball Championship, double elimination format are Jeffrey De Luna and Rogelio Sotero.
De Luna toppled Andrรฉ Pelletier of Canada, 9-2, while Sotero walloped Ibrahim Al Qaed of Bahrain, 9-5.
Meanwhile, Four Filipino players entered the top 64 from the winners' side in this World Pool Association (WPA) sanctioned tournament which offers $450,000 total pot prize with the winner getting the lion's share of $100,000.
They are Sean Mark Malayan, Kyle Amoroto, Leonardo Hipolito, and Aivhan Maluto.
Malayan beat Bashar Hussain Abdulmajeed of Qatar, 9-3, Amoroto nipped Stephen Ellis of Great Britain, 9-6, Hipolito dealt Marco Teutscher of the Netherlands, 9-2, and Maluto smashed Tserenbat Dashdondog of Mongolia, 9-4.-Marlon Bernardino-
