The 2007 World Pool Championship is now down to just sixteen players with two Filipino powerhouses facing off for the right to advance to the final eight.
Former world champion Alex Pagulayan had a relatively easy day on Thursday with a 10-2 win over Australia's Louis Condo. Francisco Bustamante had a
much tougher day as he sat and watched Nick Van Den Berg race to a 4-0 lead. Bustamante then took control and won nine straight games for a 9-4 lead before he missed a ball running out for the win. Van Den Berg then put the soft break back to work and ran back to 9-8. A rare dry break by Van Den Berg allowed Bustamante back to the table and he took full advantage of the opportunity.
America's chances to bring home a championship were cut in half when US Open Champion Shane Van Boening lost to Vilmos Foldes after holding an early 6-2 lead. Corey Deuel is now the only remaining US hopeful.
Other top seeds still alive in the event include Niels Feijen, Po Cheng Kuo, Satoshi Kawabata, Konstantin Stepanov, Mika Immonen and Filipino newcomer Juven Bustamante.
With his comeback win over Van Den Berg, Bustamante is now the favorite at www.stanjames.com. Bustamante is 4-1, with Alex Pagulayan next at 11-2. Roberto Gomez is 8-1.
Match results will be posted in real time all day at www.worldpoolchampionship.com
