REIGNING WORLD POOL CHAMPION Ronato “Volcano” Alcano, one of the country's brightest hopes in pro billiards, is eager to strut his stuff in Japan soil this month.
The 34-year-old lanky cue artists from Calamba City, Laguna, is set to compete in the 17th annual Kansai 9-ball Open, alongside Bugsy promotion stable mates uprising Carlo “Cool” Biado which is slated on January 20 to 21, 2007 at the Mag Suminoe Billiard hall in Osaka, Japan.
Dubbed as “Mag Suminoe Cup annual Kansai Open”, the winner in the race-to-nine finals will take home the whopping top purse of ¥1 million. (around US$8,400 or Php 420,000).
“Pinaghahandaan ko itong (I prepared for the) Kansai Open, kasama na dito ang paglalaro ko sa (and kept myself sharp by playing) money games,” said Alcano, the 2005 Manila South Asian Games triple gold winner, one of the six star-studded player who seeing in action recently in the P180,000 winner-take-all purse which won by his stable mates Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo, the acknowledge Philippine billiards money game king.
Other player compete in the money game play are Efren “Bata” Reyes (1999 WPC champ), Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan (2004 WPC champ), Francisco “Django” Bustamante (2002 WPC runner-up) and Lee Van Corteza (2006 annual All Japan Championship winner).
“ Sa Kansai Open ay lalaro din ang kapwa Bugsy stalwart ko na si Carlo (Biado). Sana pagdasal ‘nyo po kami ( My stablemate Carlo (Biado) also play in Kansai Open. Please pray fo us.” Alcano added, who make it to the quarters of 2006 Power-In Super Cup in Taipei, Taiwan last Dec. 24.
Host city will parade no less than top player Satoshi “Dynamite Lefty” Kawabata, fresh from winning the 8-ball pool gold medal recently in the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. He bested Filipino Antonio “Ga-Ga” Gabica, another Bugsy stalwart in the finals, with a come from behind 9-7 victory.
Aside from Kawabata, Masaki Tanaka also expected to give the good fight for the Japanese pool sharks. The 32-year-old Kyoto pride had an impressive showing in the past including winning the Kansai 9-ball Open, 8-ball Open and Chugoku Open.
