The final of the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship will be a Europe v Asia affair as 1996 Champion Ralf Souquet of Germany faces Filipino Ronnie ‘Calamba' Alcano at the PICC in Manila in a match that starts at 16.00 local time.
Both players had to battle through two matches today. Alcano dumped out tournament favourite Wu Chia-ching, the defending champion in the afternoon and then looked good disposing of surprise semi-finalist Li He-wen of China .
Souquet had a Taiwanese double as he beat firstly Liu Cheng-chuan 11-8 and then came through a thriller as he beat Fu Che-wei in a hill-hill affair.
“I've played Ronnie a few times and he's a great player – if you get to the final of the World Pool Championship you must be, said Souquet.
“I've seen him win many tournaments but I won't be thinking about my opponent. I'll just play my game and do my best.
“I've had a good year and that has built up my confidence but I didn't have the best start here. I was only sleeping three or four hours per night and then just waiting for breakfast! Finally the last couple of days I've got more sleep.
“I'll go into the final like any other match. I want to have fun and enjoy it and play good. The crowd will be against me but that's OK,” he added.
Alcano said: “I'm very happy to reach the final of this tournament, here in Manila . It was a very tough match as he is a very good player.
“I will try to capitalise on his break and I hope the match will go my way. I must get the first lag.
"There is big pressure for me but I want to show respect to my opponent and I hope the crowd respect Mr Souquet tomorrow.
"This is the biggest moment of my career and I'm hoping for a big victory."
