SPORTS-2018 World Chinese 8-Ball Masters: Biado bags World Chinese 8-Ball berth

World champion Carlo Biado got an automatic spot in the 2018 World Chinese 8-Ball Masters slated on January 7 to 12 at the Olympic Stadium in Qinhuangdao City, China.

Biado earned a slot after winning the 2017 World 9-Ball Championship held in Doha, Qatar in December.

He is the second Filipino in the main event of the world meet.

Former World 9-Ball Championship titlist Alex Pagulayan earned his berth during a qualifying tournament in Hyogo, Japan in November.

Besides Biado and Pagulayan, the other notable players in the list are Americans Shane Van Boening, Karl Boyes and Corey Deuel, Gareth Potts of Great Britain, World Junior Under 17 champion Sanjin Pehlivanovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Toh Lian Han and Aloysius Yapp of Singapore, and Junko Tsuchiya, Fukuda Takeshi, Matsumura Hiroshi and Hijikata Hayato of Japan.

Before the main event, there will be another qualifying tournament for foreign players beginning today (Thursday) until January 6 with eight more slots up for grabs.

In the 64-man main draw, only 40 berths will be given to foreign players while the 24 other seats are allotted to Chinese cue masters.

The Chinese players who have already secured berths are 2015 and 2016 World Masters Champion Yang Fan, last year’s World Masters runner-up Zhang Kunpeng, 2016 World Chinese 8-Ball champion Shi Hanqing, two-time World Cup of 9-Ball Pool champion Li Hewen, former professional snooker Liu Chuang, and unheralded Zheng Yubo.

The champion will bring home $151,000 while the runner-up takes $45,250 and the third-placer $15,100.

COURTESY:
The Manila Times
BY EMIL C. NOGUERA, TMT
ON JANUARY 3, 2018

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