July 16, 2011: WPAWorld No. 1 Dennis Orcollo continued his scintillating performance in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool 10Ball Challenge in Jakarta today, eliminating defending champion Jundel Mazon in a lopsided 8 – 3 victory for a place in the semi-finals tomorrow.

Orcollo had the toughest route to the semi-final after hard-fought wins over 2009 WPA World Ten Ball Champion Mika Immonen, 8 – 5, at the round of 32 and WPA World No. 2 Yukio Akagariyama of Japan, 8 – 6 in the sweet 16, there seemed to be no stopping the Filipino’s onslaught. 

In fact, Mazon who had yet to be tested having faced Indonesian opponents from the round of 64 to the quarterfinals, appeared nervous prior to the match.

But the defending champion leveraged on the massive crowd support and made an inspired start to lead 2 – 1 against his formidable opponent. Unfortunately it all went downhill for Mazon from there. Not even his renowned power-breaks worked for him, breaking dry and getting unlucky positional rolls of the break.

In the 5th frame, with the score tied at two racks each, a magnificent safety on the 2ball from Orcollo led to a missed a 2ball jump towards the corner pocket from Mazon. This led to an easy run-out by Orcollo to surge ahead 3 – 2 - a lead which he did not relinquish.

Eager to finish the contest quickly, a methodical Orcollo allowed Mazon to score just once more in the 10th rack before orchestrating another break and run-out to finally end Mazon’s fairy tale attempt to defend his title.

With the win, the Pinoy top-seed earned for himself a semifinals clash with long time pool rival Taiwan represented by young gun Ko Pin-Yi, who himself had a stellar quarter-final match, toppling Filipino new-comer John Salazar in an electrifying come-from-behind hill-hill conquest 8 – 7. 

Salazar was on the cusp of victory at 7 – 4 against the Taiwanese, but his inexperience showed as he failed to close out the contest. Ko, a veteran of numerous world tournaments, maintained his poise and kept chipping away to put pressure on his rival. The Filipino could only rue at a lost opportunity to advance after self-destructing with only a game to win.

Indonesian fans celebrated as hometown hero and 2010 Guinness World Series of Pool runner-up Irsal Nasution held his nerves with a strong challenge over 2010 WPA World Nine-Ball Championship runner-up Kuo Po-Cheng of Taiwan with a score of 8 – 5.  With national pride at stake, the lone Indonesian will seek to continue his memorable run in his semi-final match against 2007 US Open 9-Ball Champion Shane Van Boening, who booked his place after an 8 – 6 victory over Canada’s Adam Smith.

The semi-finals and final of the 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball Challenge will be broadcast LIVE on STAR Sports tomorrow from 11.00-16.00 HKT (TV schedules subject to change without prior notice).

The 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball Challenge is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU) and organized by ESPN STAR Sports' Event Management Group (EMG). Guinness is the title sponsor for the Event. The local sanctioning body is the All Indonesian Billiards Association (POBSI). Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Murray provides the official pool table while Predator is the official cue. Team Sports Marketing Sdn Bhd is the official apparel sponsor.  STAR Sports is the official broadcaster.

Please visit www.guinnessworldpool.com and www.facebook.com/guinnessindonesia for more information

15 July 2011: The double elimination round of the 2011 Guinness World Series Of Pool 10-Ball Challenge proved to be an eye-opener for the favourites seeking an easy run to the title with 2003 WPA Nine-Ball Champion Thorsten Hohmann (GER) and 2009 WPA Ten-Ball Champion Mika Immonen (FIN) both pushed to the limit after losing their winner’s bracket matches early in the day before finally notching wins in the loser’s bracket to earn slots in the round of 32.

On the other hand, it was a grim end for former double world champion Ronato Alcano (PHI) and 2008 WPA Eight-Ball Champion Ralf Souquet as they failed to secure must-win victories to bow out of competition.

Alcano lost to Indonesia’s Candra, who seemed to be the toast of the town after dispatching the former double world champion in a 6 – 5 thriller. Souquet also came away empty handed in a similar hill-hill encounter with Indonesia’s Ari Hartanto. The dual wins coming from the locals over their foreign counterparts was a sure sign that the Indonesian pool scene has been steadily making headway over the years and now, more and more contenders from Indonesia pose as legitimate threats to international competition.       

After lucking out in his match against Taiwan’s Chang Jung-Lin 3 – 6, Finland’s Immonen faced Indonesia’s Riyan Setiawan on the loser’s bracket who was also sporting a similar win-loss card. With a little-known opponent in front of him, the Finn was expected to close out the contest without fuss. However, with the massive partisan crowd in favor of the local bet, it was actually Setiawan who drew first blood. Capitalizing on an unforced error by Immonen on the 1ball corner pocket attempt in the first rack, Setiawan raced to an early 2 – 0 lead.

A missed jump ball attempt on the 9ball by Setiawan in the third rack though allowed Immonen to bounce back with three consecutive table routs of his own to overtake the Indonesian and get the advantage 3 – 2.

In the sixth frame, Setiawan replied with a brilliant 1 – 9 carom sending the striped 9 to the corner pocket which opened up the table for a routine cleanup and knot the score at 3 racks a-piece.

A drybreak from Immonen in the next saw the Indonesian pull ahead of the race 4 – 3 with a 7 – 10 corner pocket combo as an exclamation point.  Living up to his moniker, the ‘Iceman’ somehow remained unfazed, cleaning up a 2ball corner pocket miss from his rival in the 8th and then capitalizing on an orange 5 bank shot blunder  in the 9th to arrive first on the hill 5 – 4.  

 With the crowd urging him on, Setiawan tried his best not to disappoint. But a final error on a long 8ball attempt after a heated safety battle sealed his fate and had Immonen come away with the 6 – 4 win.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann, after succumbing to Filipino rising star Carlo Biado, 6 – 5 in the winner’s bracket clearly, did not want to go home yet as he was able to get out of his slump with a commanding win over local bet Ari Karaya 6 – 0 for a seat in the knockout stage.

Current WPA World no. 1 Dennis Orcollo and his countrymen, defending tournament champion Jundel Mazon, Jech Limen and Roberto Gomez, Raj Hundal of Great Britain, Americans Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening and Taiwanese sensations Ko Pin-Yi and Kuo Po-Cheng continued their unbeaten romp through the double elimination rounds to storm through to the knockout stages of the prestigious tournament organized by ESPN STAR Sports. 

Orcollo, who faced Canadian Adam Smith, started strongly in his winner’s bracket, wasting no time and claiming the first rack with a break and run-out. That did not deter the wily Canadian though, as he was able to keep pace with the reigning world 8-Ball champion in the early goings and before long, had the score knotted up at two racks a-piece.

That changed quickly in the 6th frame with Orcollo leading 3 – 2. Smith’s loosely tucked-in shirt proved disastrous as it grazed the 8-Ball while he was cueing up for the pink 4. The resulting foul was all that Orcollo needed to seal the deal, capitalizing on the careless mistake to clean up the table. From there, the Pinoy cue-master never looked back as he was able to score three unanswered racks in the race-to-6 contest to claim the  6 – 2 win and secure his well-deserved slot in the round of 32.

After the match Orcollo said: “In this race-to-6 stage, it’s important that you start the match well. Any mistake can easily lead to a loss because it’s such a short game and the players are so talented. So far, I’m pleased with how I am playing, and I look forward to bringing this momentum to the next round, and hopefully all the way to the championship.”

Below are the players through to the next round:

(From winner’s bracket)

Dennis Orcollo (PHI) def. Adam Smith (CAN) 6 – 2

Yukio Akagariyama (JPN) def. Ari Hartanto (INA) 6 – 3

Jundel Mazon (PHI) def. Rico Herman (INA) 6 – 0

Ibrahim Bin Amir (MAS) def. Sahroni (INA) 6 – 3

Carlo Biado (PHI) def. Thorsten Hohmann (GER) 6 – 5

Rudy Susanto (INA) def. Lum Wai Keong (SIN) 6 - 4    

Ko Pin-Yi (TPE) def. Irsal Nasution (INA) 6 – 2  

Herwinto (INA) def. Rudy Alfian (INA) 6 – 2

Raj Hundal (GBR) def. Hendra Lesmana (INA) 6 – 0

Kuo Po-Cheng (TPE) def. Yudharman Kamarudin (INA) 6 – 1

Johnny Archer (USA) def. Stevei Moore (USA) 6 – 5

Jech Limen (PHI) def. Candra (INA) 6 – 1

Chang Jung-Lin (TPE) def. Mika Immonen (FIN) 6 – 3

Roberto Gomez (PHI) def. Goh Chin Teck (SIN) 6 – 0

Shane Van Boening (USA) def. Siaw Wieto (INA) 6 – 2

Muhamad Junarto (INA) def. Harry Sitanggang (INA) 6 – 1

(From loser’s bracket)

Thorsten Hohmann (FIN) def. Ari Karaya (INA) 6 – 0

Heru Gunawan (INA) def. Lum Wai Keong (SIN) 6 – 0

Irsal Nasution (INA) def. Johan Purwanto (INA) 6 – 2

Stanza Purba (INA) def. Rudy Alfian (INA) 6 – 1

Adam Smith (CAN) def. Imran Ibrahim (INA) 6 – 5

Ari Hartanto (INA) def. Ralf Souquet (GER) 6 – 5

Warren Kiamco (PHI) def. Rico Herman (INA) 6 – 3

Sahroni (INA) def. Tony Chandra (INA) 6 – 5

Mika immonen (FIN) def. Riyan Setiawan (INA) 6 – 4

Goh Chin Teck (SIN) def. Irwan Supriyatna (INA) 6 – 2

M Bewi Simanjuntak (INA) def. Siaw Wieto (INA) 6 – 3

Muhammad Zulfikri (INA) def. Harry Sitanggang (INA) 6 – 5

John Salazar (PHI) def. Hendra Lesmana (INA) 6 – 1

Yudharman Kamarudin (INA) def. Ricky Zerna (PHI) 6 – 4

Alun (INA) def. Stevie Moore (USA) 6 -2

Candra (INA) def. Ronato Alcano (PHI) 6 – 5

Telecast of the 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball challenge will be carried LIVE on STAR Sports, with fifteen hours of exhilarating competition from July 15 - 17, 2011. Broadcast times are as follows:

Sat, July 16, 2011                   from 12.00-18.00 (HKT)                        Quarterfinals

Sun, July 17, 2011                  from 11.00-16.00 (HKT)                        Semifinals & Finals

TV Schedules subject to change without prior notice. 

14 July 2011 (Jakarta): Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines reinforced his World no. 1 ranking by starting the day displaying impeccable pool skills to earn a lopsided win over Indonesia’s Sumaryadi, 6 – 0 to jump start his bid for the 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool 10-Ball Championship. Not to be outdone, a slew of global pool icons followed suit with WPA World 9-Ball Champion Yukio Akagariyama (JPN), 2009 WPA World Ten-Ball Champion Mika Immonen (FIN), 2003 WPA World Nine-Ball Champion Thorsten Hohmann (GER) and 1997 WPA World Nine-Ball Champion Johnny Archer (USA) all trumping their respective opponents to join the Filipino in the winner’s circle here at the Mall Taman Anggrek, Jakarta.

Seemingly relaxed and well prepared, Orcollo wasted no time in his match against Sumaryadi. Running out the table whenever he broke and pouncing on countless careless mistakes by the Indonesian, it almost seemed the match was over even before it began. In fact, by the 5th rack, confidence broken and still seemingly unable to find his stroke, Sumaryadi unintentionally conceded by arriving a few minutes late after the mandatory 5th rack timeout which gave away the final rack to the Filipino.

It was a different story though for former World Eight-Ball Champ Ralf Souquet who was under pressure early after losing the opener versus Indonesian Rudy Susanto 4 – 6 before rallying back in the loser’s bracket and earn a victory pitted against another local bet Muhammad Rahmansyah 6 – 1 to keep his campaign alive. Having a similar win-loss record for the day was former double world champion Ronato ‘The Volcano’ Alcano who surprisingly succumbed to Indonesian Muhamad Junarto 2 – 6 and then bagging a win taking on one more local Roy Samosir, 6 – 3.  As it is still in the double elimination round, one more win from the German and Filipino should ensure them slots in the knockout stages.

Not surprisingly, the Taiwanese also had a strong showing today. Silent and efficient, all three proud representatives were able to hurdle their opponents with relative ease. 2007 Guinness 9-Ball Grand Finals Champion Chang Jung-Lin disposed of Indonesian Budi Sumarno, 6 – 1 while Ko Pin-Yi won the battle of nerves against Filipino veteran Warren Kiamco 6 – 5. Completing the hot Taiwanese streak was 2010 WPA Nine-Ball Championship runner up Kuo Po-Cheng who was able to breeze past local bet Irwan Supriyatna, 6 – 1.  

Defending champion Jundel Mazon overcame a slow start to defeat his Indonesian rival Roy Apanco 6 – 4. Down in the opening stages by 1 – 3 and with momentum on the Indonesian’s side, Mazon seemed to be in trouble. But once again, luck proved to be a huge factor in the game of pool as a dry break from Apanco in the 7th frame with the score 2 – 4  gave the soft-spoken Pinoy the only window of opportunity he needed to notch four unanswered racks for a thrilling come from behind victory. 

Below are highlights from Day 1 action:

Yukio Akagariyama (JPN) def. Lamhot Sinaga (INA) 6 – 1

Mika Immonen (FIN) def. John Salazar (PHI) 6 – 1

Thorsten Hohmann (GER) def. Imran Ibrahim (INA) 6 – 3

Johnny Archer (USA) def. M Bewi Simanjuntak (INA) 6 – 5

Stevie Moore (USA) def. Ari Cahyadi (INA) 6 – 3

Raj Hundal (GBR) def. Riyan Setiawan (INA) 6 – 5

Shane Van Boening (USA) def. Jocksim Patty (INA) 6 – 3

Telecast of the 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball challenge will be carried LIVE on STAR Sports, with fifteen hours of exhilarating competition from July 15 - 17, 2011. Broadcast times are as follows:

Fri, July 15, 2011                     from 18.00-22.30 (HKT)                         Preliminaries

Sat, July 16, 2011                    from 12.00-18.00 (HKT)                         Quarterfinals

Sun, July 17, 2011                   from 11.00-16.00 (HKT)                         Semifinals & Finals

 (TV Schedules subject to change without prior notice)

The 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool – 10Ball Challenge is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU) and organized by ESPN STAR Sports' Event Management Group (EMG). Guinness is the title sponsor for the Event. The local sanctioning body is the All Indonesian Billiards Association (POBSI). Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Murray provides the official pool table while Predator is the official cue. Team Sports Marketing Sdn Bhd is the official apparel sponsor.  STAR Sports is the official broadcaster.

 Please visit www.guinnessworldpool.com and www.facebook/guinnessindonesia for more information