To beat a world champion, the margin for error should be so small.
Filipino bet Jeffrey Roda learned it the hard and painful way in his quarterfinal showdown with top ranked and reigning World 9-Ball Champion Fedor Gorst. The 25th seed Pinoy player made some costly mistakes and the American quickly took advantage and masterfully dominated the match, 11-4, Friday night (early Saturday morning in Manila) at the Green Halls in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Seeking back-to-back championships and looking to accomplish a similar feat once completed by fellow American Earl Strickland in 1990 and 1991, Gorst is just two wins away from joining the legendary player in the elite company.
Gorst jumpstarted to a 3-0 lead and only allowed Roda just a few times of visiting the table.
Roda’s first rack win happened when Gorst miscalculated a safety shot in the fourth rack, but the Filipino player missed a wide-open shot at the No.5, which went quite far left from the corner pocket and the world No.1 player to seize the momentum.
In the next rack, the American cleaned up the table quickly for a 5-1 lead, but Roda got another opportunity when Gorst scratched coming off the break while sinking the No.1 ball. Roda cleaned up the table, but bad luck struck the Pinoy cue artist in the next rack when he scratched coming off the break and Gorst returned the favor for a 6-2 lead.
Even after Gorst had another successful run at the table in the next rack, Roda got another chance in the 10th rack when the American had a dry break. Unfortunately, the unheralded player miscalculated a safety shot. That opened up things once more for Gorst, who came up with a nifty combo for 1 and 5. The next few plays would highlight why Gorst is the bets in the world as he kissed the No.1 at No.3 for a successful corner shot, then made a spectacular jump shot, one of the best facets of his game.
Photos from Carlo Biado’s Instagram/Matchroom Pool
Gorst opted for a safety shot in the next play, enough for Roda to get a slight opening and the Pinoy bet capitalized on the opportunity.
Still trailing 3-7, Roda had a dry break and the next three racks were won by the American.
On the penultimate rack, Gorst had a case of over confidence as he left the last ball hanging at the corner pocket, leaving Roda to sink it.
But bad luck continued for the Filipino in the next rack as after sinking the No.1 off the break, the cue ball was pushed at the corner by the speeding No.7 and Gorst wasted no time sinking the remaining balls.
Biado on target
No other player competing today has entered the semifinals of the World Pool 9-Ball Championship than Carlo Biado, the Philippines’ best bet to win another prestigious title.
The two-time world champion barged his way to his fourth semifinals appearance following a tough 11-7 win over crack competitor Ko Pin-Chung of Chinese Taipei.
Biado, champion of this tournament eight years ago and also the winner of the World Ten Ball Championship last year, has joined the elite list of Strickland and Germany’s legendary player Ralf Souquet as competitors who had reached the semifinal round of the World 9-Ball Championship four times.
“I had a very, very tough game because I was so tired,” said Biado. “I made a lot of mistakes early, but fortunately, I was able to get good breaks in the end as Ko had dry runs. I’m so motivated and I wanted to play in the semifinals.”
Another Flipino player, Bernie Regalario, is currently competing in the quarterfinal round as of press time and should he prevail over his last eight opponent, there would be at least a guaranteed Pinoy player competing in the finals of the World 9-Ball Pool Championship.
