Carlo Biado clinched his second World Nineball Tour ranking accolade, beating 19-year-old phenom Bernie Regalario 13-7 in an all-Filipino finale to win the Chinese Taipei Open at the Hulk Billiards Hall in Taipei City.

It was a breakthrough few days for the teenage sensation from the Philippines, although Regalario’s title hopes were scuppered by the evergreen Biado, who sealed the $10,000 top prize.

In a final between a world champion and someone destined to become a world champion, Regalario won the lag but a dry break allowed Biado to draw first blood, before the 2021 US Open champion doubled his lead with a break and run.

An exceptional safety shot from Regalario saw him screw the cue ball behind the seven ball and Biado was unable to escape, with the teenager potting a one-nine combination and then winning the fourth rack to restore parity at two apiece.

Breaking was becoming a problem for the youngster as a second dry break gave Biado an opportunity. A mistimed safety enabled Regalario to cut in the five ball nonetheless, only for him to miss a relatively routine bank shot on the six ball and allow Biado to regain his slender lead.

Regalario was displaying safety play beyond his years and that was creating him chances as he levelled up at 3-3, although he was still unable to take advantage of breaking first and another dry break gave Biado a kind layout as he took a 4-3 lead.

A missed four ball from Biado was soon capitalised on by Regalario to restore parity once more, but this time the 19-year-old was able to find the one ball to middle pocket from the break and produced his first break and run of the contest to lead for the first time at 5-4.

The pair were exchanging blow for blow, but Regalario soon opened up a two-rack cushion, which was short-lived nonetheless as Biado came through a safety battle before break and running for six apiece.

Regalario proceeded to produce the shot of the match, executing an incredible bank shot on the two ball when hooked behind the nine as he took a 7-6 lead, only for a misexecuted safety shot in the following rack allowing Biado to level up at seven each.

Biado reeled off six racks in succession from there onwards to prevail. Regalario still received opportunities but the safety battles and rolls went Biado’s way as he saw off a valiant challenge from the teenage talent.

Beforehand, world number 30 Biado defeated former US Open semi-finalist Chang Yu-Lung 11-9 in the semi-finals, having fended off a brief comeback to oust world number one Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in the last eight.

Regalario, meanwhile, came through a dramatic hill-hill affair against world number ten Aloysius Yapp in the last four, having battled back from 7-3 behind to beat two-time ranking event runner-up Michael Feliciano in the quarter-finals.

Defending champion Ko Ping-Chung was forced to withdraw midway through his title defence in the midst of a bout of food poisoning, while his older brother Ko Pin-Yi was thrashed 10-1 at the hands of Chang in the last 16.