Filipino teenager Albert Manas produced an exceptional clutch jump shot in a hill-hill thriller against Mickey Krause on his way to qualifying for the Last 64 of the Hanoi Open Championship in Vietnam.
Manas, who was crowned the Hanoi junior champion twelve months ago, showcased his prodigious talents in a gripping contest against the European Open champion to enter uncharted territory in Matchroom’s open championships.
Having capitalised on numerous errors from Krause to construct an early 5-1 advantage, notably break and running in the fourth rack, 17-year-old Manas surrendered that lead as the Dane claimed five successive racks to lead 6-5 himself.
Who prevailed was ultimately determined by a deciding rack, with Manas breaking and then pushing out to what appeared to be an awkward position. Krause declined the shot, and Manas nonchalantly executed a scintillating jump shot on the two ball before clearing the table to advance.
Despite enduring a narrow defeat in the deciding rack, Denmark’s Krause bounced back with a 9-5 victory over Vietnamese number two Nguyen Anh Tuan to qualify for the single elimination phase.
Manas was rewarded with a last 64 encounter with Marboys teammate Marvin Asis, with the winner potentially facing Carlo Biado, while Krause will face Shane van Boening in a mouth-watering contest.
