Unheralded Filipino Jonas Magpantay delivered a seismic shock at the Qatar 10-Ball World Cup as the qualifier defeated Polish youngster Szymon Kural 13-8 to seal the $100,000 champion’s cheque in Doha.
Former Indonesia International Open semi-finalist Magpantay achieved his finest hour in the Qatari capital having not frequently competed internationally beforehand, landing undoubtedly the biggest title of his career as he unveiled himself as one of the top Filipino talents.
It was arduous route for Magpantay that almost collapsed before it had even got underway. Having been beaten in all four pre-tournament qualifiers, he fortunately received a spot as one of the leaders on the qualifying rankings.
Magpantay subsequently grasped that opportunity with both hands, overcoming the likes of Naoyuki Oi, Wojciech Szewczyk, Niels Feijen and Carlo Biado on his way to the semi-finals, where he stunned the in form Moritz Neuhausen.
The 31-year-old from Quezon City proved that his talents were the full package in the final, constructing 6-2 and 8-4 advantages and making minimal errors, keeping Kural at arm’s length throughout and eventually etching his name into the history books.
It was also a career-best week for Poland’s rising star Kural, who bettered his run to the semi-finals in Qatar two years ago, notably staging a remarkable comeback from 7-1 down to beat Japan’s Oi 11-9 in a semi-final thriller.
In addition, Kural defeated the likes of Jerico Bonus, Mohammed Azziza and Hamza Ali during his run to sealing the $40,000 runner-up’s prize, having also beaten Joshua Filler’s conquerer Fu Huan of Hong Kong in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Neuhausen overcame Jayson Shaw, Shane van Boening, Albin Ouschan and WPA number one Alex Kazakis during a staggering run to the semi-finals, despite ultimately being forced to settle for the bronze medal.
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and Eklent Kaci both endured hill-hill defeats at the hands of Tobias Bongers and Felix Vogel respectively, whereas Middle East star Ameer Ali suffered an 11-9 defeat to Yannick Pongers in the last 64.
Fedor Gorst failed to qualify for the single elimination phase following defeats to Wu Kun-Lin and Dutch youngster Pongers, while Jayson Shaw also missed the cut after losses to Neuhausen and Van Boening.
