Jonas Magpantay, the sport’s latest champion hailing from the Philippines, has emotionally dedicated his success to his late father after winning the Qatar 10-Ball World Cup in Doha in stunning fashion.
Quezon City’s Magpantay defeated the likes of Naoyuki Oi, Niels Feijen, Wojciech Szewczyk, Carlo Biado, Moritz Neuhausen and Szymon Kural on his way to the $100,000 title in the Middle East.
Having been beaten four times in the respective qualifying events and scraping into the main event on points, Magpantay inflicted stunning defeats on some of the sport’s biggest names during a title-winning campaign that appeared to be written in the stars.
The former Indonesia International Open semi-finalist’s finest hour not only unveiled him as one of the top Filipino talents, but his landmark triumph also fulfilled a promise to his late father that he would capture a major title.
“Dad, how are you? Where are you? Can you see me now? I’ve already done it, I’ve already achieved it! I know if you’re here, there’s no shedding your tears of joy,” his post-tournament Facebook status read.
“You’re the reason why I had this dream. You taught me how to play and how to play life. Despite all our hardships before, you still shaped me into a complete person. I hold your principles and dignity.
“Dad, in my whole career, even though we were poor, I never sold a game for money because that’s the first thing you stamped on my mind and god knows that. If you are with him now, he can tell you that because that’s what you told me before you disappeared.
“You said, ‘promise me that you will be a champion someday’, and here it is, I’ve fulfilled it. Thank you, very much. Head held high and with all my heart, I dedicate this title to you. This is for you.”
