by Ben Hudd • July 30, 2023
Ko Ping-Ching conquered the inaugural Sharks International 9-Ball Open in the Philippines, scuppering the Michael Feliciano fairytale in a closely contested final to clinch the $30,000 champion’s cheque.
Little Ko produced a predatory performance at the Great White Arena in Quezon City to emerge as a 17-13 victor, landing his maiden World Nineball Tour ranking event and breaking into the world’s top ten in the process.
The Taiwanese star put together the perfect start, breaking and running the opening rack, only to soon find himself 5-2 behind following a number of safety exchanges that went the way of his opponent.
Ko battled back following a couple of misfired safety shots from Feliciano, levelling up at five each in good time, before break and running on a second occasion to earn a 6-5 lead.
Both players were now in stroke and the pair exchanged a brace of break and runs, before remaining in close proximity of one another until creating another deadlock at thirteen apiece.
The unheralded Feliciano had held his own against one of the world’s best players, but an illegal break and further safety mistakes allowed Ko to reel off four racks in succession and crown himself champion.
The former World Pool Championship semi-finalist produced seven break and runs from the fifteen racks he set into motion, and his relentlessness proved too much for the Filipino to handle.
Beforehand, Ko had ended the run of another local favourite in the semi-finals as he beat Patric Gonzales 11-7, having already swept aside Naoyuki Oi in the quarter-finals and James Aranas in the last 16.
Former world champions Fedor Gorst and Carlo Biado both endured last 16 exits at the hands of Japan’s Oi and Oliver Villafuerte respectively, while Ko Pin-Yi was beaten by Biado in the opening round of single elimination.
