For the first time in history, four Filipinos made it to the semi-finals of a major World Nineball Tour tournament at the Philippines Open Championship.
The one-in-a-million feat felt twice as special, with the tournament held in the Philippines and watched by thousands of home fans at Gateway Mall.
Young prodigy Bernie Regalario led the way, becoming the first player to punch his ticket to the final four after defeating reigning US Open champion and Reyes Cup MVP Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in a 10-1 rout. Earlier in the day, he dethroned last year’s winner David Alcaide in a 10-2 blowout, double the pain for Spain.
This is his second major tournament semi-final appearance since the career-defining 2025 World Pool Championship.
Standing in L’il Prince’s way to his maiden major title is the formidable Johann Chua.
Returning to his first major tournament since last year’s Philippines Open, where he suffered a first round defeat, Chua reminded everyone why he’s a certified top-10 player in the world.
His rhythm and shot-making seemed to have improved a great deal after a year battling on the Chinese pool circuit.
‘Badkoi’ took out his best friend James Aranas and Mosconi Cup debutant Aleksa Pecelj before making light work of the legendary Carlo Biado in the quarter-finals.
Regalario versus Chua is a battle of two fearless competitors. These two best reflect the younger generations of Filipino cue sports, who will continue to carry the torch passed down by Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante and Carlo Biado.
On the other side of the bracket, Anton ‘The Dragon’ Raga got his biggest result since the 2023 European Open, where he finished as runner-up.
Raga wiped out Jefrey Roda in the last 16, then carried that red-hot form to defeat Jayson Shaw in the quarter-finals in a lopsided contest.
Going up against a determined Raga is the massive underdog of the tournament, Baseth Mocaibat, who has been playing the tournament of his life in Quezon City.
Southeast Asian pool fans would be familiar with Mocaibat’s talent on the table, and it is proper time he officially introduced himself to the international audience.
‘The Kingpin’ toppled four major champions en route to the semi-final, including Mickey Krause, Denis Grabe, Aloysius Yapp and Shane van Boening.
Mocaibat was down 7-1 against Van Boening in the quarterfinals but fought his heart out to engineer a magnificent hill-hill comeback.
Raga and Mocaibat are both extremely gritty players who can produce magic with the cue ball.
Whoever comes out on top after tomorrow’s semi-finals and finals action, the biggest winner will undoubtedly be Filipino pool.
They manage to keep the cup in the Philippines, where cue sports culture is loved, cherished and passed down from generation to generation.
This incredible achievement, represented by these four amazing cueists, will be talked about for years to come, a testament to why the Philippines is such a pool powerhouse.
