Three Filipinos were crowned within a span of 2 weeks in Las Vegas, USA. Lee Van Corteza defeated his countryman Carlo Biado 2-0 (4-2, 4-3) to pocket the $30,000 prize in the Las Vegas Men’s Open, held from 21st to 24th February, while Chezka Centeno won the Las Vegas Women’s Open by defeating Siiming Chen of China 2-0 (4-2, 4-2) to claim the top prize of $18,000.

Chezka Centeno also participated in the PBS Women’s Showdown, a 16-player 9-ball event, where she reached the Quarterfinals but lost to the eventual champion, Chieh-Yu “Rita” Chou.

Carlo Biado, being the sole representative of the Philippines in the World 10-Ball Championship, secured another world championship title by defeating Naoyuki Oi of Japan 3-1 (4-1, 3-4, 4-2, 4-1), earning $75,000 in addition to his runner-up finish in the Las Vegas Open, which awarded him $14,000.

This is Biado’s first 10 Ball Championship adding it to his US Open 9 Ball Championship and World 9 Ball Championship solidifying his stature as one of the best Filipino players of all time.

It’s been quite a remarkable start for our Filipino cue artists in 2024, with Biado winning the first WNT (World Nineball Tour) event of the year, the Universal Chinese Taipei Open, where the first all-Filipino finals showdown of the year occurred between him and Bernie Regalario.

Jeffrey Ignacio then triumphed in the Indonesia International Open against Hong Kong’s Robbie Capito (who has pure Filipino blood). Ignacio proceeded to win another all-Filipino showdown with Dennis Orcollo to capture the Mantra Open, becoming a back-to-back champion in Indonesia.

With the success of our Filipino players on the international scene, and instilling pride among our countrymen, we hope that both the government and private sectors will redirect their attention to this sport. Traditional media has ignored this sport as well, leaving it to fans like us to pick up the slack to make sure our players remain relevant and their accomplishments are not left unnoticed.

Billiards is a source of national pride and unity and there is ample room for the growth of the sport, and with the abundant talent we possess, we must capitalize on this opportunity to ensure the continuous production of world-class talents and future world champions.

Congratulations to Corteza, Biado and Centeno for making Filipinos proud! We celebrate your success as a nation.