Chezka Centeno is one victory away from another world crown after advancing to the final of the 2026 Banca del Fucino WPA Women’s World 10-Ball Championship in Rome, Italy.

The Filipina star produced a composed semifinal performance against reigning Women’s World 9-Ball champion Seo Seoa of South Korea, completing a straight-sets victory to secure her place in the championship match.

Centeno dominated the opening set, 4–0, before holding off Seo in two closely contested sets, 4–3 and 4–3, to complete the 3–0 sweep.

A Determined Run Through the One-Loss Side

Centeno’s path to the final was far from straightforward.

After dropping to the one-loss side during the double-elimination stage, “The Flash” faced a series of must-win matches to keep her title defense alive.

She swept Indonesia’s Silviana Lu before defeating Germany’s Pia Filler, 4–2 and 4–1, to qualify for the Last 16.

The tournament then shifted to the single-elimination stage, where Centeno defeated American rising star Savannah Easton in four sets, 4–1, 2–4, 4–0 and 4–1.

In the quarterfinals, Centeno overcame Japan’s Chihiro Kawahara in another four-set encounter. She won the first two sets, 4–3 and 4–1, dropped the third, 3–4, and responded with a dominant 4–0 closing set.

Her semifinal sweep of Seo has now placed her one match away from successfully defending her crown.

History Within Reach

Centeno enters the final as the reigning Women’s World 10-Ball champion, having captured the title in 2023 and again in 2025.

A victory in Rome would make her the first player to win the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship in consecutive editions. It would also give her a record third title, moving her ahead of fellow two-time champion Rubilen Amit.

Previous Women’s World 10-Ball Champions

The championship was not held between 2014 and 2021.

The historical stakes extend beyond Centeno’s 10-ball title defense. She arrived in Rome fresh from winning the 2026 Women’s World 8-Ball Championship, giving her an opportunity to capture back-to-back world titles across two different disciplines.

Centeno Faces Fefilova for the Crown

Standing between Centeno and history is Margarita Fefilova of Belarus.

Fefilova earned her place in the final after progressing through a demanding knockout bracket that included former world champion Jasmin Ouschan, Chia Hua Chen and Chieh-Yu Chou.

The championship match will be played under a best-of-five-sets format, with each set contested as a race to four racks. The winner will receive $55,000, while the runner-up will take home $33,000 from the tournament’s $200,000 prize fund.

One more victory would give Centeno another world championship—and a historic place at the top of Women’s World 10-Ball. 🇵🇭🎱🏆