The Philippine contingent remains firmly in the hunt at the 2026 Formosa Cup International Pool Open, with six Filipino players advancing to the Last 16 after three days of action in Taipei, Taiwan.
Alexis Ferrer, Raymund Faraon, Oliver Villafuerte, James Aranas, Kyle Amoroto and Johann Chua are the remaining Filipino players in the tournament heading into the Last 16 on August 22.
The six emerged from an original group of 11 Filipinos who entered the main event, with several having earned their places through the tournament’s qualifying stages.
Strong Start for the Philippine Contingent
Seven Filipinos opened their main-event campaigns with victories in Winner Round 1.
Ferrer defeated Taiwan’s Wu Kun Lin, 9–2, while Amoroto and Faraon recorded identical 9–5 victories over Fu Che Wei and Leonhard Julian Patrick Serradilla, respectively.
Villafuerte continued his strong run after coming through the qualifiers with a convincing 9–3 victory over Hsieh Chia Chen.
Jeffrey Ignacio defeated Japan’s Keishin Kamihashi, 9–5, while Aranas beat Lin Shih Kai, 9–6. Chua completed the group of opening-round Filipino winners with a 9–7 victory over Chen Hsin Ting.
Meanwhile, John Vincent Vicedo, Paolo Gallito, Aivhan Maluto and John Albert Refulle were sent to the elimination side of the bracket following first-round defeats.
Ferrer, Faraon and Chua First Through to Last 32
Three Filipinos secured direct passage to the Last 32 through the winners’ side.
Ferrer defeated Indonesia’s Derin Asaku Sitorus, 9–7, to maintain his unbeaten run.
Faraon faced fellow Filipino Amoroto and came away with a 9–4 victory, while Chua produced an impressive 9–3 win over Kuwait’s Meshari Bouhaimed.
Villafuerte, Ignacio and Aranas suffered defeats in Winner Round 2 and joined Amoroto on the elimination side.
Gallito, Maluto and Refulle, meanwhile, kept their campaigns alive with victories in Loser Round 1.
Gallito defeated China’s Fu Lei, 9–4, Maluto beat Thailand’s Amnuayporn Chotipong, 9–3, and Refulle defeated Martin Forman of the Czech Republic by the same 9–3 scoreline.
Vicedo became the first Filipino eliminated after falling 9–6 to Wu Kun Lin.
Five More Filipinos Fight Their Way Into Last 32
The Philippine contingent then enjoyed a strong Loser Round 2, with five players winning their do-or-die matches to join Ferrer, Faraon and Chua in the Last 32.
Aranas survived a tough challenge from Taiwan’s Fu Che Wei, winning 9–7.
Gallito continued his recovery from an opening-round loss with a dominant 9–3 victory over Malaysia’s Jeremy Chai Jian Hao.
Villafuerte defeated fellow Filipino Maluto, 9–4, while Refulle produced another commanding performance with a 9–3 win over Japan’s Keita Kominato.
Amoroto also bounced back from his loss to Faraon, defeating Taiwan’s Lin Shih Kai, 9–3.
Ignacio’s campaign ended after a 9–6 defeat to former world champion Ko Ping Chung.
Those results gave the Philippines eight representatives in the Last 32.
Six Filipinos Survive the Last 32
The Last 32 saw another strong Philippine showing, with six of the eight remaining Filipinos advancing.
Ferrer was pushed all the way by Gallito in an all-Filipino battle before escaping with a narrow 9–8 victory.
Faraon continued his unbeaten run by defeating Vietnam’s Luong Duc Thien, 9–7.
Villafuerte produced one of the most convincing Filipino performances of the round, beating Kuwait’s Abdullah Alenezi, 9–3.
Aranas also booked his place in the Last 16 after defeating Taiwan’s Lir Ri Teng, 9–7.
Amoroto survived a hill-hill battle against Kuo Po Cheng, edging the Taiwanese player, 9–8.
Chua completed the Filipino qualifiers with a 9–5 victory over Japan’s Takeshi Hayashi.
Refulle’s campaign came to an end against Taiwanese star Ko Pin Yi, 9–6, while Gallito was eliminated following his narrow defeat to Ferrer.
Six Filipinos in the Last 16
The Philippines will now have six players among the final 16, with all matches scheduled for August 22 at 11:00 AM Philippine Time.
Last 16 Matchups
🇵🇭 Alexis Ferrer vs Cheng Shun Yang 🇹🇼
🇵🇭 Raymund Faraon vs Ko Pin Yi 🇹🇼
🇵🇭 Oliver Villafuerte vs James Aranas 🇵🇭
🇰🇼 Bader Alawadhi vs Kyle Amoroto 🇵🇭
🇵🇭 Johann Chua vs Hsieh Chia Chen 🇹🇼
One Philippine spot in the quarterfinals is already guaranteed, with Villafuerte and Aranas set to face each other in an all-Filipino Last 16 matchup.
Ferrer will attempt to continue his unbeaten run against Cheng Shun Yang, while Faraon faces one of the biggest tests of the round against Taiwanese star Ko Pin Yi.
Amoroto will take on Kuwait’s Bader Alawadhi, while Chua faces Hsieh Chia Chen for another place in the quarterfinals.
From 11 Filipino players in the main draw, six remain.
With a guaranteed Filipino quarterfinalist and five Last 16 matches featuring Philippine players, the country’s challenge for the 2026 Formosa Cup International Pool Open title remains very much alive in Taipei.