I ended up using the soft break because I couldn’t get a ball down at the beginning of the match and that worked pretty good o­n that table.

“I played pretty good but I will need to play much better in my next match and improve a fair bit if I am to win this tournament. You need to get the rolls to win here and that is what I’m hoping for.

“I haven’t been sleeping well in Taipei because I’ve been thinking about this tournament but for the last few weeks I’ve been taking it seriously – I’ve not had a single beer, just water.”

With just two tables in operation, there was a large crowd gathered around Table 2 to watch Marcus Chamat make it through to his third quarter final in four years as he overcame Germany’s methodical Thorsten Schober 11 – 5.

The match lasted an incredible 2 hours 35 minutes but it was the 29 year-old from Borlange, Sweden who prevailed.

Assured Manalo Rolls o­n

The Marvellous Marlon Manalo show roared o­n at the World Trade Center in Taipei as he floored compatriot Efren Reyes 11 – 4 to record his third straight upset win at the Taiwan World Pool Championship and take his place in the quarter final draw where he will meet Marcus Chamat of Sweden.

Manalo, a 28 year-old from Mandaluyong City, played a near flawless game as he kept the Filipino No.1 in his chair for most of the match.

With wins over Yang, Bustamante and now Reyes, Manalo is starting to look like a genuine title contender and if he can maintain his smooth rhythm and unflappable manner it will take a good man to stop him.

Reyes limited visits were marred by some poor misses and as Manalo began to run away with the game a feeling came over the arena that the Magician was o­n his way out of the competition.

Facing a 7 – 2 deficit, Reyes played a poor push out, pocketing the 7 ball but allowing Manalo the chance to hook him behind the red 3. Efren could not play a good enough escape and Manalo cleared the table to go 8 – 2  ahead.

Manalo threw Reyes a lifeline in the 11th rack as he scratched o­n the break in the corner pocket and Reyes cleared to get to 10 – 3. He ran out the next to go 10 – 4 but scratched himself to give Manalo the golden opportunity to close out the match. With ball in hand he calmly executed the run out for another magnificent victory.

Despite his superb string of results, Manalo was clearly not happy about beating a national hero. “It was a bitter sweet win because Efren has been my role model. I had to win because he would have beaten me but I really wanted Efren to play well, he said.

Manalo who won all his group matches in Cardiff last year before going out in the last 32, is mainly a snooker player and operates a 12 table pool club in his home town.

“I’ve been practising seriously for about three months, maybe two to three hours a day but in 9-ball, it’s anybody’s game.

“Playing o­n the TV table has helped me concentrate but I just took each rack at a time. I’m looking forward to playing Chamat, I tried to play him for money in Manila but he didn’t want to.”

  Little Monster Upsets the Status Kuo!

Po Cheng Kuo, the ‘Little Monster’, withstood the customary intimidation of Earl Strickland to record a famous 11- 8 victory and book himself a spot in the quarter finals of the 2004 Taiwan World Pool Championship in Taipei.

Kuo, who is 26 years old but could pass for ten years younger, made his fair share of mistakes but battled o­n backed by a sell-out crowd at the World Trade Centre.

Throughout the match Strickland attempted to distract his opponent who did his best under the circumstances. Eventually referee Michaela Tabb issued an official warning citing the three-time champion from North Carolina for unsportsmanlike conduct and intimidation.

Strickland, who won $5,000 for his top 16 finish, could never really get into the game and some careless mistakes couple with bad luck were his downfall.

For Kuo, who faces either Chin-Ching Kang or Rodolfo Luat in the next round, it is a marvellous opportunity to make a name for himself not o­nly at home, but o­n the international stage.

“This was the biggest victory of my career, Kuo said at his post-match press conference.

“I knew Strickland would do that stuff but I tried to concentrate o­n my own game. I started really confidently but was surprised I got nervous as the game went o­n.

“We both missed balls but I knew when Pei-wei Chang won that I would as every time he is successful in a tournament then so am I!”   

  Imperious Chao Marches o­n

Fong-Pang Chao put o­n a master class of break and run pool as he reduced England’s Imran Majid to spectator status in a o­ne-sided last 16 match.

Chao’s win set-up a quarter final match-up with Alex Pagulayan in a game that many pundits believe will determine the destination of the 2004 Taiwan World Pool Championship.

Majid, who came into the game full of confidence, won the lag but scratched with his first break and lost the first rack before levelling things up in the second as the Taipei star missed a 3-ball up the rail.

The London-based cueman had a chance in the third but allowed Chao back to the table and from then o­n it was o­ne-way traffic.

In fact, Majid o­nly had two more visits, o­nce in the sixth rack where he was involved in a safety exchange and then in the tenth when he could make no impact.

Chao, who had a miserable couple of years in Cardiff after his 1999 success, culminating in a failure to get beyond the group stages last year, looks back to imperious best and Pagulayan will have to be at the top of his game to beat him.

After the game Chao was self-critical in victory: “I was a little upset with my break and I will need to solve that by tomorrow.

“I felt my stroke was good so I’m very happy with that and if I can play like I played today, I think I can get through Pagulayan.”

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news from the sport of billiards and pool.