Barbero.
MANILA---Filipino Alvin Barbero settled down to the business of winning as he toppled England's Isa Ishtiaq, 3-1, to reach the knockout stage of the 17,750 British pound sterling total pot event 2022 World Snooker Federation Open Championship at the state-of-the-art Ding Junhui Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England on Monday.
The 37-year-old Barbero, who suffered a sorry loss in his first matches, won the lag then took the first rack.
However, the young Ishtiaq, the 2019 MIUS Junior Cup champion, held at the SWSA South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester, England, won the second rack to level the count at 1 all.
But the affable snooker artist from Barangay Plainview, Mandaluyong City fought back winning two consecutive racks in his TV table matches against the hometown bet to advance to the knockout stage.
"Ang hirap ng laban buti na lang pumabor yung bola sa huli," said Barbero in a long distance interview of this writer, a bronze medalist in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore and a silver medalist in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila, both in the doubles competition.
Earlier, Barbero yielded to Tyleer Rees of Wales, 3-2, in the opening round last Sunday.
The lone Filipino snooker representative took full control of the match, leading by a comfortable 2-0 in the race to 3 affair. But Rees "rose from the dead" winning three straight games en route to a 3-2 victory in the alternate breaks format.
"Na Hardway ako ayaw niyang bumitaw. Ang galing," said the Isabela native Barbero, playing under the tutelage of the Billiard Sports Confederation of the Philippines (BSCP) headed by sportsman-businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat and the Philippine Sports Commision (PSC) led by it's chairman William "Butch" Ramirez.
Barbero won by default against his last group stage elimination opponent Lhabouze Guillaume of Belgium who failed to show up in the 300 player's field competition which offers 7,500 British pound sterling to the champion.-Marlon Bernardino-
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