GERMANY’S Thorsten “The Hitman” Hohmann survived past Roberto “Superman” Gomez, 13-12, to capture the singles title of the MP Cup GenSan Tuna Festival International Open 10-Ball Tournament at the Pacman Sports Stadium in Tambler Village, General Santos City over the weekend.
World 9-Ball 2013 champion Hohmann barged into the finals, coming from the losers’ side of the $30,000-rich cuefest sponsored by Sarangani Cong. Manny Pacquiao and sanctioned by the World Pool Association (WPA).
Hohmann defeated Romeo Silvano, 11-8, while Zamboanga City’s Gomez edged compatriot Dennis Orcollo, 11-9, in the semi-finals.
Hohmann, as quoted by tournament manager Edgar M. Acaba’s on his Facebook, said: “It was a great experience to win in a tough field, in a very tough crowd.”
Indeed, Hohmann went through the long route after Lauro Bongay sent him to the losers’ bracket on Day 2 of the alternate-break format competition.
The German had to dispose of veteran internationalist Antonio “Nickoy” Lining, 9-6, after beating unheralded Patrick Legaspi (9-6), Jundel Mazon (9-6), Christian Gariando (9-5), John Morra (9-7) and Val Pajuay (9-7). Acaba, meanwhile, said the MP Cup GenSan Tuna Festival International Open 10-Ball Doubles Tournament will unfurl tomorrow, Wednesday, until Friday at SM City General Santos.
Acaba said awarding of prizes for the singles event will also be held at SM City Geneeral Santos after the doubles finals match.
The doubles event, which stakes a total cash prize of $100,000, will be top-billed by Cong. Pacquiao who will join forces with Marlon “Marvelous” Manalo of Mandaluyong City. The Pacquiao-Manalo pair expects a tight contest in a strong field that includes Filipino tandems of Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Orcollo-Carlo Biado, Alex Pagulayan-Gandy Valle, Jeff de Luna- Jeffrey Ignacio, Antonio Gabica-Israel Rota, Lining-Ramil Gallego, Roel Esquillo- Romeo Silvano and Johann Chua-Jayjay Millares.
Foreign pairs seeing action are Hohmann-Ralf Soquet of Germany, Americans Earl Strickland and Mike Dechaine, American Shane Van Boening and Great Britain’s Jayson Shaw, Darren Appleton and Karl Boyles of the United Kingdom, Finland’s Mikka Immonnen and American Rodney Morris, siblings Pin-Yi Ko and Pin-Chen Ko of Chinese-Taipei, Qatari tandem Mojid Bihali and Basser Hussain, Abdullah Al Youseff of Kuwait and Allan Quartero of the Philippines, Stuart Pettman of UK and Filipino Oliver Jay Villafuerte, and Saleh Muhammad of UAE and Filipino Oliver Mendenilla
