Bustamante, ‘Bata’ brace for Ultimate 10-ball meet
Seven Filipino players led by legendary cue masters Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante are seeing action in the Ultimate 10-Ball Championships at the Harrah’s Resort in Tunica, Mississippi.
Joining Reyes and Bustamante in the four-day tournament sanctioned by the World
Pool-Billiard Association are fellow veteran campaigners Dennis Orcollo, Lee Van Corteza, Warren Kiamco, Carlo Biado and Alex Pagulayan.
All of them drew opening-round byes in the event, which offers a total prize fund of $139,000 including $23,550 to the champion and $14,250 to the runner-up.
Reyes will face Jeffrey Nieuwenhuijzen of Curacao, who also got a first-round bye while Bustamante takes on Fahad Alkhaldi of Kuwait, who likewise earned an opening-game bye.
Orcollo, on the other hand, battles Ivica Putnik of Croatia, who won via walk-over against American Joshua Ulrich while Corteza meets American Robert Hart, a 10-9 winner over compatriot Christopher Lawson.
For their parts, Kiamco tackles Michael DeLawder of US, Biado goes up against Robert Saez of US, and Pagulayan collide with Justin Hall of US. DeLawder beat
Badi Nazhat of US, 10-5; Saez defeated Jesse Engel of US, 10-5; and Hall outclassed Randy Whitehead of US in their respective first-round matches.