By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Chezka Centeno forced a hill-hill with a sequence of brilliance but luck dramatically swung to other side at the most crucial point and succumbed to Austrian Jasmin Ouschan, 9-8, in the finals of the 2025 Oneida WPA Women’s 8-Ball World Championship in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sunday, July 6.
Trailing 6-8, the 26-year-old Centeno came roaring back in the 15th frame before completung a run-out in the next which she highlighted with a series of spectacular shots to knot the count at-8-all in the contest that uses an alternate breaking rule.
Given another chance, Ouschan seized the moment and spoil Centeno’s comeback with a run-out of her own.
The 39-year-old multi-titled Austrian capped her own show by sinking the 8-ball to the middle side pocket.
Despite her narrow loss, Centeno, who won the 2023 world 10-ball crown, was gracious in defeat, congratulating her veteran rival on a social media post.
“Wow, what an amazing week here in Oneida!” she wrote.
“Huge congratulations to Jasmin Ouschan on a well-deserved win — it was such an incredible hill-hill Finals match… I’m proud of myself for pushing through those tough last matches, really happy with how I performed in my first 8-ball tournament,” Centeno added.
She also showed her gratitude for the support she got from fans, organizers and sponsors.
“I’m also truly grateful for all the support and positivity coming my way. Maraming salamat po sa mga dasal, at sana po hindi kayo magsawang sumuporta!” said Centeno.
A few hours before her finals defeat, Centeno edged Margarita Fefilova in the semifinals, 8-6.
She advanced to the Round of 16 knockout stage with dominating victories in group play over Joann Mason Parker (7-1), April Larson (7-3), and Slovenia’s Ana Gradisnik (7-0), then resumed her campaign with an 8-4 triumph over Japan’s Chihiro Kawahara in the quarterfinals and a tough 8-7 win over Chinese Taipei’s Wei Tzu-Chien, 8-7 in the semifinals.
