By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Still on “cloud 9” after winning his historic 2nd World 9-Ball crown, Carlo Biado will again banner a strong Philippine contingent in the 2025 Florida Open Pool Championship at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on Aug. 5 to 10.
The draw has been recently confirmed in the 256-player tournament that offers a total prize fund of $200,000 (around P11.4 million) with the champion player taking home $40,000 (around P2.2 million).
Only last Sunday (PH time), Biado, known as The Black Tiger, pocketed a record $250,000 top prize in the Jeddah, Saudi Arabia event – the biggest paycheck by a Filipino billiards artist in recent memory.
Joining Biado in the nine-ball event are 11 other Filipinos that include World Pool Championship semifinalist Bernie Regalario and quarterfinalist Jefrey Roda, Johann Chua, teen sensation AJ Manas, Patrick Gonzales, Lee Vann Corteza, Roland Garcia, Mark Muir, Marvin Asis, Michael Baoanan an Harry Vergara.
Most Filipinos are meeting local players in the opening round with Biado facing Sam Henderson, Asis clashing with Landon Hollingsworth, Baoanan meeting Erick Poveda, Gonzales tangling with Elvin Rodriguez, Corteza battling with Charles Seeger, Chua meeting Rick Miller, Manas competing against Lance Schofield, and Garcia playing against Daniel Sanchez.
Regalario, for his part, opens his campaign against Singapore’s Toh Lian Han; Muir squares off with Indonesia’s Edward Koyongian; Vergara confronts Pakistan’s Shahram Changezi; and Roda takes on India’s Yash Ajmera.
Among the notable players competing in the tournament are world pool championship finalist Fedor Gorst, veterans Shane Van Boening, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, and Earl Strickland, to name a few.
Gorst was the very player beaten by Biado in a thriller of a finale, 15-13.
