By MARK REY MONTEJO
Carlo Biado kickstarted his 2026 season with a bang after outlasting Hong Kong-born Filipino Robbie Capito, 11-7, to reign supreme in the Asian Men’s 10-Ball Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia Saturday, Jan. 31.
Trailing 3-4 early in their race-to-11 title match, the 42-year-old Biado displayed veteran poise and turned his struggle into an edge, leveling the match at 5-5, before he took the next three racks to seize an 8-5 lead.
The four-time world champion, however, almost squandered his lead as his 24-year-old rival closed the gap, 7-8.
But Biado kept his composure and successfully weathered off Capito’s storm with razor-sharp precision to claim the crown as well as the champion’s purse of $12,000 (around P700,000).
“It was a great match [against Capito], and I like to thank my team right there [for supporting me],” said Biado.
Capito, for his part, took home $6,000 (P353,490) in the 64-man field that featured some of the continent’s best cue artists. He then managed to qualify in the next round after beating Indians Abhinav Dhiman (7-0), and Shivam Arora (7-3).
In the Last 32, the two-time Reyes Cup titlist turned back Qatar’s Bashar Abdulmajeed (9-5) before following it up with a 9-8 hill-hill triumph against Vietnam’s Dương Quốc Hoàng in the Round of 16.
From there, Biado rode the crest with a 9-4 quarters victory over his compatriot Raymund Faraon and a 9-7 semis win on his Reyes Cup teammate Singaporean Aloysius Yapp, 9-7.
Prior to his triumphant run on Thai soil, it was a rough start for Biado as he absorbed a 6-7 loss to Antonio Lining in the first round.
