By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Defending champion Chezka Centeno and Rubilen Amit toppled their respective rivals to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 WPA Women’s 10-Ball World Championship in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Centeno turned back American Savannah Easton, 4-1, 2-4, 4-0, 4-1, while Amit outplayed Japanese Yuki Hiraguchi, 4-3, 0-4, 4-2, 4-0, to bolster their respective title bids in the $200,000 event.
The triumph arranged Centeno a duel with Chihiro Kawahara, who swept fellow Japanese Samia Konishi, 4-1, 4-1, 4-0, while Amit next faces Korean Seo Seoa, who edged American Sofia Mast, 4-0, 3-4, 4-0, 4-0.
Should Centeno and Amit both prevail in their next assignments, they will arrange a semifinal showdown which is a rematch of last year’s finals.
The two already clashed in the second round, with Amit emerging a 4-3, 2-4, 4-2 winner.
The defeat pulled Centeno down to the losers’ bracketed and needed to hurdle three opponents to get back on the knockout round.
Showing the brilliance that won for herself the title last year, Centeno did not disappoint. She smothered her rivals to make it to the knockout round capped by a 4-2, 4-1 win over German Pia Filler.
Amit, for her part, needed to beat Argentina’s Soledad Ayala, 4-0, 4-2, to join Centeno into the next stage after losing her match in the third round.
Both Centeno and Amit are bidding to win the event for a record third time, with the latter hoping to end a title drought after last winning it in 2013.
Last year’s semifinalists Margarita Fefilova and Liu Shasha of China also barged into the quarters, where they would meet Taiwanese players Chen Chia Hua and Chou Chieh-Yu, respectively.
