THREE players have already secured slots in the June 8-ball championship of the New Bamboo Bar at Saipan Vegas: Jerry Soriano, Ray Matsunaga and Jess Farinas.
Jerry Soriano notched his spot on Friday as he was simply unstoppable. He quickly disposed of Jesse Guerra before sending Nolan Cultura to the pit. Soriano then took down Rowel Mariano to face Rey Hermogenes in the finals.
Hermogenes fell early in the first round but he was not going down a second time without a fight. Slowly but surely, he cleared a path back into the finals by eliminating five players along the way.
Against Soriano, however, Hermogenes’s arsenal wasn’t enough.
Soriano used precision and smart placements to mow down Hermogenes and secure the first spot in the championship round which will be held at the end of the month.
Out of the pit
On Saturday, Ray Matsunaga joined the elite after fighting his way out of the pit.
Matsunaga had a good start, advancing to the first round by beating Jesse Guerra. However, in round 2, he was handed his first loss of the night by Santi Sablan and was sent down to the losers bracket.
But Matsunaga fought back and scored three wins to earn a rematch against Santi Sablan. This time it was Matsunaga who emerged victorious.
He then defeated Senen Pangilinan to reach the winners bracket where he faced the undefeated Lito Pangilinan.
Pangilinan, however, failed to keep up with Matsunaga who won both games and a ticket to the finals.
Third qualifier
The third player to qualify for the championship was Jess Farinas.
On Sunday, Farinas won his first three matches, but he encountered a road bump in round 4, losing to Jerry Soriano.
Farinas then made his way back to contention, and after eliminating Matsunaga he faced Soriano once again.
This time, Farinas set the pace of the game and delivered precision shots to take down Soriano twice, and earn a spot in the championship.
Jerry Soriano lines up his shot during the New Bamboo June 8- Ball Tournament on Friday at the New Bamboo Bar of Saipan Vegas.
