Alcaide Holds Nerve In Hill-Hill Decider As Title Defence Hangs By A Thread
Defending champion David Alcaide survived a hill-hill thriller to keep his title defence alive on Day Two of the 2026 Roobet Philippines Open Pool Championship, on a day when Duong Quoc Hoang fell to the biggest upset of the tournament so far, and Justin Bergman stunned last year’s runner-up Arseni Sevastyanov. Team Rest of the World’s stars, meanwhile, carried their Reyes Cup form into the singles with emphatic wins.
Alcaide faced his toughest test yet against Filipino Paul John Ortega in the Last 64. Roared on by the home crowd, Ortega was first to reach the hill and had a golden chance to end the Spaniard’s defence, but he twitched the 8-ball with the match on the line. Alcaide made him pay, delivering a composed clearance under huge pressure to survive and fight another day.
Alcaide said: “It’s the same as last year. My first match I won 10–1, then my second I won 10–9. Same again this year. In that match, I just tried not to put too much pressure on myself and enjoy playing in front of the crowd.
“I was lucky to get the win. My opponent made a couple of bad mistakes, especially near the end when he missed the 8-ball. He’s a very good player, but when there’s pressure like that, anyone can miss a shot.
“Experience is a huge factor when it comes to dealing with pressure, especially in this venue. I take pride in my mentality, and I think that’s why I won the title last year.”
Another standout tie saw America’s Bergman take on Sevastyanov. Trailing 7–3, Bergman looked to be heading out, but he found another gear to win seven of the last eight racks, completing a 10–8 victory and booking his place in the Last 32.
Bergman said: “I feel amazing. I played like I had nothing to lose. He was playing great, and I was playing terribly, and I had no luck on my side at the start, but then it switched at 7–3, and I started getting lucky.
“I got my chance at the end, and that’s all that matters. I play better under pressure, but even that was tough out there. Arseni finished second last year, so if I can beat him, I can beat anyone in this tournament.”
Shane Van Boening made a flying start to his Philippines Open campaign, extending his successful run in Manila with a 10–2 win over Britain’s Chris Stripple as he hunts a second Major title of the year.
Van Boening said: “I had a good rhythm throughout the whole match, and I’m feeling good. The table conditions are playing well, and I love that there are a lot of fans here. I’m just trying to play my game.
“I feel like I’ve got good momentum from last week’s win at the Reyes Cup, so I just want to carry that on and win the Philippines Open. If I try my best like I did at the Florida Open, then I believe I can get it done, but it won’t be easy.”
Van Boening’s Reyes Cup teammates Francisco Sánchez Ruiz, Aleksa Pecelj, captain Ralf Souquet and Fedor Gorst also progressed. Former World No.1 Gorst was the most ruthless of all, whitewashing Vitaly Pavlukhin 10–0 to begin his campaign in Quezon City.
Gorst said: “It was a good match. The table played a bit weird, but hey, I got the job done. Vitaly is a friend of mine, and we played a lot when we were juniors, but I played well, and I look forward to the next challenge. I know I’ll need luck this week if I want to win, so I’m just going to enjoy it in front of the fans.”
The biggest upset of the day came at the expense of Duong Quoc Hoang. The Vietnamese star had looked in ominous form on Day One, whitewashing Aleksandar Atanasov 10–0 in just 52 minutes, but he was undone 10–7 by local player Tristan Decareza. It was a disappointing end to a difficult fortnight in the Philippines for one of Vietnam’s brightest stars, following a tough Reyes Cup campaign with Team Asia.
The battle for the Last 16 continues tomorrow at the iconic Gateway Mall, and with the pressure set to rise, more of the top stars could fall. Can Alcaide keep his composure after his toughest battle in Manila yet, or will a new champion lift the Golden Filipino Sun trophy?
The 2026 Roobet Philippines Open Pool Championship returns to the iconic Gateway Mall in Quezon City, Manila, from 20–24 October, live on One Sport in the Philippines and on WNT TV across the globe.
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