Johann Chua bags Pattaya Open nine-ball title

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Mr. “Atin To” is back on top of the World Nineball Tour.

After a lackluster finish to his 2025 international tournament calendar, Filipino pool star Johann Chua bounced back in style with a dominant performance to win the Pattaya Open Pool Championship in Chonburi, Thailand, on March 6, 2026.

Chua looked invincible from start to finish, edging his kababayan and PHL team teammate James Aranas in the grand finals, 15-5.

Bad Koi was in the zone during the championship stage, jumping to a commanding 7-1 lead that set the tone.

From a flawless breaking game to his stunning defensive strategy, Chua didn’t give Aranas any room to breathe, as the latter struggled throughout the match to find any sort of opening.

Despite Aranas switching gears by playing more aggressively with the rail kicks, Chua had no difficulty adjusting his pace and remained calm in the crucial moments.

Leading 11-4, Chua staged a jaw-dropping table cleanup in the 16th set, cashing in the first six balls before converting a double-kiss combination play to strike the 7 and 9 balls at the same time.

After that sequence, Aranas showed only a slight sense of defeat as he waved both hands in the air while giving Chua a friendly smirk rarely seen in a championship match.

Aranas managed to win just a single rack in the next phase, conceding the Pattaya finals to one of his best friends, who proved to be the better pool player at that moment.

Before taking on Aranas, Chua kicked off his campaign with a lopsided 9-2 win over John Carlo Miraflor, followed by a close 9-6 contest against Michael Feliciano in the Round of 16.

In the quarterfinals, Chua handed Michael Baoanan a clinic, 11-2, before surviving a back-and-forth thriller against PHL living legend Dennis Orcollo, 13-11.

With the win, Chua took home the USD 22,500 grand prize (PHP 1,328,512.50), while Aranas received the runner-up purse of USD 12,500 (PHP 738,062.60).

Mabuhay ka, Johann Chua! Atin talaga to!