Pinoy duo comes back from 0-5 deficit to punch World Cup pool quarters ticket

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

After US missed their bank shot to sink the seventh ball in the corner pocket, Filipino pool duo Jeff de Luna and Roberto Gomez began to smell blood.

Down 0-5, de Luna and Gomez managed to win seven straight sets to stun the US powerhouse duo of Billy Thorpe and Skyler Woodward, 7-5, to reach the quarterfinals of the 2021 World Cup of Pool.

Thorpe and Woodward looked to get comfortable in the table shared with the Filipinos as they set up their combinations perfectly to cruise to a dominating lead.

Woodward, one of the American rising stars in the world of pool, was locked in and drilled difficult angles to help them reach the 5-0 mark.

All the Filipinos needed was a decent table straight finish with a mix of luck that blended well in their pursuit to get out of a huge hole.

The Americans had the chance to clinch the sixth set but Thorpe had a costly error after failing to bank in the seventh ball in the corner pocket.

De Luna and Gomez began to get hot and steamed-roll the Americans to pull off an upset and qualify for the prestigious tournament’s quarterfinal round.