By Kristel Satumbaga
Chezka Centeno and Rubilen Amit bested their Indonesian rivals in contrasting fashion on Friday to book semifinal berths in women’s 9-ball billiards of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the Manila Hotel Tent.
Chezka Centeno won against Angeline Ticoalu of Indonesia in 9-ball pool women’s singles quarterfinal held at Tent City, Manila Hotel (Ali Vicoy)
Centeno, the 20-year-old defending champion from Zamboanga, hardly broke a sweat and blanked Angeline Ticoalu, 7-0, before Amit, the runner-up in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition, downed Fathrah Masum, 7-3.
The two local bets await the winners of the remaining quarterfinal matches being held at press time.
Centeno credited her luck in the game, saying that her opponent struggled throughout.
“Sinwerte lang na marami rin siyang sablay, tapos gamay ko rin ang laro niya kasi nakalaban ko na siya dati,” she said.
The 38-year-old Amit, on her part, learned the hard way when she didn’t trust her guts in the fourth rack that allowed Masum to catch up 3-1.
“Sobrang aggressive nung yung gusto kong gawin so nag-safety lang ako. Ayun, nagka-opportunity siya,” she said.
“So lesson learned na kapag sinabi ng instinct mo na ‘Go for it’, go for it. Don’t be afraid to take risks.”
Amit also said she was distracted with envisioning another all-Filipino final with Centeno like in the previous edition, but was able to regain her focus late in the game.
“Medyo lutang utak ko kasi iniisip ko na kaagad yon, so tina-try ko na focus muna kung anong game meron ako,” she said.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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