By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Bacolodnon Johann Chua clinched the crown in the 9-Ball 99 David Loman Cup after a 13-5 victory against fellow Filipino Jeffrey Ignacio in the championship match in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Chua, who finished runner-up in the 9-Ball Peri Tribute Cup last week, set the tone in the championship game with his powerful break and tough hits to establish a 7-2 lead.

Ignacio attempted to turn things around, but Chua responded with some timely conversions to secure the championship.

“Congrats rin sa aking matalik na kaibigan Jeffrey Ignacio,” Chua said in a social media post.

“Maraming salamat sa walang sawang pagsuporta niyo sa ‘min palagi. Laban lang tayo nang laban,” the 2023 World Cup of Pool champion added.

Aside from the tournament trophy, Chua also received a winner’s purse of $3,200 (roughly P182,000), while Ignacio pocketed $1,200.

Chua actually started on the wrong foot in the competition as he bowed to Bryant Saguiped, 11-5, before securing consecutive wins against Vietnamese bets Khai Tony (11-9), Le Anh Dang (11-5), Chi Hieu (11-4), and Filipino Anton Raga (11-8) to advance to the second stage.

Chua continued his run with victories over Trinh Van Binh (11-4), Dung Han (11-5), Luong Van Tuan (11-5), and Dang Thanh Kien (11-7) to book his final ticket.

Aside from Chua and Ignacio, other Filipino bets in the competition are Carlo Biado, AJ Manas and Michael Feliciano./ASC, WDJ