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Sharks 9-Ball to reopen PH to more int'l billiards events

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="James Aranas during the recent World Cup of Pool. Photo from Matchroom Pool" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/07/19/james.jpg"/><figcaption>James Aranas during the recent World Cup of Pool. Photo from Matchroom Pool</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- The stage is set for the Sharks International 9-Ball Open which takes place from July 24 to 29 at the Sharks Arena along Tomas Morato in Quezon City.Organizers, led by Hadley Mariano, hope that the $100,000 tournament will reopen the doors for bigger events to be staged in the country.“This is our first international tournament after so many years,” said Mariano during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizam Memorial Sports Complex.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/03/23/aranas-chua-clinch-historic-world-cup-of-pool-title">Aranas, Chua clinch historic World Cup of Pool title</a></li></ul>“And this is not a one-time deal. Sana maipasok natin ulit ang mga international tournaments. We’re looking at the Presidential Cup. Nasa planning stage na,” he added.A total of 128 players, including 64 foreigners, will take part in the event that will use the Matchroom format of double-round elims leading to the 64-player knockout stage and the finals.The winner gets $30,000, runner up P15,000 all the way down to the top 32 of the event.Leading the Philippine charge are the best of the best, including the veterans led by Django Bustamante, Carlo Biado, Dennis Orcollo and newly-crowned World Cup of Pool champions Johann Chua and James Aranas.Chua, a SEA Games champion, and Aranas, who is hoping to make it to the national team, joined Mariano.Mariano said they expect the best Asian players to vie in the event with perhaps less than a dozen coming from Europe.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/01/23/watch-aranas-golden-break-tows-ph-to-world-cup-of-pool-qf">WATCH: Aranas&#x27; golden break tows Pinoys to World Cup of Pool QF</a></li></ul>Chua and Aranas, both 31 years old, are confident that Filipino players will end on top of the Sharks International.“Naniniwala naman ako na sa Pinoy mapupunta to,” said Chua.

The stage is set for the Sharks International 9-Ball Open which takes place from July 24 to 29 at the Sharks Arena along Tomas Morato in Quezon City.