Lu Hui-Chan of Chinese-Taipei (Qualifying 1)
Kenichi Ichigaki of Japan (Qualifying 2)
Ko Pin-yi of Chinese-Taipei (Qualifying 3)
Wu Yu-lun of Chinese-Taipei (Qualifying 4)
Alwi of Indonesia (Qualifying 5)
Leonardo Andam of the Philippines (Qualifying 6)
Roberto Gomez of the Philippines (Qualifying 7)
Chang Yau-Mau of Taiwan (Qualifying 8)
Roberto Gomez became the second Filipino in two days to qualify in World Pool Championship after beating Lee Kun-fang of Taiwan, 9-5, and topping the Qualifier 7 Tuesday at the Star Paper Billiards Hall in Quezon City.
The robust cue artist from Zamboanga City was the first to advance from the qualifying rounds last year, but late-round collapses doomed his chances in the first three days of competition.
Dubbed "Superman" for his well-built figure, the 29-year-old Gomez, member of the star-studded Bugsy Promotion will be making his second straight appearance in the 128-man main event. He joins Group 16 and will meet the top seed, Niels Feijen of Holland on Nov. 6 in the event will be aired on ESPN Star Sports and ABS-CBN 2.
In the third qualifier, Gomez missed a potential game-tying shot on the 9-ball to lose against 2006 Sydney World Pool Junior runner-up Ko Pin-yi of Taiwan, 5-7. Leonardo "Dodong" Andam broke the ice for the Filipinos Monday by sweeping the Qualifier 6. He capped his run with a 9-4 win over compatriot Jharome Peña.
Gomez wrecked havoc in the preliminary round of the main draw last year, sweeping his group that included former US Open champion Corey Deuel. But he ran out of steam in the knockout round, losing by a mile to eventual champion Ronnie Alcano in the first round. "Mas maganda ang focus at kumpiyansa ko ngayon," said Gomez, one of the rising players from Bugsy Promotion. "Mahaba ang laban sa WPC kaya mahalaga ang consistency. Focus ang key ingredient sa consistency."
Later in the day, Chang Yau-Mau of Taiwan downed compatriot Chu Hung-ning, 9-6, to become the fourth Taiwanese qualifier and eighth overall. Chang has the fortune of drawing newly-crowned US Open champion Shane Van Boening, seeded first in Group 13, also on Nov. 6. Van Boening, who vanquished Alcano for the US Open championship, is scheduled to arrive tonight.
The country already had a 15 Filipino pool sharks in the main draw of WPC on November 3 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Gomez and Andam will join Efren "Bata" Reyes, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Alex Pagulayan, Ronato Alcano, Lee Vann Corteza, Dennis Orcollo, Marlon Manalo, Antonio Lining, Ramil Gallego, Rodolfo Luat, Joven Bustamante, Jeffrey de Luna and Antonio Gabica.