PH tops Poland to rule WPA Teams World Championship

JEFREY Roda drained the clincher in the shootout as the Philippines topped Poland, 3-2 (sets), in the final to rule the WPA Teams World Championship at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Saturday afternoon in Manila.

Calm and collected, Roda drilled the 10-ball in the fifth go as he, Carlo Biado, Chezka Centeno, and Rubilen Amit (reserve) topped Poland’s Wojciech Szewczyk, Daniel Maciol, and Katarzyna Wesołowska, 4-3, in the shootout for the title.

Biado’s precise pocketing willed the Filipinos back from a 0-2 set deficit, and Roda completed the comeback bid in the 10-ball match with his clutch shot.

“When I was down in the fourth set, I’m just thinking about winning that set, because I thought the game wasn’t finished yet,” said Biado in the post-match interview.

“I’m thankful that we were able to pull it off, and I’m happy that we won it.”

Biado, the reigning two-time world 9-ball champ, actually had the chance to finish it in the fourth exchange, but his shot rattled.

Another miss from Poland, though, paved the way for Roda to win it for the Filipinos.

Exacting revenge against its round 1 tormentor, the Philippines reclaimed the title it last won in 2022.

After their round 1 loss, the Filipinos won six in a row for the title that has a prize money of $120,000 or P6.9 million for the champ.

The Polish bagged $60,000 or P3.4 million for their runner-up finish.

The Philippines denied Puerto Rico in the losers round 1 (3-1); the Netherlands in the losers round 2 (3-1); Taiwan in the losers qualification (3-0); Great Britain in the quarterfinals (3-1); USA-A team in the semifinals (3-1), before topping Poland in the championship round. — Niel Victor C. Masoy