Unheralded Haya is last Pinoy in World 9 Ball Championship Final Four
His technique is not anything you'd see in an instruction manual. The stroke is a bit jabby, the elbow isn't aligned with his eyes nor his shoulder, and there is plenty of movement when he shoots.
But Elmer Haya's unorthodox style has carried him to within two matches of a world title here in Doha, Qatar.
The 37-year old from Molave, Zamboanga del Sur (but who also lived in Butuan City), knocked out fellow Filipino Johann Chua in the quarters 11-7 to set a semifinal date on Friday with Niels Feijen of the Netherlands at the 2014 World Pool-Billiard World 9 Ball Championship.
Leading 8-6, Haya flubbed a long one ball to allow Chua to pull to within one rack with a 3-9 combination. Haya won the next rack for 9-7 but stumbled again in rack seventeen with a missed two ball.
Chua then nailed a sensational jump on the two only to be blocked on the three. His attempt at a counter-safe failed and Haya ran out for the hill. In the next rack Chua once again jawed an extremely thin cut on the five, a gift that Haya accepted by running out for the victory.
ALSO READ: World Cup: Adidas fully support Suarez's ban for biting.
Haya, now living in nearby Abu Dhabi, could have faced another Pinoy, Carlo Biado, in the semifinals but Feijen, a former World Straight Pool (14.1 Continuous) champion, topped the La Union-born shooter 11-7. Biado's shotmaking was not enough to outsteady Feijen, a former Mosconi Cupper nicknamed “The Terminator.”
Down 8-2 Biado rallied with three racks in a row to pull to within 8-5, but in the end he fell short.
Biado was a losing semifinalist in last year's event, which was won by Germany's Thorsten Hohmann.
The Philippines began the day with six players still in the hunt in the last 32. Favorites Dennis Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Warren Kiamco were all beaten in the round of 64.
Haya, Biado, Chua, Raymond Faraon, and Antonio Gabica, last year's runner-up, all won their assignments in the second knockout round, but Ramil Gallego fell to Dutchman Nick Van Den Berg 11-8.
Faraon succumbed to Haya in the last 16 11-8, while Chua disposed of local bet Waleed Majed. Majed's buttery smooth stroke had previously spelled doom for Corteza and 2012 champ Darren Appleton, but Chua exploited the Qatari's naivete in the safety game to win 11-8 in the round of 16.
In that round Biado conquered the excellent Chinese Taipei player, Ko Pin Yi, 11-7.
The winner of the Feijen-Haya match faces either Albin Ouschan of Austria or Chinese Taipei's Chang Yu Lung, the 2014 China Open winner, who clash in the other semi. Chang eliminated the very dangerous American, Shane Van Boening 11-8 in the last eight. Ouschan, the brother of female pool star Jasmin, relegated China's Li He Wen to the bleachers with an arduous 11-8 win in the quarterfinals.
ALSO READ: World Cup: Germany, USA sail into second round in Recife.
The competition featured large pocket jaws, shallow pocket shelves, and fast Simonis cloth on the Malaysian Wiraka tables. Coupled with a racking template, and a three-balls-must-cross-the-headstring rule on the break meant hard breaks and wing balls flying into corner pockets. Thankfully this is an alternate breaks tournament. The result was plenty of eye-catching, aggressive pool.
Should Haya win two matches on Friday, he will join some elite company. Only six Filipinos have won WPA world titles, namely Efren Reyes, (8 Ball and 9 Ball), Ronnie Alcano, (8 Ball and 9 Ball), Dennis Orcollo (8Ball), Django Bustamante (9 Ball), Alex Pagulayan (9 Ball), and Rubilen Amit (Women's 10 Ball twice.)
The semifinals will be played at the Al Saad Sports Club at 6:30 pm Manila time on Friday, with the Final, an extended race to 13, taking place at 10pm Manila time. Free live streaming of the matches is available here. You can check out the tournament bracket on this link.
The winner of this event takes home the US$30,000 top prize while the runner-up settles for US$15,000.
Follow the WPA on Twitter @poolwpa. Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
