Django Bustamante turns back time in a thrilling victory over World No. 1 Fedor Gorst in front of a home crowd during the Philippines Open.
Francisco “Django” Bustamante has seemingly triumphed over Father Time in a thrilling 10-9 victory over World No. 1 Fedor Gorst at the Philippines Open at Gateway Mall in Cubao on Thursday, October 23.
The 61-year-old turned back the clock and made his date with fate after Gorst missed out on potting the 9 ball in the late goings of their race to 10 match, with the score tied at 9-all. The uncharacteristic miss for the top-ranked player in the world opened the door for Bustamante.
The former World 9-ball champion had a second chance which he didn’t waste, finishing off Gorst in a nerve-wracking match.
Gorst had failed to finish off his foe earlier in the match when Bustamante missed out on an easy 8-ball shot that would’ve handed him the victory.
Bustamante’s victory was a welcome treat for the Filipino crowd which also saw Harry Vergara win over Englishman Elliott Sanderson, 10-5.
Bustamante and Vergara face each other in an All-Filipino Round of 32 match later Thursday.
Paul John Ladao was also victorious against Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alshammari, 10-3 and awaits his next opponent as of writing.
Other victories for home bets on Thursday included Bernie Regalario’s 10-4 win over compatriot Jaycee Cordova Garcia, and Deanmark Castronuevo’s 10-8 escape act against another Filipino in Yves Cabrito.
Roland Garcia also marched on with a 10-6 win over Ralf Souquet of Germany.
In another all-Filipino match, Jefrey Roda beat Angelo Ariola, 10-3. Patric Gonzales also kept himself in contention with a 10-9 squeaker past Khalid Alghamdi of Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Efren “Bata” Reyes did not show up to his scheduled match against Carlo Biado due to a "minor health condition".
Biado thus faces off against young gun and Reyes Cup MVP AJ Manas in the Round of 32 later this day.
Other matchups in the afternoon session for Filipino cue artists will see Jeffrey Ignacio’s matchup against Canada’s John Morra, Michael Baoanan facing Jonas Souto, Ladoa’s next assignment against David Alcaide, John Vincent Vicedo’s battle with Emil Gangflot, Roda’s bid against USA’s Lukas Fracasso-Verner, Patric Gonzales vs Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Jerwin Capili Samia’s clash against Jayson Shaw, and Paolo Gallito’s match vs Japan’s Naoyuki Oi.
Meanwhile, three pairings also feature all-Filipino battles: Mark Jerick Leyva vs Regalario, Castronuevo vs Garcia, and Anton Raga vs Eric Navarrete.
The Philippines Open will run until Saturday, October 25.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.