Pinoy prodigy AJ Manas outduels Ferrer in Nine-ball World Pool opener

Juan Carlo Mercado

The poised young prodigy.

Photo Courtesy of Matchroom Pool

On one of the world’s biggest stages, the 19-year-old Pinoy pool prodigy AJ Manas shone the brightest, overcoming the 28-year-old Alexis Ferrer in a 9-6 showdown in the first round of the Nine-ball World Pool Championships at the center table of the Crown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 22 (Philippine time).

Manas aimed to start strong with his opening break but was called for a foul that allowed Ferrer to take care of the rest of the balls except the ninth ball.

While Ferrer had a fiery start and looked poised to secure the first round, his shot was slightly off, allowing Manas to step in and take care of business.

Both Ferrer and Manas had a rough start in the 2nd round by missing straightforward shots, but Manas regained composure, sinking the third ball and working his way up to pocket the ninth to take a 2-0 head start.

Meanwhile, Ferrer then showed his focus, plunging all nine balls in a single possession in the third round.

While his precision in the 4th round dipped slightly, Ferrer gambled on tight corner shots — a move that paid off, as Manas was able to hit the shots but was unable to sink them, leveling the playing field to 2 rounds apiece.

Ferrer got his groove back, leaving no room for Manas to get even a single shot in the 5th round, 3-2.

After Ferrer pocketed the second ball in the corner, he failed to register the third, allowing Manas to take care of the rest.

Breaking out of his slump in rounds 3 to 5, Manas wasted no time to pocket the sixth ball on the break, followed by the first, second, and ninth in quick succession with the help of the third.

A composed Manas nearly stretched it to 5–3 but missed the ninth ball in the corner pocket, leaving Ferrer to tie things up once again, 4-all.

Determined not to repeat his mistake, the young star bagged the 9th and 10th rounds after Ferrer committed a foul on the sixth ball, extending Manas’ lead, 6-4

Ferrer, on the other hand, made sure to clean up his earlier errors by clinching the 11th and 12th rounds.

With pinpoint accuracy and unshakable poise, the young prodigy made sure that it would be Ferrer’s last set, closing out the final three rounds.