Chezka Centeno overcame a huge 0-4 deficit to whip Korean Seo Seoa of Korea, 11-7, to stamp her class in the inaugural 2022 APF Asian Women’s 9-Ball late Sunday at the Aspire Recreation Center in Singapore.
Centeno, 23, a four-time Southeast Asian Games champion, got the job done the hard way as she made her way to the finals via the losers’s bracket.
After yielding to local entry Jessica Tan, 7-6, Centeno made the grade in the treacherous knockout stage by posting victories over Fathrah Masum of Indonesia, 7-1, Lee Woojin of Korea, 7-3, and Suvene Ng, 9-3, in the round-of-16.
Her winning ways continued in the quarterfinal round where Centeno dumped teammate and reigning South East Asian Games queen Rubilen Amit, 9-6.
She proved that the Amit conquest was not a fluke when Centeno registered a 9-6 bashing of Bui Xuang Vang of Vietnam, 9-1.
In the game that all mattered most Centeno still flubbed shots in the last phase but her lead was so big that the Korean simply could not succeed in her catch-up attempt.
James Aranas tried to make it a twin kill for the Philippines but he bowed to Ko Pin Yin of Chinese Taipeh in the men’s class.