Amit, Centeno make World 10-Ball KO stage

MANILA, Philippines — Rubilen Amit’s search for a third WPA World 10-Ball Women’s Championship got a shot in the arm as she barged into the Round of 16 of the event in Klagenfurt, Austria.

On her way to the knockout round, the 42-year-old many-time Southeast Asian Games champion from the Philippines had to overcome South Korea’s Hye Ju, 7-3, in the first round, Chinese Taipei’s Chou Chieh-Yu, the defending champion, 7-6, in the winners’ round and Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wan-Ling, 7-4, in the winners classification.

Amit thus arranged a duel with Kristina Zlateva of Bulgaria for a chance to sustain her impressive run of victories towards achieving the goal of adding another trophy to her collection of two which she got in 2009 and 2013 both in Manila.

Another Filipina, Chezka Centeno, also made the knockout phase after stunning former world champion and Hall of Famer Allison Fisher of England, 7-3, and Pan Xiaoting of China, 7-4, after drawing a first-round bye.

The 24-year-old Centeno, also a decorated cue artist at her young age, will battle German Melanie Sussenguth in the Last 16.