Carlo Biado and Johann Chua of the Philippines opened their bid in the men’s 9-ball doubles competition of the 30th Southeast Asian Games on a bright note Tuesday, scoring a 9-2 victory over Malaysians Kok Jken Yung and Muhammad Almie at the Manila Hotel Tent.
A few hours later, Jeffrey Ignacio and Warren Kiamco blasted Malaysia’s Darryl Chia Soo Yew and Ibrahim Bin Amir, 9-3, to join Biado and Chua in the winning column.
After a struggling start, Biado and Chua settled down and easily put the Malaysians away, launching the Philippine bid to improve on its two-gold, one-silver, two-bronze medal in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games.
“We struggled with our breaks early but we managed to get it done. We had a good game,” said Chua.
Biado said they can’t their rivals for granted, adding they need to focus on the job at hand.
Biado will also see action in the 10-ball singles. He won the 9-ball singles event two years back, but he won’t defend the title, with Warren Kiamco and Dennis Orcollo earning the right to see action in the event.
“I lost in the eliminations (for the 9-ball) but that’s okay. Our other players can take care of business,” Biado said.
