Philippines Open Day 1: Filipinos, Gorst advance to next stage

The opening day of the 2025 Philippines Open Pool Championship concluded on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and saw home crowd favorites advance to the next stage, while some international players suffered early exits, except for world No. 1 Fedor Gorst.

The first surprise came after recent Reyes Cup champion Duong Quoc Hoang faltered against Filipino Eric Navarrete, 10-9.

Duong came back from 8-3 down to force a hill-hill matchup and was one ball away from advancing until the Vietnamese blundered the 9-ball, allowing Navarrete to complete the most shocking upset of the tournament so far.

“Losing hill-hill always hurts, but that’s pool — anything can happen,” Duong said postgame. I gave it everything, but it just wasn’t meant to be today.”

The crowd was amazing though — the support and the atmosphere here in Manila are unbelievable. I’ll learn from this and come back stronger,” he added.

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American Billy Thorpe also bowed out early at the hands of local challenger Bryant Saguiped, 10-7, while Filipino greats Lee Vann Corteza and Dennis Orcollo also suffered shock exits against fellow Filipinos.

World no. 1 Gorst completed his early test, crushing Filipino Billy Jay Garcia, 10-1, to advance to the Round of 64.

After the match, Gorst lauded the atmosphere in the tournament and the passionate Filipino fans who packed the Gateway Mall, as well as acknowledging a potential match against Filipino legend Francisco “Django” Bustamante in the tournament.

“It’s my first time playing in a mall setting like this — the atmosphere is unreal. The fans pack every level, cheering nonstop, and you can feel how much the Philippines loves pool,” Gorst said.

“Hopefully, Django wins tomorrow — I’d love a Reyes Cup rematch with him here in Manila,” he added.

Bustamante succeeded in his first-round matchup against USA’s Esteban Robles, while fellow Reyes Cup champions Carlo Biado and AJ Manas advanced.

Other Filipino cue artists such as Jefrey Roda, Jeffrey De Luna, and Anton Raga also advanced as the Philippines Open will continue at the same venue on Wednesday, Oct. 22. 

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