Filler Beats Manas 13-6 to Win Qatar World Cup 10-Ball
The fifth seed pulled away from 2-2 to take the $100,000 title in Doha, completing a run that began with a first-round defeat.
DOHA, Qatar — Joshua Filler is the Qatar World Cup 10-Ball champion. The fifth seed beat the Philippines' Albert James Manas 13-6 in Thursday night's race-to-13 final at the Ezdan Palace Hotel, capping a week in which he was the only seeded player left standing.
Manas, the last of seven Filipinos who reached the last 16, briefly led 2-1 on Table 17 and was level at 2-2 before the German took control, winning 11 of the next 15 racks to claim the $100,000 top prize. Manas collects $40,000 as runner-up.
From 2-2 to the title
The final was competitive for precisely four racks. Manas edged in front at 2-1, Filler squared it immediately, and that proved to be the Filipino's last moment of parity. Filler strung together the decisive mid-match burst to lead 7-3, kept the scoreboard moving as Manas mounted brief resistance, reached the hill at 12-6 and closed out the title in the 19th rack.
For Filler it completes a remarkable route through the event. Beaten 9-5 by Syria's Mustafa Alnar in the opening round, he rebuilt through the losers' side and swept the single-elimination rounds — downing world No. 1 Wojciech Szewczyk 11-9 in Thursday morning's semi-final — to reach the final as the draw's last surviving seed.
Manas leaves with a career week
Runner-up is still the biggest result of Manas's career. The Filipino had to come through the losers' bracket after a 9-4 qualifying defeat to Daniel Macioł, then knocked out giant-killer Alnar, compatriot Jundel Mazon and Chinese Taipei's Hsieh Chia Chen before edging Macioł 11-10 in a hill-hill semi-final.
His run kept Filipino hopes alive to the tournament's final day — seven of his countrymen had reached the last 16 — but over the closing racks he was simply outplayed by the week’s most durable player.
Filler's crown
The title is Filler's first at the Qatar World Cup 10-Ball — Jonas Magpantay and Macioł won the previous two editions — and his second ranking final in as many months. The champion's cheque of $100,000 comes from a $450,000 fund; beaten semi-finalists Szewczyk and Macioł took $15,000 each.
Verified result via QBSF live scoring on Rack 9 Pool, cross-checked with Inside Spin and Absolute Pool; the full draw is on the tournament hub.