---
title: "Philippines Open Day 1: Bustamante Blanked, Manas Falls in Hill-Hill Heartbreak"
url: https://billiardnews.net/philippines-open-day-1-bustamante-blanked-manas-falls-in-hill-hill-heartbreak
published: 2026-10-21T03:56:32Z
updated: 2026-10-21T03:56:32Z
summary: "Day 1 of the 2026 Philippines Open saw upsets galore: Bustamante lost 0-10, Manas blew an 8-3 lead and fell 9-10, and Neuhausen was eliminated by qualifier Tipawan."
author: "Staff"
categories: ["Tournaments"]
tags: ["Nine-ball", "Philippines Open", "Results", "World Nineball Tour"]
lang: en
---

# Philippines Open Day 1: Bustamante Blanked, Manas Falls in Hill-Hill Heartbreak

*Filipino underdogs tore up the script at Gateway Mall — Geronimo whitewashed Django, Santos stormed back from 8-3 down, and Tipawan sent Neuhausen home.*

Opening day at the 2026 Roobet Philippines Open Pool Championship delivered a reminder that in Manila, home underdogs do not read seedings. Three of the biggest names in the draw — two of them heroes of Team Asia's Reyes Cup defense — were gone before the first session ended.

## Django's darkest day

Just three days after captaining Team Asia at the Reyes Cup, Francisco "Django" Bustamante suffered a brutal 0-10 whitewash at the hands of fellow Filipino Rodrigo Geronimo — one of the most lopsided scorelines of the legend's career.

"I feel tired, especially after last week's Reyes Cup," Bustamante said afterward. "My opponent is a very good player, one of the top ten in the Philippines."

## Manas lets an 8-3 lead slip

AJ Manas was cruising at 8-3 up on Rommel Janael Santos when the match flipped. Santos reeled off rack after rack to force hill-hill, then closed it 10-9 for the comeback of the day.

"I missed the 6-ball to get on the hill, and he took his chance," Manas admitted. "He played really well, so he deserved the win."

## The other casualties and the survivors

European Open champion Moritz Neuhausen — chasing a Mosconi Cup spot — fell 10-6 to Meynard Tipawan, the day's biggest name-dropper. "I missed the same ball three times," Neuhausen said. "I've paid the price."

The favorites who did survive were emphatic: defending champion David Alcaide cruised 10-1 past Rodlin Bautista, World No. 1 Aloysius Yapp dismissed Raphael Dabreo 10-2, and Johann Chua blanked Tony Piazza 10-1. Carlo Biado, Robbie Capito and Duong Quoc Hoang all advanced without dropping more than a couple of racks.

## Why it matters

This is the final ranking cut-off for both the Mosconi Cup and the World Pool Masters — every early exit costs someone a ticket. Racing to 10 all the way through the quarterfinals, single elimination, 128 players: Day 2 continues today at Gateway Mall.

*Sources: World Nineball Tour, Dugout Philippines, Absolute Pool.*